MEPs vote for bigger EU budget

NEGOTIATIONS OVER the future spending limits of the European Union began in earnest yesterday as MEPs in Strasbourg voted for a bigger EU budget.

The multi-annual financial frameworks, agreed between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, set out how much money can be spent on key European projects, such as agriculture and regional policy, over a number of years.

The current framework ends in 2013 and MEPs overwhelmingly voted yesterday in favour of proposing a 5 per cent increase in expenditure for the 2014 to 2020 framework.

A resolution drafted by the parliament’s policy challenges committee stated that the additional five per cent is needed to achieve the long-term aims agreed upon between the different European institutions.

Irish MEP for the Northwest Pat “the Cope” Gallagher, a member of the committee, yesterday defended the proposal, saying that “the EU budget post-2013 must be fit for purpose to maintain competitiveness, to increase economic growth and to combat high unemployment in Europe”.

Such an increase is likely to be opposed by the several members in the council of the EU, whose next meeting is later this month.

The council represents the individual member states and it appears many are reluctant to allocate more money during such a severe recession.

In a joint letter to the European Commission, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Finland and the United Kingdom all called for EU budgets to be frozen at 2013 levels.

Following the passage of the Lisbon Treaty, the council and the parliament will need to come to an agreement, along with the commission, to establish the framework.

Prior to the treaty, the parliament could only give its opinion on what the framework should be.

“MEPs have been working for over a year reviewing the long-term budget for 2013 to 2020, after [this week’s] vote the tough negotiations with governments will start. We want a modest 5 per cent increase, they want a freeze or even a cut” said Nessa Childers, the Labour Party MEP for Ireland East.