Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-10-22-Speech-3-296"
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"en.20081022.21.3-296"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, I should like to begin by thanking all of the rapporteurs, and especially Mrs Haug and Mr Lewandowski, as well as the entire budget team, elected representatives and administrators alike, for this traditional financial exercise for the year 2009. This is the third financial perspective, and it demonstrates just how much the annual budget procedure has become an unnatural and somewhat surreal exercise faced with the situation in Europe. It is an exercise in juggling the accounts, making it impossible to provide a genuine Community-wide solution to the problems of our society.
After the Commission’s very modest draft, the Council did what it invariably does and sent us a limited proposal that does not enable any of the promises it made during the year to be fulfilled. You are right, Mr Jouyet, the European budget has been under-utilised since 1988. As in sport, regular training leads to better performances, and, as an athlete, the EU budget, by becoming smaller, becomes more inefficient and more under-used. This is the vicious circle that leads to political disasters.
Admittedly, we cannot spend without calculating such expenditure, but, in view of these continued promises, it is commitment appropriations, not payment appropriations, that are being recorded. This is the beginning of budget fraud! We ought therefore to know whether the European Union wants to achieve its objectives and whether the Member States are willing or not to contribute to common policies.
Faced with this impossible task, Parliament, through the work of our rapporteur, is assuming its authority. The budgetary framework is very tight, and the Commission’s lack of initiative has led the European Parliament to create new PPs and APs that will underpin future innovations. However, it is vital that, at a time when Europe is deciding to inject EUR 1 700 billion to help the euro zone’s banking sector, we manage to find EUR 250 million for the food facility for 2009. Parliament is very attached to this food aid fund.
Thus, on 21 November, the ball will be in the Council’s court. Parliament has respected the authorised procedures in all their forms: respect for the Financial Perspective, the call for flexibility under the EUR 530 million ceiling and the call for an emergency aid reserve that features in the financial perspective. We are acting within the scope of our prerogatives and we therefore expect the Council to adopt a responsible political attitude that is similar to our own. This is crucial when it comes to ensuring the credibility of Europe’s work in the eyes of each and every citizen.
Mr Jouyet, I appeal to you: politics is about anticipating; Parliament’s position enables us to anticipate while respecting the rules to which the three institutions have chosen to submit. Prove that you are equal to your commitments!"@en1
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