Europees Parlement wil speciaal comité om eigen budget goed tegen het licht te houden (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Parliament is attempting to steal a march on the other EU institutions by setting up a special committee to define its spending demands, ahead of the imminent battle on the EU's next multi-annual budget.
By convening the committee of MEPs before the European Commission comes forward with its draft proposals on the budget, in contrast to previous years, the legislature hopes to seize the initiative and ensure a maximum of parliament's wishes are contained in the final package.
"It is a strong message to the commission to take on the European Parliament's views," MEP Reimer Boege told EUobserver in an interview on Tuesday (1 June). The centre-right German deputy was rapporteur for the legislature's equivalent committee prior to the start of the EU's current financial period (2007-2013).
Mr Boege says he expects the impending negotiations "to be harder than the last time," not least due to the current economic crisis that has emptied the coffers of European governments.
But he is quick to point out that the EU is not running a budgetary deficit at present, unlike member state governments, adding that the greater workload resulting from the Lisbon Treaty, including the establishment of the EU's fledgling diplomatic service, will inevitably require higher levels of funding.
Parliament's hand in setting the multi-annual budget has also been strengthened under the EU's new rulebook, with the legislature's formal 'consent' now required, together with member state approval.
"It is very important to repeat this to the council of ministers [representing member states]. There is a certain tendency to undermine the parliament's position," says Mr Boege, in a foretaste of the debate to come.
The EU's current seven-year budget is roughly €864 billion, with annual figures gradually increasing from €117 billion in 2007 to €127 billion in 2013. This represents 1.05 percent of the EU's forecast gross national income for the same period, with the largest portion of money coming from direct member state contributions.
Move to five years?
The decision to set up a special committee on the EU's next multi-annual budget was taken by the heads of parliament's political groups last month.
Formal plenary approval is expected to follow this June, with the committee then expected to work on a report setting out parliament's position, to be published ahead of the commission's budgetary proposals in July 2011.
The group of 50 MEPs will estimate how much money the EU will need to achieve its objectives, as well as draw up guidelines on how resources should be distributed within and between different budgetary headings.
France has already indicated it will not tolerate any reduction in EU spending on the bloc's common agricultural policy (CAP), which together with funds for Europe's poorer regions takes up the lion's share of the EU budget.
Parliament would also like to see the EU's multi-annual budgetary period reduced from seven to five years, in line with the commission and parliamentary terms, but here it may run into opposition.
"I think the commission and the council are not in favour of the move," says Mr Boge, citing a reluctance to negotiate for a reduced period of time.
"But a shorter period of five years would allow much greater flexibility, for example to deal with crises such as the present economic one."