Brussels, 20/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - With a view to that vote in the first reading next Thursday of the budget of the EU for 2006, the rapporteur Gianni Pittella (PSE, Italy) explains in a press release some of the priorities of the committee on budgets (which has pronounced on more than 900 amendments). He notes that the Parliamentary committee demands in particular: - an increase of around 3.7 billion for the Structural Funds compared to the Council position; - the re-establishment of all pre-accession credits for Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Croatia; - considerable increases in credits for the Mediterranean and the Middle East , particularly with a view to supporting cooperation between the north and south coasts of the Mediterranean (which could result in a “intervention to propose to the Barcelona Summit in November”); - an increase of around 190 million for the relaunch of the Lisbon strategy, with the emphasis on SMEs, research, the environment, education and youth. The committee on budgets also supported the initiative ENEA (preparation for active ageing and mobility of elderly people); - the inscription, for the first time, of a budget line for tourism (a million for the pilot project “European privileged destinations”); - 9 million extra for the European Food Safety Agency in Parma; - adequate funds to prepare the European Year of Worker Mobility in 2006, and the 50th anniversary of the signature of the Treaty of Rome in 2007.