Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-24-Speech-2-151"
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"en.20020924.10.2-151"2
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".
Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, honourable Members, the 2003 budget is probably the last budget to apply to 15 Member States of the EU. We are, more or less, on the eve of enlargement. The budget year 2003 will, then, have further challenges in store not only for the candidate states, but also for all the European institutions that need to prepare themselves. These will be areas of major concern in 2003.
But, of course, we also have other priorities in addition to these. I agree with all those who say that European politics must concentrate on stability and security. These are also reflected in the 2003 budget, in Commissioner Vitorino's budget for measures in the areas of internal affairs and justice policy or – and in many and varied ways – in the budget for foreign policy measures. Your House has tabled several motions relating to the security of our external representation, but of course also to all the aid given to Afghanistan. Aid, the increased funds for the Mediterranean, and of course pre-accession aid as well, are, in the final analysis, expenditure on Europe's enhanced political stability.
The Commission has decided on sustainable development as the third focus of its attention. This, too, touches on many specific budgets and programmes – the energy programme, the research programme, Mr Nielsen's programme or, to take another example, the rural development funds and the major Structural Funds for which my fellow Commissioners Mr Fischler and Mr Barnier are, respectively, responsible.
In this debate, we will probably have much to say about the state of the accounts, and the implementation, of the Structural Funds – but not to the exclusion of other funds. The budget books for 2001 did indeed reveal a surplus of EUR 15 billion at year-end. Parliament has had the consolidated revenue and expenditure accounts since 1 May. That is a massive surplus, not a fictitious one as occurred in certain private firms' recent accounting scandals, but a real surplus. The Finance Ministers were very happy to enter this real surplus in their books, although Parliament took a rather more critical view of it. It is a fact that we must manage many programmes better in 2003. The Member States also have their part to play in this, and there is a need for good cooperation in this area.
The Commission informs Parliament and the Council of the state of the accounts on a weekly basis. I might mention that this demonstrates an openness not shown by any Member State's government in its relations with Parliament. It goes without saying that such budget information is important in deciding on the best approach to the budget for the coming financial year. For it is evident that funds are short in any budget, even if it is a relatively large one. We have to face up to new challenges, for example when great and terrible catastrophes occur, in order to provide aid in a spirit of solidarity. A new instrument has now been created for this. I am very grateful for the speed with which agreement could be reached on the creation of such a new instrument. It really does give expression to the fact that Europe is a community of solidarity.
Apart from that, though, the new programmes require us to do a lot of restructuring and free up funds elsewhere. This should not be forgotten in today's debate, in which, no doubt, voice will be given to new desires and new proposals. We should also bear in mind the subsidiarity issue, on which subject I have to say that the Commission cannot work miracles; if political objectives are to become reality, and of course if expenditure programmes are to be implemented, it needs the staff to do it. I hope that Parliament will give its support to finding a solution to this question of the staff expenses for 2003. Let me express my gratitude to Mr Färm and Mr Stenmarck for what they have just said, and for the motions that have already been submitted.
Development shows how much is expected of Europe, and how much from European politics, and we should live up to these expectations. I do think that today's debate will be an exciting and wholly innovative one, showing again that the European institutions are very much ready to innovate."@en1
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