Brussels, 10/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - A significant number of EU finance ministers urged the European Commission, on Tuesday 10 February in Brussels, to revise its plan on modalities for €5bn funding from Community funds needed for energy inter-connections and broadband development in rural areas (EUROPE 9834).
During the Ecofin Council debate, six ministers (Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Austria and Sweden) said that there should be no revision made to the financial perspectives, in their search for the additional funding needed. The Commission, however, affirmed that they would be unable to finance these projects without any revision of the financial framework. These ministers are enacting a minority block and, in short, explained that the proposed mode of funding was inappropriate. They did not say whether they supported the projects or not.
Some ministers were more positive towards the Commission's proposal, such as Poland. France urged the Commission to revise its proposal so that: it could guarantee a geographical balance between energy projects; ensure that funded projects had a positive and rapid impact on the economy and revise the mode of funding because the 2008 margins in agriculture are no longer available (according to the Council's legal service). Many other countries called on the Commission to revise its proposal, including Slovenia, Ireland and the Netherlands.
Dalia Grybauskaité, the commissioner responsible for the budget, warned that projects would not be developed without revision of the financial perspectives. She ruled out the option of redeploying funding to find the €5bn. She affirmed that the problem was neither budgetary nor legal but simply political. She called on the Council to act responsibly, particularly because time was running short. (L.C./transl.rh)