Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-12-01-Speech-4-076-000"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20111201.4.4-076-000"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, I welcome, in the name of the Commission, the agreement on the 2012 budget. This timely agreement is a positive and reassuring signal, because this is about continuity and stability at this very unstable time in Europe, with so many question marks. I would also say openly that the forecasts and priorities on the part of Parliament are very responsive to the needs of Europe today. It is about competitiveness, it is about migration, and it is about additional neighbourhood policy needs, including some frontloading for Palestine also.
This timely agreement reached on the 2012 budget will make for timely implementation of that budget. This is really very important. What is also important is that the increase in operational expenditure is well balanced by self-restraint in administration. It has rightly been mentioned already that this is less than 6% of the budget, but the institutions are nonetheless making every effort to restrain administrative expenditure in the European Union. This time, it is lower than in the draft budget, although we have to plan to welcome Croatia also into our family of 27 – increasing to 28 – nations. I have to congratulate Ms Balzani for her part of the report on the choice of priorities, and Mr Fernandes on his part of the report on this self-restraint action on administration.
In order to cover needs, we need to use the flexibility instrument that was agreed between Parliament and the Council. This timely agreement could not have happened without the constructive role of the Polish Presidency, and personally of Minister Dominik, so my thanks to him, because this has also given a positive signal to the beneficiaries of the European budget.
As has already been expressed on so many occasions, the level of payments might not be enough. I have to say this once more. I have to repeat that, in contrast to national annual budgets, the European budget is about investment. I know what the overall share of investment is in the budget for 2012 of the country I know best, which has been reduced to below 5% I think. More than 50 or 60% of the European budget should be classified as clearly being investment expenditure, covering the deficit of investment in the European Union with a multiplier effect on jobs and growth. If we have less for 2012 in real terms than for 2011, there will be some problems for the future as we are today also running short of payments, as is reflected in amending budget No 6. We have to reflect on the procedure of annual budgeting at the end of a financial perspective in terms of an increase in payments. That is normal and is no surprise.
In the previous discussion, your rapporteur in Parliament said to President Draghi: ‘in the Central Bank we trust’. I personally trust in the joint declaration and in its credibility if there is a need for additional payments for 2012. I trust also that we have delivered all the necessary information to release the reserves. Once more, congratulations and thanks to everyone involved, including Alain Lamassoure, for reaching a timely agreement for 2012."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples