Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-12-17-Speech-2-149"
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"en.20021217.5.2-149"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, firstly, I should like to congratulate the rapporteurs for the budget, Göran Färm and Per Stenmarck, for their excellent work, as well as Terence Wynn, Chairman of the Committee on Budgets, for his leadership on that committee. I also want to thank Denmark’s chairmen in the Council for their cooperation, which was excellent, and Commissioner Michaele Schreyer for her excellent input.
Next year’s European Union budget is a disciplined budget. The increase in expenditure is below inflation, at just 1.9%. This represents an outstanding gesture of support by the European Parliament to help Member States balance their national budgets. It also demonstrates responsibility on the part of the EU, while Member States try to meet the requirements of its Stability and Growth Pact.
The Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party supports this aim, although it partly undermines the EU’s long-term attempt to balance its economy, as the EU’s biggest budget worry this time is outstanding commitments. At present these stand at EUR 103 billion, which is to say, more than the entire budget for one year. There has been an increase in arrears of EUR 17 billion since the start of the year, with no limit to this in sight. The situation is at its most wretched in the area of structural operations, where outstanding commitments have grown over the year by EUR 13 billion. The most difficult situation, relatively speaking, however, is in the area of pre-accession aid, where EUR 8.5 billion in outstanding commitments has accrued in three years, with just under EUR 2 billion being paid out in actual aid.
What is most vexing is that there would have been funds available for payment in respect of these commitments, but they were not used. Consequently, the situation betrays administrative inefficiency, with the Commission and the Member States as the guilty parties. That is why Commission reform is extremely important. At the moment the Commission is very conservative and shirks its responsibilities. We should also simplify legal instruments and procedures, as was agreed in conciliation with the Council in the summer.
Enlargement is the hallmark of next year’s budget. This budget is the last to be drafted for an EU consisting of 15 Member States. Parliament safeguarded the posts needed in the Commission for enlargement by amassing resources partly out of this year’s budget. In this way we were able to meet next year’s expenditure in advance and fit administrative expenditure into the tight framework in place for heading 5. My group supports this.
Otherwise, we could say of the budget’s content that the EU’s functions are adequately financed. Agricultural expenditure is under control, so there is no need for significant reforms for budgetary reasons. External actions were able to be partly financed in advance out of this year’s budget, and there was no need to look again at Parliament’s priorities. In addition to other actions, we were able to improve the financing of the Northern Dimension a little, which has to be considered a good thing."@en1
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