On Tuesday 14 September in Strasbourg, the rapporteur on the EU 2022 budget, Karlo Ressler (EPP, Croatia), was critical of the “unjustifiable and unjustified” cuts made by the EU Council to the draft 2022 budget presented by the European Commission.
In a plenary debate on the EU Council’s initial position on the draft 2022 budget, the European Commission also criticised the cuts in funding decided by EU countries on 6 September (see EUROPE 12786/25).
Commissioner for Budget Johannes Hahn said he regretted the EU Council’s position of increasing the available margins below the ceilings of the Multiannual Financial Framework by reducing commitment appropriations by €1.4 billion (€722 million for payments). “These cuts have no justification”, said Mr Hahn. In particular, he criticised the “disproportionate cuts” in Heading 1 (single market, innovation and digital) of the financial framework. The Commission will shortly present the autumn letter of amendment (update of agricultural expenditure).
Forthcoming dates: - 27-28 September: European Parliament Committee on Budgets vote on budget amendments for 2022; - 11 October: Adoption of the resolution accompanying the amendments in the European Parliament Committee on Budgets; - 14 October: Budget trilogue; - 18-21 October: Adoption of the European Parliament’s first reading in plenary on the draft 2022 budget; - 26 October: start of the 21-day conciliation period. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)