Where should we invest our money?

Building roads and pipelines, ensuring food safety, improving education, fighting discrimination and boosting jobs are all funded from the EU budget. In addition, the European Parliament supports the financing of the protection of the environment and aid for the Third World. MEPs set the annual budget and check how your money is spent. What do you want your MEPs to do? Have your say by voting in the European elections!

Your money for good purposes
 
A better life for European citizens is the main goal of the EU spending. So, where exactly does your money go?
 
Mobility: Roads, railways, bridges, airports, power lines and pipelines are built with EU money, to reduce disparities between regions and boost mobility across the EU.
 
Agriculture and protection of the environment: The EU supports farmers who supply basic foodstuffs while maintaining the landscape. Food safety and quality, animal welfare and the needs of rural community are priorities.
 
Education: The EU fosters student and youth exchanges. The Erasmus scheme has already helped 1.5 million young people study in another EU country.
 
Fighting discrimination: Ethnic minorities sometimes suffer from social prejudice in access to employment and social services. European funds create employment opportunities and combat prejudice. For example, in Spain the “Acceder” programme helps Spanish Roma acquire job skills, find jobs and housing and get access to education and health services.
Research: To improve European citizens' lives and successfully tackle the challenges of the modern world, the EU supports research into childhood diseases, the natural habitat, dangerous chemicals, safe food, more environmentally friendly vehicles and new energy resources. In 2009 the budget for research was increased 11% to help boost competitiveness in difficult times.
 
Small and Medium Sized Enterprises: Small and medium-sized companies (with less than 250 employees) account for more than 90% of European businesses. Making their lives easier will increase competitiveness, create jobs and bring growth.
 
Third World: As a global player, the EU has global responsibilities. It funds development aid in poor countries, peacekeeping in conflict areas and humanitarian aid for non-EU countries afflicted by natural disasters.
 
EU budget is decided democratically
 
The European Parliament scrutinises, together with EU ministers, the way the money will be spent and the actions it will fund. It is the Parliament which ultimately approves the EU budget each year and sets the amounts spent on less prosperous regions, the environment, investing in people and research and education programmes.
 
The EP also ensures that taxpayers' money is correctly spent. MEPs are empowered by the treaties to check the accuracy of spending through the discharge procedure.