Debate: New general budget of the European Union for the financial year
Date: MONDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2020
Speaker: Johannes Hahn
Language: EN

The agreement for 2021 is a forward—looking compromise, fully in line with the larger framework of the long-term budget for 2021 to 2027 and Next Generation EU, which will provide an unprecedented EUR 1.8 trillion budget to help rebuild a post—COVID—19 Europe. The 2021 budget agreement not only fully respects the MFF political agreement but also reflects both the Parliament and Council positions fairly. This budget will allow the Union to mobilise significant funds for a continued EU response to the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences, to kick—start a sustainable recovery and to protect and create jobs. It ensures that we are able to invest in the future to achieve a greener, more digital and, finally, more resilient Europe. I will now briefly run through the main elements of our agreement. Overall commitments will be EUR 164 billion and the overall level of payment appropriations will be EUR 166 billion. It’s important that we also preserve flexibility in next year’s budget. Since the uncertainty doesn’t end at the end of this year, we can be sure that we will also need the flexibility next year. This budget agreement ensures that we have that room for manoeuvre to face whatever awaits us in 2021. The agreement includes the entire package of pilot projects and preparatory actions proposed by the Parliament, amounting to EUR 72 million. It maintains our ability to fully finance the funding costs of Next Generation EU whilst reinforcing shared priorities, partially by reallocating and partially by making additional money available from the unallocated margins of the MFF. Overall, we agreed to reinforce the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for Transport, EUR 60 million, plus EUR 60 million in Digital Europe, plus EUR 26 million, which will benefit our green and digital transitions and our economic recovery alike. Additionally, we reconfirm our commitment to a greener Europe by the substantive reinforcement of the LIFE programme: an additional EUR 42 million. We will strengthen the Justice Programme, plus EUR 3 million in the Rights and Values Programme, plus EUR 7 million. We also agreed to further reinforce the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, thus strengthening the Union’s ability to investigate, prosecute and bring to justice crimes against the EU budget, such as fraud and corruption, and we hope it can finally become operational soon. We further agreed to strengthen the Fundamental Rights Agency, the European Institute for Gender Equality, Eurojust and eu-LISA. On the external policy side, we reinforced the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) and we increased our strategic communications capacity, as well as humanitarian aid. Beyond the bare finances, five statements have been added. These highlight, amongst others, the priority to tackle child poverty and the urgent need to tackle the impact of the COVID—19 crisis, with particular attention to sectors that are severely hit by the crisis, such as tourism and SMEs, and the people that are the most affected by the crisis, such as children and young people. Additionally, we will also make the research commitment available again to the benefit of the new Horizon Europe programme. Therefore, the famous Article 50.3 of the financial regulations has been implemented, in line with the MFF agreement. Let me close by underlining once again how positive a signal this agreement and the agreement on the long-term budget are. They show the Union’s ability to serve European citizens. So I am grateful for the compromise and the extra mile that all of you went to make this possible, and that we managed, may I say, to arrive at an agreement three days before the deadline. That could become a blueprint for the future, and I hope that this is not only a promise, but it could be repeated next year.