A €116 billion question: making sense of the 2009 EU budget

Published: 30 January 2009 y., Friday

Biudžetas
The EU Budget 2009 provides more money for growth, the environment, jobs, research and food aid for developing countries. The Budget for 2009 was adopted by MEPs in the end of 2008. With the signature of the EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering in Strasbourg on 18 December 2008 the complicated budget procedure was completed. In this focus we look at how the EU budget is adopted, how the money is collected and used.

What is in a budget of 116 billion euro?  Some facts....
 
In 2009, the biggest share of the EU budget – 45% or €60 billion - will go to research, innovation, employment and regional development programmes, which hold increased importance in light of the current economic crisis.
 
An 11% increase in research and a 22% increase in the EU's innovation programme will help boost competitiveness and a low-carbon economy. Spending on the environment and rural development will rise by 2.9%.
 
The EP and the Council agreed on extra funds to combat the food crisis in the third world with 1 billion euro in farm aid going to the developing countries between 2008 and 2010.
 
64 cents per day
 
Administrative costs represent only a small part of the overall EU budget - 7.7 % - even if many people wrongly believe that the greatest part of the EU budget is spent on administration.
 
The sum total of all the financial resources covered by the budget roughly amount to a contribution of around 64 Eurocents per day for each of the EU’s 495 million inhabitants.
 
The amount allocated for the budget sounds like a lot of money - and indeed it is. However, to put it in perspective it amounts to only 1% of the combined gross national income of all the 27 members.

Šaltinis: europarl.europa.eu
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

Sustainable energy for Europe

In European sustainable energy week 2010, new EU energy commissioner presents strategy to reduce Europe’s dependence on fossil fuel. more »

EBRD’s new accountability mechanism goes into effect

The EBRD is launching a Project Complaint Mechanism, which is expected to enhance the accountability and transparency of the Bank’s operations. more »

New local currency financing for micro and small businesses in Armenia

The EBRD is boosting the availability of local currency financing in Armenia with a synthetic loan in Armenian Drams (AMD) worth $4 million to FINCA UCO CJSC for on-lending to local micro and small enterprises (MSEs). more »

Sirpa Pietikäinen on CITES: "Biodiversity at stake"

This year is the UN year of biodiversity and it brings endangered species into the spotlight. more »

Haiti: US$65 Million Grant to Restore Key State Functions and Infrastructure

The World Bank Board of Directors today approved a US$65 million project to support the recovery of Haiti’s critical infrastructure as well as the reestablishment of basic State functions following the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake on January 12, 2010. more »

Haiti Sets Out on Path to Recovery with Broad International Support

Haiti’s arduous reconstruction and recovery process jolted forward today following fresh commitments to help the Caribbean nation rebuild in the wake of its devastating January 12 earthquake. more »

New IMF-Supported Program Will Strengthen Uganda’s Policy Design and Implementation Capacities in the Transition to Oil

A mission from the African Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) visited Uganda during March 4-17, 2010, to conduct the seventh and final review under Uganda’s Policy Support Instrument (PSI) and reach understandings on a policy framework for a new three-year PSI to cover the period 2010 to 2013. more »

Common Agriculture Policy after 2013: free market will not save European agriculture

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), as the first EU institution, rose to the challenge of providing a comprehensive vision for the future of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), in advance of the European Commission's papers on the matter, due to be issued later this year and in 2011. more »

Europe and Central Asia Facing Energy Crunch

The outlook for primary energy supplies, heat, and electricity is questionable for the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, despite Russia and Central Asia’s current role as a major energy supplier to both Eastern and Western Europe. more »

IMF Executive Board Approves US$790 Million Stand-by Arrangement for El Salvador

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today approved a 36-month, SDR 513.9 million (about US$790 million) Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) for El Salvador to help the country mitigate the adverse effects of the global crisis. more »