Brussels, 24/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 24 November, the Council of the EU unanimously approved the compromise reached at the conciliation committee of 14 November on the Community budget for 2016, which is up 1.8% (see EUROPE 11431).
The European Parliament is expected to do likewise, in plenary on Wednesday 25 November, after which the 2016 budget will be definitively adopted. The EU budget for next year stands at €155 billion in commitment appropriations, leaving a margin of €2.3 billion under the upper limit of expenditure of the multi-annual financial framework 2014-2020, for unforeseen needs. The level of payment appropriations is €143.89 billion, a sum representing an increase of €1.8 billion on the 2015 budget (as amended by 8 amending budgets).
As a Council press release points out, the 2016 budget earmarks more than €4 billion to help the member states and third countries to resolve the refugee crisis. The resources to fight crime and provide protection against terrorist attacks have been increased considerably. The internal security fund has been increased by 64.0% in commitments and 46.7% in payments compared to the figures of the 2015 budget. Community funding for research and other measures to boost growth is up by 8.3% in commitments and 10.8% in payments compared to 2015, to stand at €19.01 and €17.41 billion respectively.
The farmers of the EU will receive an extraordinary envelope of €698 million to offset the impact of the Russian ban on certain agricultural products from the EU and to take account of the difficult situation faced by the milk and dairy products and pork meat sectors.
The agreement on the 2016 budget also includes a commitment of the EP to reduce its staff levels by 197 jobs between 2016 and 2019. The Council and the Commission will fulfil the commitment they made in December 2013 and taken at the time by all three institutions of the EU to reduce staff levels by 5%, between 2013 and 2017. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)