EU budget
Budget talks breakdown as irresponsible Council reneges on commitment
Negotiations between the European Parliament and Council on the 2013 budget broke down today after the refusal of EU governments to fulfil their commitment to cover a shortfall in funding for the EU's 2012 budget. The Greens hit out at the development, with budgetary spokesperson Helga Trüpel stating:
“The blame for the breakdown rests solely at the door of Council, which has acted totally irresponsibly in reneging on its commitments with regard to this year's budget.
"The shortfalls faced by key European social, research and cohesion programmes under this year's budget are not due to new or disproportionate budget lines (1), they are merely a function of the EU budgetary cycle and commitments agreed to by Council last year. The Council is duty-bound to ensure the EU budget can deliver the commitments it has made. Ultimately, it is beneficiaries in EU member states that will suffer due to this funding shortfall, notably in crisis-hit countries, making Council's irresponsible position all the more incomprehensible.
"With the deadline for negotiations now expired, the Commission will have to come forward with new proposals for the EU's 2013 budget and the unresolved problems with this year's budget. Parliament has made clear it will not accept the arbitrary slashing of the proposed EU budget for next year, which is being pushed by EU governments in Council. The EU budget is the best placed instrument for stimulating economic recovery across Europe but this implies allocating an appropriate level of resources to R&D, structural funds and other economy-stimulating measures. The Commission's revised proposal should reflect this."
(1) While the Council agreed to contribute additional funds for dealing with the consequences of the Emilia Romagna earthquake, there are around €9 billion worth of open bills under the EU budget, which are supposed to be delivered by the year-end. These shortfalls include under the Erasmus student exchange programme, the EU's research framework programme and, particularly, under EU structural funds.
