30/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 29 June, the EU Council of Ministers budget committee reached technical level agreement by qualified majority on the 2011 draft budget. Compared with the European Commission's initial proposal, the compromise provides for a reduction of €3.6 billion in total payment appropriations and a drop of €787.8 million in commitment appropriations (representing an increase of 2.91% in payments and 0.22% in commitments, by comparison with the 2010 budget). The payment appropriation reductions related mainly to the headings: 1a “competitiveness” (-€891 million); 1b “cohesion” (-€1.075 billion), 2 “resource management”, including agricultural spending (-€820.7 million); 4 “external action” (-€590.9 million); and 5 “administrative spending” (-€762.2 million). This position still has to be given political level approval by the COREPER (8 July) before the draft 2011 budget is adopted at the Ecofin Council on 13 July. (L.C./transl.rt)