Pierre Gramegna at the European Parliament for the presentation of the draft EU budget on 8 September 2015
On 8 September 2015, Pierre Gramegna, Minster for Finance, will present the Council's position on the draft EU budget for 2016 before the plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The main objective of the EU budget for 2016 will be to support economic recovery through investments which target growth and boost employment, whilst stimulating finance for migration policies and external EU action.
Pierre Gramegna commented: "The budget for 2016 will reflect internal and external EU solidarity, a principle that we share collectively. In its position, adopted by unanimity on 4 September 2015, the Council has sought to strike the right balance between national budgetary constraints and the EU's priority funding needs, in particular with regard to investment, entrepreneurship and employment."
The Council's position provides for EUR 153.3 billion in commitments and EUR 142.1 billion in payments. The Council foresees an increase in payments of 0.6% in relation to 2015 (i.e. +EUR 839 million). As regards commitments, the Council foresees a decrease of -5.4% (EUR 8.7 billion) in relation to 2015, compared with the decrease of -5.0% proposed by the Commission in its draft budget. In addition, the Council has ensured that it left sufficient margins within the budget to react to unforeseen events and needs during the financial year 2016.
The Council's position constitutes the basis on which the Parliament will decide by the end of October whether it adopts amendments. In this case, the Council's position will serve as a mandate to the Luxembourg Presidency for subsequent negotiations with the Parliament with a view to achieving a common position.
Press release issued by the Ministry of Finance
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