2011 budget: Parliaments spells out its priorities

Young people, economic recovery and research should be the EU's top budgetary priorities, said the European Parliament on Thursday, when it became the first EU institution to adopt an opinion on next year's budget. MEPs also emphasised the urgent need to review EU's multiannual budget and reiterated their demand to have more say in the set-up of the European External Action Service.

Young people will have an important role to play in the EU's recovery from the financial and economic crisis and should therefore receive support, particularly in finding their first job, says the EP resolution. Among measures suggested by MEPs are the promotion of language studies and a new mobility programme called “Erasmus first job”.

During the debate on Wednesday evening, the suggested emphasis on youth policy was supported by Budgets Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski. The Commission will adopt the draft budget (the first formal step in the budgetary procedure) on 27 April. The same day, the Commissioner will present this proposal to the Budgets Committee.

Economic recovery and agriculture

To help economic recovery, Parliament wants the EU to provide more funding for research and innovative, especially green, technologies as well more pilot projects for small and medium-sized firms in rural areas.

The 2011 budget procedure is the first where Parliament will decide jointly with the Council on the whole budget, including agriculture. Regarding agriculture, MEPs underlined the importance to keep it “competitive and able to meet the new environmental challenges post-Copenhagen”.

Influence over EEAS

MEPs also plan to use the budget procedure as a means of exercising their general right of parliamentary scrutiny over the new European External Action Service (EEAS).  The resolution states “to increase the EP’s involvement in the shaping and management of the EU’s external relations, it will fully exercise its scrutiny over the budget and budgetary control of EEAS”.

Long-term budget review

MEPs also asked the Commission to launch the mid-term review of EU's long-term budget (for the years 2007-2013) before the summer. Such a review is “an absolute necessity”, says the resolution, since the current budget framework has not allowed the EU to “react properly and satisfactorily to various challenges that have arisen in recent years”. Parliament has been pressing for this review for some time.

Regarding Parliament's own budget, “legislative excellence” is one priority. Another is making the Lisbon treaty work effectively.

Parliament voted by 558 votes to 48 with 16 abstentions to approve the resolution on the main part of the EU budget (managed by the Commission), which was drafted by Sidonia Elżbieta Jędrzejewska (EPP, PL).  It approved by show of hands the resolution by Helga Trüpel (Greens/EFA, DE) on the administrative budgets of the other EU institutions.