The EPP group in the European Parliament on Tuesday 20 July deplored the European Commission’s decision to postpone the adoption of proposals on the creation of new own resources (see EUROPE 12765/1).
This issue is scheduled for 2021 on the Commission’s agenda, but at a date yet to be determined.
“The European Commission must urgently comply with its legal commitments. If the Commission does not respect the law and its own commitments, what legitimacy does it have when enforcing EU law with Member States?” asked José Manuel Fernandes (EPP, Portugal), rapporteur on the revenue side of the EU budget.
During the negotiations on the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), Parliament and Member State negotiators agreed on a ‘roadmap’ for the introduction of new revenues. This roadmap is part of the interinstitutional agreement on the budget, a legally binding text.
When the EPP group agreed to the €750 billion recovery plan, “we had one clear condition: that the instrument is accompanied by a clear repayment plan and that this repayment would be done through new sources of revenue”, recalled Siegfried Mureşan (EPP, Romania). He fears leaving a debt to future generations. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)