Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-24-Speech-2-243"
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"en.20020924.10.2-243"2
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"Mr President, Commissioners, ladies and gentlemen, it has been very useful to attend the debate on behalf of the Council. Both Parliament and the Commission have touched upon important themes concerning the 2003 budget. I have taken note of the various points of view, and I can assure you that I shall pass them on to my colleagues in the Council. I should nonetheless like to add a number of observations to a couple of the speeches that have been made.
Like the European Parliament, the Council is particularly alert to the large surplus in respect of the EU budget, amounting last year to EUR 15 000 million. Today’s debate has indicated both the Commission’s and the Member States’ responsibility in this area, and this needs to be followed up. With regard to the mid-term review of agricultural policy, I should like to emphasise that the Danish Presidency will do what it can to further the negotiations on reform. Another important topic on which the Council and the European Parliament must find common solutions is that of setting up the special fund for dealing with the consequences of the floods in Central Europe. Yesterday evening, we had an extraordinary trialogue on this subject, and I am pleased to be able to say that the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council are agreed that the necessary decisions can be taken and legal acts adopted before the end of October. I anticipate the Council’s being able to make the necessary contribution to this process. There is now already in theory an agreement to establish a fund of up to EUR 1 000 million per year, and it is important for the EU as quickly as possible to be able to step up its aid to the victims of the floods in Austria, Germany and the candidate countries affected.
On 3 September, my colleague Bertel Haarder, Minister for European Affairs, presented here in Parliament the result of the Council’s first reading of the 2003 budget and took the opportunity of emphasising the agreements and the common understandings resulting from the meeting for consultation on 19 July. I am very pleased with this result. It means a lot to the Danish Presidency that we have full backing in the Council for discussing crucial topics with Parliament at an early stage. It was agreed on 19 July that the administrative preparation for enlargement is a main priority that the institutions will be able to address from now on and throughout 2003, and I should like to emphasise that the administrative basis for enlargement has been secured by means of the agreement on administrative expenditure for 2003. This early agreement also gives the institutions the best possible basis for planning in connection with the preparation for enlargement.
There has also, here today, been a very thorough debate on the EU’s external tasks. In that connection, it is encouraging that a common understanding has been reached of the need to work towards securing funding for the Common Foreign and Security Policy in the light of essential new tasks. As I mentioned to begin with, an important priority in this connection is the EU’s assumption of responsibility for the UN’s policing mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We are also agreed about trying to reach an agreement on involving Parliament in the CFSP arrangements within the framework of the Treaty. The fact that the emergency aid reserve for humanitarian assistance can now also be used for civil crisis management is also a significant result. In June, a common understanding was also reached about the need to fund the restructuring of the Spanish and Portuguese fishing fleets and about the need to keep the overall payment appropriations as low as possible. I am of course aware that that there is still a way to go before we can enter into a final joint agreement on the 2003 budget.
Today’s debate has helped clarify Parliament’s and the Commission’s ideas and attitudes, and I am certain that we can continue the sound cooperation between the institutions and, together, find the necessary solutions so that, in December, a budget can be adopted based on a detailed prioritising of EU funds within the financial estimates. In this way, we shall be able jointly to meet the challenges of the next few years. Thank you for your attention."@en1
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