Political groups will threaten to reject a key part of the budget framework for the period 2028 to 2034 if their demands are not met, further increasing tensions between politicians from across the “mainstream” political spectrum and the president of the EU executive.
In the draft letter, which is still in the finalization stage, the Commission is asked to revise its proposal, published in July, in order to be in line with the positions of the European People’s Party (EPP, center-right) to which von der Leyen herself belongs, the Socialists and Democrats (S&D, center-left), the liberal group Renew Europe (Renew Europe) and the Greens. They form the majority in the European Parliament, which must approve the budget.
The MPs oppose the Commission’s “national plans”, that is, the idea of consolidating funds for farmers and regions into single funds that would be managed by the governments of the 27 member states. This represents a change compared to the current system in which the regions play a key role in the management of funds.
These funds account for about half of the EU’s total budget, worth 1.8 billion euros.
“Given that the current proposal (on national plans) does not take into account our main demands, it cannot serve as a basis for negotiations,” the draft said.
“Therefore, we expect our key proposals to be substantially reflected in the amended proposal of the European Commission, which would allow negotiations with the European Parliament to progress.”
The letter is intended as a way to increase pressure on the Commission to agree to concessions after weeks of stalled negotiations. If an agreement is not reached, the four political groups plan to present at the plenary session of the European Parliament, which begins on November 12, a resolution to reject the part of the budget related to national plans.
The Commission claims that the model will allow governments to spend EU money according to their specific needs and will create a stronger link between payments and national economic reforms.
The representatives, however, claim that the plan will increase the powers of the central governments to the detriment of the regions, which traditionally have an important role in the management of EU funds.
One of the most important demands of political groups is that the Commission allocates precisely determined, dedicated funds for rural development and all regions, which is not included in the current budget proposal.
The MPs also want the Commission to review its “cash for reforms” model, which they say is creating a “democratic deficit”. Parliament also wants greater decision-making and oversight powers over how EU public funds are allocated over a seven-year period.
Political groups already agreed this month to add a debate on the architecture of the EU’s long-term budget, called the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), to the agenda of the European Parliament session starting on November 12.
That date is also the deadline by which the Parliament and the Commission must agree on changes to the national plans.
The Socialists and Liberals have already said they are ready to reject the EU budget proposal, while the EPP has yet to officially confirm they will do the same, although many of their MPs have hinted in recent weeks that this is likely.
In addition to the Parliament, the governments of the member states are currently negotiating the budget proposal, and these negotiations will probably stretch until the beginning of 2027. The parliament will then negotiate the spending plan with the member states and vote on it before 2028.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
