Brussels, 09/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - The difference between the result of the first reading in July at the Council, and the European Parliament budget committee's recommendation for the plenary vote on 22 October, is far from negligible. The committee is counting on a total draft budget volume for 2010 of €141.7bn in commitment appropriations, €3.8bn more than planned by the Council during the first reading in July, as well as €127.5bn in payment appropriations, €7bn more than planned at the time by the Council. In its amendments, the committee included budgeting for the recovery plan (€1.98bn in commitment appropriations and €1.5bn in payments, EUROPE 9994).
With regard to sub-section1a (competitiveness), the committee criticises the reductions in funding made by the Council in support of the Lisbon strategy. The EP considers that more money is needed, not less, for programmes to tackle the crisis (energy security, research and innovation, job creation etc). Out of the €14.8bn in commitments for this sub-section (€2.1bn more than in the Council's first reading), the committee wants €12.5bn in payments (+€2bn).
With regard to sub-section 1b (cohesion), the committee is proposing more payment appropriations for the main lines (ERDF, ESF, Cohesion funds). The committee's figures are €49.3bn in commitments and €38.8bn in payments (€2.7bn more than planned by the Council).
With regard to section 2 (management of natural resources), it is proposing a Milk Fund of €300 million. The total for this section particularly includes agricultural spending at €59.8bn in commitments (€1.1bn more than in the Council's first reading) and €58.9bn in payments (+€1.3bn).
With regard to sub-section 3a (the committee wants €1bn), the budgets committee is insisting on the importance of additional funds for: - managing legal immigration and the integration of third country nationals; - fighting illegal immigration and strengthening border protection (particularly through European funds for refugees). With regard to section 3b, the committee believes that the low turn out in the European elections again demonstrated that information and communication policy should be improved (several amendments are intended to reserve some of the funding for these areas).
With regard to section 4 (external action), the committee wants €8.1bn for commitments (€309.3 million more than the Council planned) and €7.8bn in payments (€666.3 million more). It supports increased funding for Palestine. It also want to put into reserve an increase in the funding line for climate change in developing countries while awaiting the conclusions of the Copenhagen conference on Climate Change. In Section 5, the committee accepts some of the reductions made by the Council regarding administrative spending but re-establishes funding for personnel spending. (L.C./transl.rh)