Europarlement keurt eigen begroting goed (en)

Met dank overgenomen van Europees Parlement (EP), gepubliceerd op donderdag 24 maart 2011, 18:09.

Parliament's Budgets Committee approved the estimates for Parliament's own 2012 budget on Thursday. The €1.725 billion total represents an increase over 2011 of 2.3%, well below the EU-27inflation rate of 2.8%.

Below inflation

Parliament's budget guidelines, approved in plenary session on 9 March, aim to keep the increase for 2012 below inflation. By staying well below the current EU-27 inflation rate of 2.8%, "Parliament shows its budgetary responsibility and self-restraint in the light of the difficult economic and budgetary conditions in the Member States", says the report by José Manuel Fernandes (EPP, PT). This approved estimate means Parliament's budget represents 19.70% of  the EU institutions' total administrative spending foreseen for 2012, as compared to 20.03% in 2011.

Savings

To restrict the increase to 2.3%, the Bureau (consisting of Parliament's President, Vice-Presidents and Secretary-General) and the Budgets Committee agreed on savings amounting to €13.7 million. These include cutting funding for political parties and foundations, information campaigns, IT and maintenance of buildings. They also scrapped 11 additional posts that were initially foreseen.

For the House of European History, MEPs want to see the estimated running costs of  €6,9 million (excluding staff) reduced and ask for a long-term business strategy. The costs in 2012 of refurbishing and extending the Konrad Adenauer Building in Luxembourg are estimated to be €13 million lower than originally anticipated.

Provisions for 18 new MEPs, a direct result of the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, and costs relating to Croatia's EU accession preparations, have been postponed until the final decisions are taken.

Next steps

Parliament as a whole will vote on the estimates at its April plenary session. On 20 April, the European Commission will present the draft 2012 budget, including Parliament's budget. Then both arms of the budgetary authority, the Council and Parliament, will state their positions after which there will be a 21-day conciliation period.

In the chair : Alain LAMASSOURE (EPP, FR)

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