Brussels, 23/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - Many member states are beginning to make spending cuts due to the current crisis, and European institutions are obliged to follow suite. This is the main thrust of the message delivered on Monday 23 January by the European Commissioner for financial programming and the budget, Janusz Lewandowski. The Commission is urging all EU institutions to show the utmost restraint in drafting their estimates for their administrative budgets for 2013. Last February, it also adopted a similar approach.
Lewandowski has sent out a letter to all the leaders of the EU institutions listing the cuts made by many member states in their administrative spending, prompted by the effects of the current economic and financial crisis. The Commissioner indicated that, “it is of the utmost importance to continue to demonstrate that the EU institutions are acting responsibly in the current climate of austerity”.
The Commission wants to lead by example: in 2013, it intends to reduce the number of posts in its establishment plans by 1%, as the first step towards a 5% staff reduction over the next five years. This is in line with its proposal for the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) calling for a cut across all EU institutions. According to the commissioner, this task will not prove easy because the Lisbon Treaty has set the Commission new tasks and the budgetary pact means that the institution has new responsibilities to meet. There is also the question of Croatian accession, which will generate further expenditure.
In 2012, the Commission voluntarily froze its own administrative expenditure, i.e. a 0.0% nominal increase compared to the 2011 budget. This was achieved by significantly reducing expenditure linked to buildings, information and communication technology, studies, publications, missions, conferences and meetings. EU operation institutional costs account for approximately 5.8% of the total EU budget. (OL/transl.fl)