Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-10-24-Speech-2-157"
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"en.20001024.5.2-157"2
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"Mr President, Mrs Jutta Haug and Mr Markus Ferber have been involved in an enormous task in drafting next years’ EU budget. I wish to congratulate them and, at the same time, thank them for their constructive cooperation. Similarly, I would like to thank Mrs Rühle and Mr Colom i Naval and, in particular, the Chairman of the Committee, Terence Wynn. The budget for 2001 is the second budget during this present programming period. It continues the budget policy that was outlined in the Interinstitutional Agreement of over a year ago. My own group is satisfied that strict budgetary discipline was adhered to in the drafting of the budget. It is right that the committee should have made a special point of focus the reduction in expenditure commitments that are in arrears. Structural Funds are one year in arrears and the Media programme, for example, is actually eight years in arrears. Administration in the EU has been inexcusably poor, since, for example, last spring around EUR 3 billion of unused funds were returned to Member States.
Mr President, the focus of the budget has been on education and culture, employment and the promotion of SMEs. We are satisfied with this arrangement. At present massive unemployment is the scourge of the EU. For that reason, it is appropriate to increase significantly the financing of unemployment initiatives. Support for SMEs also aims at reducing unemployment, as it is they that create new jobs most effectively.
The most difficult problems in the new budget concern external action. The basic reason is Agenda 2000, in which there are too few funds for the construction of the Balkan region. Over the centuries the Balkan region has been Europe’s powder keg and that is the case today too. However, just EUR 1 850 million were set aside for the development of this region at Berlin, while EUR 4 500 million were spent during the previous period. The Council reduced funds for the Balkans by EUR 200 million, although there is a massive amount of reconstruction work to be done in the wake of the NATO bombing. If the EU and the Member States intend to keep their promises regarding the reconstruction of the Balkans, that must be clearly visible in providing finance and not just in proclamations. The Balkans war, months of bombing and the tremendous devastation that followed will lead to bitterness and hatred that may even last for generations among the inhabitants of the region unless the EU also takes responsibility for the reconstruction work.
The Committee on Budgets has taken a constructive stand on financing. It wishes to commence talks with the Council in which all the opportunities of the Interinstitutional Agreement would be exploited to solve problems. The committee is also aiming at a multiannual financial framework for both the CARDS and the MEDA programmes. This would serve to lessen the yearly conflict that has tainted the preparation of the EU budget in the last couple of years. Mr President, it is with these remarks that I would like, on behalf of my group, to support the policy of the Committee on Budgets in next year’s budget."@en1
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