Brussels, 27/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - Implementation of the EU budget improved in 2012, but several billion more euro are needed to pay all the bills, said EU Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski on Wednesday 27 June.
He explained that as at 31 May, nearly 87% of commitment appropriations (€124.99 billion) from the EU budget for 2012 had been allocated with a 60% implementation rate for payment appropriations (€74.38 bn), but there is a high rate of implementation after five months. At this rate, explained the Commission, it remains to be seen whether the member states and European Parliament will keep their promise and provide enough cash for the budget if needed. This will not come as a surprise, he said, because when the 2012 budget was decided upon last year, he said he had warned that it was not big enough and was below the estimates by the member states.
He added that last year, the Commission had received bills from the member states to the tune of €15 billion, of which he had managed to find €10bn, but the late payment of the 2012 budget had caused problems. Lewandowski said he expected there would be a shortfall of several billion for cohesion policy, rural development, science and research and an amending budget would be required to be able to pay the rest of the 2012 bills. (LC/transl.fl)