Brussels, 23/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the Parliament's budget committee, chaired by Terence Wynn (Labour, UK), set the priorities which the European Parliament delegation will defend in conciliation with the Council of the EU for the draft 2005 budget, on 16 July. This conciliation meeting will precede the first reading by the Council of the draft budget for next year. It is worth noting that conciliation is usually invoked for agricultural and fisheries expenditure, and common foreign and security policy (CFSP). The European Commission presented its preliminary draft budget for 2005 at the end of April (EUROPE of 29 April, p.7).
Agriculture: The EP will ask the Council to provide sufficient credit for two pilot projects, the first on promoting quality systems in the agricultural sector, and the second on the creation of a funding model integrating risks of cattle disease.
Fisheries: The EP calls for further information on the state of progress in negotiations with third countries on new fishing agreements, given that the European Commission plans to renew five protocols in 2005 and adopt ten new fishing agreements. The MEPs stress the importance of being provided with information on the effects of the fishing activities of the new Member States on protocols and agreements being negotiated or renewed.
CFSP: The EP intends to inform the Council that it is not satisfied with the information it has been given on actions underway or planned in this field. The EP will assess future needs and the current way CFSP is being implemented.
The EP also intends to discuss the funding of column 4 of external actions, especially aid planned for Iraq. It notes that the financial means proposed for this country in 2005 will be 200 million EUR (not counting humanitarian aid), as opposed to 160 million EUR for the 2004 budget. It also notes that this sum (200 million EUR) "exceeds levels anticipated in the commitment made by the EU" at the Madrid conference of donors (200 million EUR for the second half of 2003 and 2004). The EP will also make it clear to the Council and the Commission that the proposed level of aid to Iraq: -could force programmes for other third countries to be scaled down; -and will require the mobilisation of the flexibility instrument to the tune of 115 million EUR (to exceed the ceiling of this column by the same amount).
Furthermore, the budget committee points out that the Parliament will ask to be fully involved in discussions on the forthcoming financial perspectives.
It is worth noting that the newly elected European Parliament will be inaugurated in Strasbourg on 20 July.