No agreement on EU budget for 2011
The European Parliament and the Member States of the European Union (EU) have failed to reach an agreement on the EU budget for 2011. After unsuccessful mediation attempts on Monday the 15th of November 2010 in Brussels, the European Commission (EC) will be forced to make up a new budget, which could mean that decision-making on this new plan can take months.
Great Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden did not agree with the current plans
The European Parliament wishes for a greater say in the budgets of the EU. In return, the delegates will accept the demand from Member States to increase the budget for next year by up to 2.91 percent to 126,5 billion. Especially Great Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden did not agree with the current plans.
No disaster that a budget for 2011 is not complete
The parliament sought a greater role in the discussion on the financing of the EU in the long term, for example the idea of a European tax was discussed. According to Ben Knapen from the Netherlands, the increase in budget of 2.91 percent is already a major concession on the part of the Dutch. Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski (Budget) had warned earlier for serious consequences. However Knapen is of the opinion that it is no disaster that a budget for 2011 is not complete.
EU member states and the parliament have been given an equal say and yet…
The rule states that without a budget for 2011 the EU will be
allowed to spend one twelfth of the old budget. The conflict
between Parliament and Member States comes less then a year after
the introduction of the Treaty of Lisbon, in which EU member states
and the parliament have been given an equal say. Therefore the
decision by the member states not to agree with the proposed EU
budget for 2011 is extra painful for the EC. According to Euro
parliamentarian, Bas Eickhout the parliament demanded no new
powers, but just wanted to give substance to existing agreements.
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