Brussels, 19/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - The president of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) does not recommend rejection of the European budget by Parliament. He would prefer the political agreement on the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020 tabled by the Council to be amended by Parliament, as it is a matter of multiannual programming stability.
The president of the Committee of the Regions, Ramon Luis Valcarcel Siso, addressed members of the parliamentary committee responsible for regional development on Tuesday 19 February. Very clearly, Valcarcel said the budget does not please the CoR and it is therefore up to the parliamentarians to improve it, but one must avoid finding oneself without a budget. He said he was pleased that the Council had kept the cohesion policy structure, and the category of regions in transition. For the rest, he considers that the budget does not live up to expectations. That is why he is counting on the Parliament to improve what can be improved. To this end, he underlines that, although negotiations are bound to be complex and bitter, one should not reject the budget as one cannot afford to backpedal. He also expressed his disappointment about the performance reserve and macro-economic conditionality enshrined in the Council's political agreement. (MD/transl.jl)