Debate: Presentation by the Council of its position on the draft general budget -  financial year
Date: WEDNESDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2023
Speaker: Siegfried Mureşan
Country: Germany
Language: EN

We have to work together; we have to deliver as institutions of the European Union, because whenever people in Europe face difficulties, they expect support from the European Union. And throughout the last years, we have shown that the European Union is there to support; in the pandemic, in times of war, people, farmers, enterprises, NGOs, students, researchers were supported with European funds. The budget of the European Union is one of the main tools that we have to support the people in Europe, and we have indeed agreed in 2020 a Multiannual Financial Framework. But many things have happened since. We had to help Ukraine, we had to tackle inflation, high energy prices and we are now seeing that the Multiannual Financial Framework is reaching its limits. The European Commission has put forward a proposal to revise this and we will have to work together with the Spanish Presidency to conclude this revision as soon as possible – not later than the end of this year – so that we can include space of manoeuvre, reserves, margins, resources allocated to new priorities into the budget for next year and have a meaningful budget for next year. Unfortunately, the Multiannual Financial Framework is tight, following pressure from the Council, and we are now seeing the negative consequences of that tightness. We will have to correct some of the mistakes made by the Council when the MFF was negotiated in the yearly budget procedure this year and in the MFF negotiations. When looking at the position of the Council for the draft budget of the Union for next year, we as a Parliament do not understand it. We do not support it. And I have to say, very clearly, we reject the reading of the Council to the draft budget put forward by the Commission for 2024. We have joint priorities. We have agreed to do more in some areas. We have understood that migration is a challenge. People who come to Europe need to be supported. Illegal migration has to be tackled because anything that is illegal has to be tackled, of course. The Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods need more support; military mobility, defence needs more support. We have to continue with the transition to the green and the digital economy. This is why the reading of the Council proposing cuts throughout the budget is something that is not understandable. We cannot agree that we want to do more in the area of health and then cut the budget when it comes to research in the area of health or when it comes to new health care projects. This is why we will not support this.  We, as a parliament, will put forward the proposal, which will start from the draft budget of the European Commission, which we believe is the bare minimum required. And I think the Commissioner has very eloquently reiterated this in front of Parliament, and we are going to propose some moderate increases to some budgetary lines which are oversubscribed, where financing is clearly needed: in the area of research, in the area of health, in the area of supporting creative people, supporting young farmers to make the rural areas more attractive, Erasmus scholarships and of course, as I said, asylum, migration, the Southern and the Eastern Neighbourhoods. To conclude, Madam President, we will, in the reading of Parliament, align our budget for next year with the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework proposed by the Commission. We are going to align it with everything proposed on industrial policy and we are looking forward to a swift and successful negotiation with the colleagues in the Council.