Strasbourg, 20th October 2010
 

The disregard of the Council hitherto to the demands of the European Parliament on the 2011 Budget is worrying.  The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe understands the budgetary difficulties which member states are struggling with, but considers that its vision for the 2011 budget is reasonable and justified which will be born out in negotiations seeking to reconcile to the two positions.

This will also be an opportunity to reiterate three points that connect this annual budget process and the forthcoming negotiation on the post-2013 multiannual financial framework, namely the adequacy of financing of our policy goals but also the new policies deriving from the Lisbon Treaty which could impact heavily in 2012 and 2013, the necessary legal and financial guarantees for the proper functioning of the European Financial Stability Mechanism, of which €60 billion are guaranteed by the EU and Council's commitment to equip the EU with a stable and sufficient own resource in the future.

During the plenary debate on the 2011 budget, Anne JENSEN (Venstre, Denmark), ALDE coordinator for the Budget committee insisted on the difficulties of financing in respect to the actual expenditure ceilings: "It is certainly desirable to reduce the budget but the current financial framework is too rigid.  I regret that the Commission has not proposed a revision of the framework at this half-way point, and I worry that without additional flexibility we could be heading for serious problems from 2013".

Carl HAGLUND (Svenska folkpartiet, Finland), shadow rapporteur for the Parliament Budget, added: "The economic situation is difficult and the liberals and democrats would have preferred that the Parliament set the example.  Even if our operational expenses are marginal, it would have been symbolic that we could reduce our internal budget.  Beyond the administrative budget appropriations, there are real common policies and I have a hard time understanding why for example the Council is reducing its research expenditures. "

For more information please contact:

 Neil Corlett: +33-3-88 17 41 67 or +32-478-78 22 84

e-mail: neil.corlett@europarl.europa.eu

Yannick Laude: +33-3-88 17 27 76 or +32-495-22 78 37

also consult: http://www.alde.eu