This is the first time that the highest officials of richer EU countries – including France, Germany and Nordic countries – together in the same room to build a strategy on the controversial proposal of the European Budget of 1,816 billion euros, writes Politico.
The goal is to form a block before talking to countries such as Poland, Spain and Italy that advocate higher wear, especially on agriculture and financing of poorer regions.
Since the budget was presented 16. July, officials had enough time to flowing hundreds of pages and start counting how much money would receive or lose according to the new Commission Spending Plan.
Official budget negotiations have just begun, but behind the scenes, officials from countries with similar interests have already planned joint moves. Ministers will not be at this gathering in Vienna – they will discuss the budget next time in October at EU level.
What is the goal?
During each budget negotiation, countries with similar interests are associated to develop joint views, maintain joint meetings with the Commission and share practical tasks such as testing formulas for money distribution.
The ultimate goal is to outwit the rival block, win the negotiations and direct the huge EU budget closer to their priorities.
“In the terms of football, this is the performance of a free strike. That is something normal,” said Politico MPs in the European Parliament of Janusz Lewandowski, which since 2010. by 2014. was the European Budget Commissioner.
Unity is the strength
Instead of allowing their own struggle, 27 EU countries gather in two large blocks.
On the one hand, the rich countries “Net Paid” – from Sweden to France – they pay more than they receive from the EU budget and are generally advocated for a smaller budget.
On the other hand, the block is known as friends of cohesion, a wide alliance of southern and eastern European countries, including Italy, Spain and Poland, which favor the larger budget – especially for “cohesion funds” that helps poorer regions throughout the Union.
“As much in the world, a multi-year financial framework (MFF) is not defined by the economy, but history,” said Stefan IMHOF, the Secretary-General of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance, in one event earlier this month.
There are obvious differences inside each block. For example, Net Paid France and the Netherlands have very different views on issues such as EU level, which Paris supports it, while Haga rejects Haga.
As for agricultural subsidies, France is closer to highly consuming Poland than some members of their block.
However, countries try to solve these differences within their clubs, where they are arranged on key attitudes such as the total size of the budget.
The group meeting in Vienna is led by the two largest EU forces on Thursday.
“In the end, these are France and Germany that are agreed on digit, and we are following the others,” said one EU diplomat from the country of Net Paid, which he wanted to remain anonymous to speak.
In the second block, Poland usually leads because the largest beneficiary of EU budget funds.
However, a long-term partnership of Warsaw and Hungary – with which the key interests – was violated due to the conflict with Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose short in democracy has led to the Commission to retain billions of euros.
This opened space for Mediterranean countries – which also support abundant assistance to poorer regions – to take over a stronger coordinating role within the coalition.
On the first September, Malta chaired the gathering of a budget experts from a friend of cohesion, which set the foundation for the first technical meeting of all 27 EU countries later.
Experienced budget negotiators claim that key decisions are made on these informal meetings. Last March, net platypuses agreed to allocate 175 billion euros for the Horizon Research Program – which the Commission was then confirmed by the Commission – during an informal meeting in Helsinki, according to EU diplomats.
Where is the Commission?
On the sidelines, the Commission will lobby with national governments to remain close to its original proposal during negotiations with the advice and parliament.
In the following months, the Piotr serafin budget commissioner – former Polish ambassador to the EU, who knows the advice well – will mediate the conversations between Net Platiš and friends cohesion.
Stuck between the two conflicts of the block, Commissioner “see all the maps on the table,” Commission official said.
The experienced negotiator Lewandowski said that the Commissioner must strive to “share and govern” (Divide ET Imper), instead of consolidating blocks in the Council.
Lewandowski’s advice Serafin, which was his assistant while the Commissioner, is to “approach the countries individually … instead of opposing two large blocks”, as it weakens the power of the Member States.
With heavy and dramatic discussions that are expected, there are only a few safe items for negotiators.
“This proposal of the Commission will not be what we will eventually agree, everyone will have to make concessions … (but) There was always a deal, and this time we will reach an agreement,” Austrian Imhof said.
(Vijesti.ba)
