Strasbourg, 14/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - Further to the adoption of a resolution on the multiannual financial framework (MFF) 2014-2020, MEPS are laying the foundations for the annual budget 2014 (see EUROPE 10805). In a specific resolution adopted on Thursday 14 March, MEPs are adamant that unpaid bills for 2012 and 2013 must be settled before the 2014 budget is set in place. They push for such bills to be settled without delay in order to begin the first year of the next MFF in the best possible conditions and to shrug off the vicious circle that makes the deficit grow with every passing year.
Drafted by Anne E. Jensen (ALDE, Denmark) and adopted by a large majority (532 votes to 86, with 67 abstentions), the resolution points to the €16.2 billion in unpaid bills for 2012 which will be taken from the budget for 2013. As a consequence, the latter will have only €28.9 billion in appropriations for payments. Payments to be made in the context of Cohesion Policy are the heaviest burden to bear, MEPs deplore. They stress that the European Commission will have to present a correcting budget for bills dating back to 2012 again this month, and also consider that, in order to prevent such a situation happening again, the Commission should present a report every month on how payments are progressing each month for each country and for the most consequential funds. (MD/transl.jl)