11/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - During its meeting this week in Strasbourg, the federalist Intergroup for the European Constitution above all called on the EU to “very rapidly” take a decision on the financial perspectives 2007-2013, in particular to avoid adding a budgetary row to the difficult debate on ratification of the European Constitution. According to the members of the Intergroup (one hundred MEPs from five groups: EPP-ED, PES, ALDE, Greens-EFA, GUE/NGL) the EU should acquire new resources: for example, a “special EU tax as part of a tax that already exists in all Member States (one might imagine a percentage of a tax on energy or VAT)”. Furthermore, the Intergroup considers that the duration of financial perspectives should be harmonised with that of the mandate of the European Parliament, and thus be reduced from seven to five years.