Debate: Multiannual Financial Framework , Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism and the Recovery Fund for Europe
Date: WEDNESDAY, 11 NOVEMBER 2020
Speaker: Siegfried Mureşan
Political group: PPE
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Mr President, in July the heads of state and government negotiated for four days and four nights and adopted their position on the budget of the European Union for the next seven years. Immediately we, the European Parliament, recognised the good parts of that agreement and we also pointed at those areas where the agreement could still be improved. We recognised that the allocations which the 27 heads of state and government had negotiated amongst themselves for each country was something that the Parliament should not challenge. But we also said that, in the European programmes – in the future—oriented programmes, those programmes which should make Europe more digital, more modern, more competitive – the heads of state and government had made cuts and more money was needed. And our negotiators, after intense negotiations, have managed to achieve a very good result, and the number is EUR 16 billion more for the people of Europe as a result of the demands and the fight of the European Parliament. Is that a lot? Yes, it is an amount which makes a big difference to the budgetary lines it will go to. Let me just mention some figures: on the health programme, we are tripling the budget from EUR 1.7 billion to EUR 5 billion; the research programme, EUR 4.4 billion more – and just two days ago, we learned that the European company which received European support from EU money for research is in the lead with regards to discovering a vaccine; Erasmus, EUR 2.2 billion more, which means almost one million young Europeans will be able to have a scholarship in the next seven years because of the achievements of Parliament. And we are also reinforcing the Rights and Values Programme because, yes, we have an agreement on the rule of law mechanism, there is conditionality. Those who breach the rule of law should be sanctioned, but those NGOs who defend the rule of law, they should be supported. The rule of law mechanism also contains, as a demand of the Parliament, one very important prerogative: it says that the beneficiaries of EU funds should never suffer if a government attacks the rule of law. There are three pillars for the EU budget for the next seven years. The multiannual financial framework I just spoke about was a good result. The rule of law I just spoke about was also a good result. And there is also the Recovery and Resilience Facility, and here, Commissioner, I can report that the European Parliament is on track. This week we are giving the final mandate to our negotiating team, to the three co—rapporteurs, and one of them for the final negotiations with Parliament. What will we demand? We will support the allocation criteria and the amounts for each of the countries as negotiated in the Council, but we want to prolong the programme from three to four years because we now learn that Corona is a longer—term crisis, and we want to make sure that money gets where it’s needed. The more money you spend, the more you need to make sure that the control is good, that there is a strong goal for OLAF and for the European Public Prosecutor, and a strong goal for reform. Country—specific recommendations and the European Semester are very important because the title of the programme is ‘recovery and resilience’...