Brussels, 13/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 14 November, the European Parliament's budgets committee is due to approve the regulation of the EU's multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2014-2020.
The budgets committee will vote on the report of Jean-Luc Dehaene and Ivailo Kalfin which suggests that the Parliament approve the new MFF. All the lights are green, Alain Lamassoure (EPP, France), the chair of the Parliament's budgets committee, told EUROPE.
The budgets committee considers that two of the three conditions set by the Parliament before approving the MFF have already been met - settling the issue of additional payment appropriations in 2013 (€11.2 billion has been accepted by the Council), and reaching an agreement on the reform of big policies (including cohesion policy, common agricultural policy and research policy). The situation is also progressing well on the third condition (launching a high-level group on own resources of the EU budget). “The modalities remain to be finalised on setting up the high-level group. We have moved forward on these this week”, said Lamassoure. Coreper (the committee of permanent representatives from the EU member states) discussed this on Wednesday 13 November. Next Monday, on reading what comes out of Coreper's debates, the Parliament will decide if this third condition is fully fulfilled.
On Tuesday 19 November, the Parliament is due to adopt the legal basis on the 2014-2020 MFF which includes two elements - the MFF regulation and the interinstitutional agreement (already adopted by the constitutional affairs committee). The Greens (according to the latest information), as well as the GUE and EFD Groups, are likely to vote against the 2014-2020 MFF.
2013 budget. On Thursday, the budgets committee is also due to approve amending budget no 9/2013, which focuses on the €400.5 million after the natural disasters. The Parliament and Council agreed on the modalities of financing for this budget at the conciliation on the 2014 budget on 11 November (see EUROPE 10961). This text will also be adopted in plenary on 20 November (at the same time as the agreement on the 2014 budget). (LC/transl.fl)