Brussels, 09/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - The EU Council of ministers' first reading of the preliminary draft budget of the European Union on Friday 10 July will be purely a formality. This is so, firstly because, as is often the case in the procedure, European ministers responsible for the budget are likely to accept, virtually as it stands, the outcome of the preparatory work (see EUROPE 9934), on which there was unanimity; and secondly because consultation will take place with a delegation...