Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-10-26-Speech-2-047"
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"en.19991026.2.2-047"2
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"Mr President, the draft budget for the year 2000, EUR 92 billion, a margin of flexibility for our Parliament of EUR 1.5 billion taking into consideration the Financial Perspective, the across-the-board reductions in all appropriations, or at least in appropriations for agriculture, the lack of ambition, and the usual thin spreading of resources and budgetary gimmickry; in other words, it is a draft budget with no great innovations. It is to Mr Bourlanges’ great credit that he attempted to make the discussion more lively by introducing technical objections. He presented a fine study with a sort of pot pourri of everything he has written since March and all that with the attitude of an official of the French Supreme Audit Office. Well, that is all very well.
The only innovations are not deliberate. It is the first budget of the 21st century, one which will indeed see the dissolution of the European Union following the Seattle Conference where the Community preference will be abandoned. It is the first budget to implement the Financial Perspective for 2000-2006, which Mr Bourlanges is also asking that we review. It is the first budget which is going to verge on the EUR 100 billion mark if we adopt the amendments which Mr Bourlanges is proposing and, speaking of Mr Bourlanges, who I might call the financier from “Uncle Jean Monnet’s Cabin”, this is a first for him, his first report following the general report, after that of Mrs Dührkop Dührkop, Mr Tillich, Mr Lamassoure or others.
Apart from the change in presentation in the form of Mr Bourlanges, 2000 is much like 1999 as far as the budget is concerned. Firstly one finds once again the European Parliament’s ongoing aspiration to make its presence felt. This has been a constant ever since 1979. This is a natural tendency on the part of all parliaments throughout the world. The judgements of the Court of Justice of the European Communities have multiplied. The 1995 budget was even cancelled, and President Hänsch refused to sign, and, every single time, there is this conflict about NCE and CE. Well, Mr Bourlanges is bringing us back to this bellicose atmosphere, even quoting Marshal Foch, which is appropriate, I suppose. In the backwater of the European budget there is not enough room for two crocodiles, the crocodile of the European Council and the crocodile of the European Parliament which, after eating up the Commission by toppling Santer, now wants to eat the Council too.
So Mr Bourlanges proposes to be voluntarist, he wishes to increase Community expenditure by 7%, he is an ultraliberal who has forgotten the budget rationing pact which he wanted to inflict on others, and he is doling out money because Christmas is coming, 135 million for Turkey, 500 million for Kosovo. First we bomb, then we rebuild. And then there is even East Timor. It is said that it is old monarchs who concern themselves with foreign policy. Of course, the farmers are not entitled to the same largesse, unless they move to Turkey. The only problem, obviously, is that if you keep increasing expenditure, one day you will also have to increase revenue and contemplate a Community tax. But in the meantime, well, Italy will pay, and France will pay another EUR 600 million.
I shall conclude, as Mr Bourlanges quoted Saint Matthew, by quoting Jesus, asking Simon Peter. “What thinkest thou, Simon? Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? Of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.” But with Mr Bourlanges’ tendencies, how long will this freedom last?"@en1
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