The German Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Parliament’s negotiating team and the European Commissioner for Budget, Johannes Hahn, are meeting on Thursday 27 August to discuss, for the first time; improvements to the post-Covid-19 Economic Recovery Plan and the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021-2027 (see EUROPE 12538/3, 12536/3) are possible.
Negotiations between Parliament and the EU Council will continue in September. According to a calendar seen by EUROPE, the next interinstitutional meetings on these texts resulting from the European Council agreement of 21 July on the Recovery Plan and the 2021-2027 MFF will take place on 7 September, 10 or 11 September and 18 September.
José Manuel Fernandes, the EPP group coordinator in the Parliament Committee on Budgets, told EUROPE on 27 July that Parliament was particularly keen to obtain increased funding for certain European programmes such as Horizon Europe, Erasmus+ and the public health programme (see EUROPE 12536/2).
Parliament also wants to be involved in drawing up the criteria for granting funds from the Recovery Plan.
MEPs finally want precise commitments so that the new EU own resources to be introduced will make it possible to repay part of the €750 billion Recovery Plan.
Discussions between the EU Council and Parliament on the regulation linking respect for the rule of law and the disbursement of EU funds are expected to start in September.
Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) had approved on 29 July the legislative texts on the 2021-2027 MFF and the details of the Recovery Plan (including the EU Council regulation delineating the 2021-2027 MFF, the EU Council regulation establishing an EU recovery instrument and the EU Council decisions on the EU’s own resources system). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)