EU Budget 2018: Council cutting jobs and growth

"The EU Budget for next year that I am proposing is a true budget for jobs, growth and security. It will strengthen our economy and increase the safety of European citizens. We can only achieve this by investing in research, innovation, infrastructure, supporting SMEs, strengthening our border controls and surrounding ourselves with safer countries. The Council’s position on sharing these objectives but under-financing the lines that enable us to reach these objectives disappoints many citizens in Europe”, stated Siegfried Mureşan MEP, General Rapporteur for the EU Budget 2018.

The EPP Group Spokesman in the Budgets Committee, José Manuel Fernandes MEP, criticised the Council’s position, pointing out that it is unacceptable and contradictory to the Council's own priorities: "The Council wants to cut €491 million in commitment appropriations from Horizon 2020, a fundamental programme for competitiveness in the EU, and a programme with an excellent execution rate. It is cutting €240 million in payment appropriations from the cohesion policy, funds managed by the Member States and the regions and that are of the utmost importance to cohesion in the EU, and that in 2018 should be gaining momentum.”

The EPP Group tabled over one hundred amendments to the Council’s position in order to assure a meaningful EU Budget 2018 which puts jobs, growth and security at its core.

“Now is the time to deliver on what the citizens of Europe expect from the EU Institutions. We have a very strong majority for this in the European Parliament", concluded Mureşan.