MEMBER STATES HOLD POLICY DEBATE ON PRELIMINARY DRAFT BUDGET FOR THE YEAR 2000.

Finance Ministers from the European Union held a brief policy debate on the European Union's Preliminary Draft Budget for the year 2000 during the Economics and Finance Council in Brussels on May 10. France, Sweden and the Netherlands have expressed alarm at the massive increase in payment appropriations which is a feature of the European Commission's proposal. Erkki Liikanen, the European Commissioner with responsibility for the Budget, explained this trend by the scope of the "amounts outstanding", which stem from commitments entered into during the period covered by the former medium-term financial perspective (1993-1999). EU Finance Ministers also looked into the budgetary impact of expenditure incurred to assist the Balkan states affected by the Kosovo...