EU budget 2011

The EU Parliament today voted to adopt a compromise package on the EU's budgets for 2011. The Greens broadly welcomed the vote, which would limit the growth in the EU budgets based while still enabling the EU to respond to the extra demands created by the Lisbon treaty. Commenting on the general outcome of the vote, German Green MEP and draftsperson for the European Parliament budget Helga Trüpel said:

"This year's budget debate again underlines the need to agree a meaningful system of own resources for the EU. The annual squabbling over the budgets between the European institutions leads to chaotic decision-making and creates an acrimonious diversion, which could be so easily avoided through an own resources system, such as allocating part of the revenue from an EU financial transaction tax, a tax on aviation fuel or a carbon tax to fund the EU budget. Despite this, today's vote broadly strikes a balance between responding to the extra demands created by the Lisbon treaty, whilst limiting the growth in the EU budgets, in response to current budgetary difficulties."

Commenting on the Commission's budget, by far the largest of the budgets, Helga Trüpel added:

"Today's vote would equip the EU to act in priority areas and fulfill the new competences set out in the Lisbon treaty, while at the same time keeping expenditure in check during these straitened times. While we welcome the decision by MEPs to reduce the amount of funds going to the ITER nuclear fusion project in 2011 (1), the most logical solution is not to spend one further cent on this white elephant. That the European taxpayer should be expected to foot the bill for the ballooning ITER budget is simply wrong. The least costly option would be to abandon the project now before the main construction has started at all."

Commenting on the European Parliament's budget, Helga Trüpel, the parliamentary draftsperson/rapporteur, added:

"The challenge with the parliament's budget has been similar to that with the other budgets: ensuring the parliament can respond to the greater demands it now faces, while keeping budgetary growth in check. As rapporteur, I believe the budget adopted today meets this challenge. The Greens have consistently opposed the allocation of further funding for MEPs' office allowances, which we believe cannot be justified at present, and we welcome that the EP has decided to put the proposed increase on hold. Clearly, the onus is now on those charged with managing the budget to ensure it is utilised in a prudent manner."

(1) The budget committee adopted an amendment to reduce the amount of spending on ITER under the EU budget by €47 million (down to €304.76 million).