A debate on the future of the European Union should not block decisions about its long-term budget, EU Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Huebner said today.
Ms Huebner also said the EU should hold another summit on its 2007-2013 budget in October at the latest.
EU leaders last week failed to agree a budget for 2007-2013, after British Prime Minister Tony Blair refused to yield any of London's budget rebate without a commitment to reform farm subsidies that largely benefit France - which rejected any change in the subsidies.
"For Poland, for all new members and for the whole of the EU an urgent decision on the budget is necessary," Ms Huebner said in an interviews.
"A lack of decision increases uncertainty about the future. Let's make those budget decisions and in parallel, of course, we need to launch a debate on what we expect from the EU and what Europe we want to build," she said.
"Letting the budget wait until the end of the debate on the future of Europe would mean we'd never have it."
Mr Blair told the European Parliament yesterday the bloc's constitutional and budget crisis were an opportunity for the thorough reform the EU needed to rekindle economic growth.
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said the EU should adopt a short-term budget to rethink what its long-term budget should look like.
Britain takes over the EU's six-month rotating presidency on July 1st and will try to resolve the budget dispute.