Slottoespraak conferentie over Europees meerjarig financieel kader (en)

Honourable Members of Parliament,

Minister Wammen,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to thank the European Parliament and the Danish presidency of the Council for their efforts in organising this second conference on the European Union's next multiannual financial framework. This has been a valuable opportunity to bring together a wide range of participants with different perspectives on the future budget of the European Union.

I particularly welcome the participation of national parliaments in the discussion today. In recent months, I have learned a lot from my own discussions with national parliaments and have been impressed by the depth of the analysis that they are carrying out on the multiannual financial framework. This has been replicated at the EU level in the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee. I can assure you that all views expressed are considered with the utmost care and attention by the Commission.

I would like to thank all the participants for the views that they have expressed and the important issues that they have raised on this issue of fundamental importance for all of us as policy makers, representatives and decision takers at various levels of government. The EU's financial framework is a subject that - rightly - attracts a lot of attention in discussions between the institutions, inside the institutions, and from the media, citizens and business. Such exchange of information outside the formal structures can only help us all to understand each other's positions and work constructively towards an agreement on the next financial framework and the policy programmes and financing instruments that will be used to implement it.

I do not pretend that the negotiations on the next multiannual financial framework will be plain sailing. But we are already on the right track to meet our deadlines. The next few months will require a lot of dedicated and hard work from all of us who are involved in the process. But this effort is necessary in order to provide the finances that are necessary for the next period and to determine the priority areas for the expenditure. In this respect, I welcome the input given in the course of the discussion sessions today as it will help us to pinpoint the particular areas that will require more detailed discussion.

Of course, we cannot ignore the current economic and financial situation. All the more reason to ensure that the next EU financial framework is able to deliver and support our commonly agreed policies by directing the necessary investment to the right places.

We can look back at a successful and fruitful conference today, which was devoted on the aspects of resources and expenditure of the new MFF.

This morning, President Barroso i, in his opening remarks, drew attention to the particular added value of expenditure from the EU budget compared to expenditure at national level. Vice-President Kroes i, in her intervention this afternoon in session 2, gave some very illustrative examples in this respect. This is also an issue that has come up in my discussions with national parliaments. If the EU budget is to continue to have a meaningful role, we need to make the case clearly for the existence of that added value and to emphasise the benefits that are derived across the Union from the expenditure.

Commissioner Lewandowski i explained in the session 1 the Commission's approach to Own Resources. It is guided by the aspiration to replace the present system which is perceived as complex and biased by a system that is fair, simple, transparent, and better linked to policy objectives. He explained, in particular, how a Europe wide Financial Transaction Tax would result in a significant reduction (around 50%) of Member States' GNI contribution to the EU budget if there is agreement to make two thirds of the proceeds of the FTT available as an Own Resource.

The entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty underlines the importance of a consensual approach on the EU budget. I am happy that the European Parliament under President Schulz is fully engaged in the process and that its role in the MFF process is fully recognised by the Danish Presidency of the Council. In the coming weeks and months, we will have to intensify our cooperation, including with other key actors such as President van Rompuy i, in order to push the process forward.

Our objective should be to reach an agreement by the end of this year in order to ensure that the 2014 annual budget is prepared in time and that the relevant programmes and instruments are operational from day one.

In conclusion, while I repeat that our task is not easy, I continue to believe that we are on the right track to reaching an agreement on the next financial framework by the end of 2012 that is fair and balanced and retains the ambition and focus of the Commission's proposals. We owe it to ourselves and to our constituencies - the voters, the stakeholders, the citizens - to design a framework that responds to the challenges that the Union faces now and into the future.

Let us continue the good work and look forward to a successful conclusion to the negotiations.

Thank you for your attention.