First, the European Constitution collapses under its own bloat. Now the budget is on the rocks. The European Union is falling apart, and the unelected bureaucrats are twitching and snapping at each other: Bitter recriminations fly fast and furious after EU budget breakdown.

BRUSSELS (AFP) - Talks had hardly finished over the EU budget before the finger-pointing broke out with the harshest words reserved for British Prime Minister Tony Blair, demonised for blocking an agreement.

But the British leader was far from the only European leader blamed for the budget talks’ collapse with only the EU’s 10 new members left with an air of respectability for a last-ditch offer to make sacrifices in hope getting a deal.

But it was Britain’s flat-out refusal to back down on its defense of its rebate from the EU budget that attracted the most recriminations.

Twitching with anger, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who holds the EU’s presidency, could barely conceal his ire towards Britain for blocking a deal on the budget, which he had longed hoped to secure at the two-day summit.

While not naming Britain, Juncker accused London of intentionally scuttling his attempts to strike a compromise on the budget by calling for a broad rethink of the bloc’s finances in a late stage of negotiations.