Brussels, 18/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission will return its opinions on the draft 2015 budgets of the member states in Brussels on 24 November or in Strasbourg on 25 November.
The “economic agenda” of the European Commission is very full, said Mina Andreeva, spokesperson for the institution, on Tuesday 18 November, when announcing that two meetings of the college of commissioners would, most unusually, be held back to back, on 24 and 25 November.
The Commission's opinions on the French and Italian draft budgets are particularly anticipated, following the stand-off between the European institution and these two member states, when the Barroso Commission took its final bow at the end of October (see EUROPE 11187).
If they are announced on 24 November, these opinions on the draft budgets 2015 will be presented to the European Parliament's economic and monetary affairs committee by the competent commissioner, Pierre Moscovici, in Strasbourg that same evening, along with the assessment of the Stability and Growth Pact as revised by the 2 pack and 6 pack packages. The Eurogroup will then hold its meeting, most probably in the first week of December.
This exercise on the national budgets required by the Stability Pact will also be accompanied by the presentation of the annual growth review document, which will mark the start of the European semester budgetary process for 2015, as well as the regular Commission report on macro-economic imbalances. Rumour has it that the Juncker Commission may take the same opportunity to present the €300 billion investment plan promised for before Christmas (see EUROPE 11100). Over at the European institution, the advantage of presenting this plan sufficiently ahead of time to be able to prepare for discussions at the final European summit of the year (18-19 December) has been highlighted. (MB)