Brussels, 03/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - The negotiations on the budget package (2014 amending budgets and 2015 budget) certainly made progress on Wednesday 3 December, but there is still no agreement between the EU institutions (see EUROPE 11209). The European Commission put forward a new compromise proposal on the payment of the 2014 bills (€4 billion) and the total amount of the 2015 budget, but the negotiations will have to continue in trilogue on Thursday 4 December.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz met the leaders of the main political groups at the European Parliament on Wednesday 3 December to discuss the issue of the budget, and there was unanimous support for the urgent need to obtain the necessary credit to pay the bills by using the contingency margin. Discussions during the trilogue are focused on the 2014 amending budgets, in other words, the unpaid bills. (LC)