Representatives of the European Parliament and of the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU will hold a further inter-institutional negotiation session on extending the 'Juncker' investment plan on Wednesday 21 June, on the eve of the European summit.
“No political agreement is anticipated” this Wednesday, a parliamentary source told us on Tuesday 20 June. The source added that it is “unlikely” that any more negotiating sessions will take place under the Maltese Presidency.
The budgetary question, specifically mobilising the EU budget to feed into the extension of the public guarantee granted by the EFSI fund, remains a major stumbling block, José Manuel Fernandes (EPP, Portugal), told Parliament's committee on budgets (see EUROPE 11807).
Other sticking points include Parliament's appointment of an independent expert to take a seat on the investment committee of the EFSI fund and links between the EIB and non-cooperative jurisdictions.
On Tuesday, the Commission welcomed the fact that the 'Juncker' plan, which was launched in 2015, has drawn down more than €200 billion across all member states. The threshold for projects eligible for public support under the EFSI fund has now been reduced from €5 million to €1 million.
The European Council called upon the European legislator to reach a definitive agreement on this dossier by the end of June. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)