The European Parliament approved (543 votes in favour, 136 against and 23 abstentions), on Wednesday 27 November in Strasbourg, the EU budget for 2020, which gives a high priority to climate spending. This budget amounts to a total of €168.68 billion in commitments (+1.5% compared to the 2019 budget) and €153.56 billion in payments (+3.4%). Next year's budget has been signed and enacted by European Parliament President David Sassoli.
In comparison with the Commission's initial draft budget plan, the Assembly has obtained an additional €850 million to finance its priorities: +€504 million for climate-related expenditures, €302 million for research projects, €133 million for network infrastructure (Connecting Europe Facility), €50 million for Erasmus+ and €28.3 million for the Youth Employment Initiative (and an additional €50 million in 2020, if deemed necessary).
During the debate the day before, many MEPs stressed that this was a good agreement (see EUROPE 12376/3).
Monika Hohlmeier (EPP, Germany), European Parliament rapporteur on the 2020 budget, admitted that Parliament would have liked to have obtained more funds. “It is also clear that some EU Council members would have liked less. I think we have reached a good compromise”, she said.
Eider Gardiazabal Rubial (S&D, Spain), another rapporteur, said that the agreement reached on the 2020 budget is still far from the 1.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) requested by the Parliament for the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
On the contrary, José Manuel Fernandes (EPP, Portugal) said that the compromise reached “bodes well for the next MFF”. He said to hope that the EU Council will be able to unite and move closer to the Parliament's position.
Several MEPs regretted that the EU is not meeting the target of 20% climate spending in the 2014-2020 MFF.
However, Valerie Hayer (Renew Europe, France) welcomed the fact that “we have obtained a commitment from the Commission that there will be a reallocation of unused climate funds”. “We have succeeded in getting the EU Council to move”, she added, noting, “that the situation has changed, because the political balances are no longer the same”.
Pierre Larrouturou (S&D, France) said that the Parliament had obtained a total of €1.9 billion more than the EU Council wanted and an envelope of €400 million in new money.
The agreement uses the flexibility instrument in 2020 to provide €778.1 million in commitment appropriations under heading 3 'security'. The 'overall margin for commitments' is used for €269.6 million for heading 1a 'competitiveness' and heading 1b 'cohesion'. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur, with Camille-cerise Gessant and Damien Genicot)