EU BUDGET: MEPS SET OUT DEMANDS OVER 2007-13 FINANCES.

PositionMembers of parliament

The draft paper has been drawn up by German EPP-ED Member Reimer Boge and was discussed by MEPs on February 2. It says that the proposal tabled by the Commission on February 1 "cannot serve as the basis for fair negotiations" on the 2007-13 budget. It points out that the Commission has only taken on board two of eleven key European Parliament requests from the position it agreed in July 2005.

Call to make spending reserves easier.

While the EP welcomes the fact that the Commission has proposed an increase in the flexibility instrument it criticised the fact that there is no proposal on how to make the procedures for releasing the money easier.

Total 25 billion for flexibility.

On flexibility, it restates its 2004 position that the total envelope should be 0.03% of EU gross national income around euro 24.75 billion. This should be divided up among the different headings or budget lines as follows:

- competitiveness: up to 7 billion;

- cohesion: up to 3 billion;

- Solidarity Fund: up to 6.2 billion;

- emergency aid: up to 1.5 billion;

- loans guarantee: up to 3 billion;

- non-allocated reserve (for unforeseen events) (current flexibility instrument): 3.5 billion.

Co-decision rights for EP on review clause.

On the review clause, the Boge paper says that the Parliament should have a "clearly defined role". Both arms of the budgetary authority (i.e. the Parliament as well as the Council) should decide on the confirmation modification or rejection of the review by March 2010 at the latest, the paper says. The MEP also wants an ad hoc working group of EP and Council...

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