Brussels, 18/11/2005 (Agence Europe) - At this stage, the Member States of the EU are unable to accede to the requests of the Parliament for the budget 2006 on payment appropriations and the finer details for the funding of certain external actions (reconstruction in Iraq, aid to the Asian countries after the tsunami and compensation for ACP sugar producers). The budgetary Trialogue, to be held on 22 November, is unlikely to be able to iron these differences of opinion out. The budgetary concertation of 24 November, ahead of the second reading of the draft budget by the Ecofin Council, is, therefore, likely to be difficult. The Committee of Permanent Representatives, which took up the result of the work of the budgetary committee of the Council, on Thursday recommended sticking with the results of the first reading of the Council (EUROPE 8992), given constraints weighing heavily upon the national budgets. The EP is asking that the maximum use be made of budgetary flexibility to pay for various actions (200 million EUR for Iraq, 180 million EUR for the countries hit by the tsunami, 40 million EUR for the ACP sugar producing countries), without reducing certain other priorities (Latin America, Asia, the Balkans...). At this stage, the Council does not agree, stating that the flexibility instrument is only to be used when funds are needed for unforeseen events. At a pinch, the Council could agree to the use of this mechanism (which allows a maximum of 200 million EUR to be mobilised over and above the upper limit of any given column of the financial perspectives), but only as part of a global agreement. At first reading, the Council put forward a figure of 111.42 billion EUR in payment appropriations (1.01% of EU gross national income). At first reading, the EP increased the payment appropriations for 116.22 billion (1.05%: EUROPE 9058).