Brussels, 08/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - Germany and the United Kingdom should cooperate to iron out their differences, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said during her visit to London on Wednesday 7 November. “In spite of the differences that separate us, I think it is important that the United Kingdom and Germany work together”, Merkel said before meeting British Prime Minister David Cameron to discuss the future negotiations on the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework. “Not all the expenditure that has been made has necessarily been used efficiently. We need to resolve this issue”, she said.
Cameron has said that he is ready to use his veto on the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework and has criticised the spending plans as “absurd”. He will support a freeze in real terms of the European budget for 2014-2020. In his view the EU27 must tighten their belts in these times of austerity, when national budgets are in drastic decline in many member states.
Elsewhere, President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaité talked to President of Latvia Andris Berzins on 7 November in preparation for the European Council. These two countries say their priority is direct aid to ensure equal competitive conditions to farmers from the new and old EU member states. The two countries also warn against “discriminatory” reductions of the EU Structural Funds (our translation throughout). (LC/transl.fl)