Back in November 2012, we asked you whether the EU budget should be cut (particularly whilst national governments are having to do the same). The response was strong, with several commenters actually arguing to increase the budget in order to stimulate growth in Europe. Others, however (such a IgnoRantJack), thought that “EU bureaucrats shouldn’t be exempt from belt tightening. Everyone else is having to do it; if they show a little solidarity, it may go a long way to improving their image.”
At the time, EU leaders were meeting in Brussels to negotiate the next seven-year “Multiannual Financial Framework“, i.e. the financial framework which sets the maximum spending amounts in the EU budget each year, as well as an overall annual “ceiling” on payments until 2020. However, that particular can was kicked into 2013, with leaders agreeing to disagree until the new year.
Today, however, the can-kicking might finally be coming to an end (at least, where the EU budget is concerned). European leaders are back in Brussels for another all-night marathon negotiating session; with ministers sleeping upright on sofas and the French and British leaders playing hide and seek. This time, if they don’t finally agree, a default budget based on the previous year’s funding (plus inflation) will automatically apply.
Reports suggest that, after more than 20 hours of negotiations, a deal might be close. Historically, the EU’s spending ceiling has increased with each seven-year budget, but under the latest proposals this could now be cut (for the first time in the history of the EU) by up to 30 billion euros.
However, even if EU leaders agree in the European Council that the budget ceiling should be lowered, they will still need the approval of the European Parliament before the new budget can be passed. And the President of the Parliament, Martin Schulz, has indicated that he would not sign-off a budget that he believed wasn’t properly balanced:
My signature is required for definitive adoption of budget, I cannot, will not and may not accept what amount to deficit budgets. #euco
— Martin Schulz (@MartinSchulz) February 7, 2013
What do YOU think? Would you be happy to see the EU budget cut? Or do we need to increase spending at the EU level in order to encourage economic growth? In either case, do you think the European Parliament will agree to the Council’s proposals? Let us know your thoughts and comments in the form below, and we’ll take them to policy-makers and experts for their reactions.
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Smart and focused investment by the EU Government are good by me. We need new energy and growth. And we need the rich ones to stop thinking exclusively about having more and more billions in their pockets. Working together will be ideal, but I do not see any chance for that to happen. Unfortunately!
Europe urgently needs productive projects, austerity is not a productive solution but rather a sign of impotence.
The problem is not a quantity subject like this actually. ?t is much more important what the budget spends how and what kind of jobs is encouraged or is promoted or is supported by the budget. ?f the banks were bankruptcied, instead of rescue and the moneys spend the promotions, the situation would be much different than right now.
I suggest cutting politicians’ salaries and also officials’ posts and salaries, moving all major activities into one capital and not introducing cuts in services or financial aid. And what about introducing a closed, paperless governance system to get rid of most of the paper-pushing?
The EU has to spend less money in Brussels. Lower salaries for everyone working in Brussels and limit expenditures related to work. First of all this will make the gap between citizens and the EU smaller. Second of all contribution of its member countries can be lower because of this. Tens of thousands of employees make more money than the dutch prime minister at the moment……
First,it would be responsible to designate some ‘censors’ to monitor the spending of the budget in EU projects
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“Is it irresponsible to cut the EU budget?” YES, IT IS!
NO..IT IS NOT. All the EU officials are living beyond our means. If Europe is to be strong, the strongest have to get more productive and quickly.
The problem is much more complicated than “increase” or “decrease” spending but what to DO with the money that is being allocated.
If we’re going to keep shoveling it again in the black hole that has formed in the space where Greece used to be – then no, we don’t need to “increase” anything.
And “creating jobs” sounds easy in theory, oh so easy! But it’s practice that always kill us, isn’t it.
Jobs are leaving abroad – why?
Because we LET them. Europe has standards, industry HATES standards, they can’t pollute, they can’t poison atmosphere, rivers, communities, they an’t exploit lack of freedoms and rights, they cannot have slave-labor as Europe is unionized.
So what do they do?
Simple. They move to place where such things don’t exist – China and India where women are still “property” and labor rights are just a good joke.
The EU needs to RAMP UP tariffs for everything coming IN from China and India.
Let it be produced HERE or get TAXED hard so that it hurts big corporations who flee like roaches.
Remember it is WE, the EU and US who call the shots – WE are the consumers.
The Apply corporation or whatever isn’t selling their 600 euro toys to the dirt-poor farmer in China. No no, they sell it HERE.
We know what it is, how to use and CAN PAY for it.
If we decide to say as a group “enough with the chinese JUNK” then all the jobs will return home.
Increase the budget only if you implement draconic measures for anything that comes IN the EU. If they play dirty, then so should we.
@ Limbidis Adrian:
You have it absolutely right. Keep the thoughts coming. I agree with almost every word you wrote. Good thinking.
Except, the US is the instigator of slavery imported to the Western countries. Look at who the Corporations are, not where they have their headquarters, but, who are their movers and shakers? Where do they originate from. Who set up globalisation in order to exploit us all and reduce our standards across the board? Which country do they go through in order to do it? Where do they keep their money? off shore, and who lets them away with it?
Who is regualting this? And how?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg7CfbnMwxA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=gKOJqnAET9A
And who are the 1% who have taken all the money out of our pockets, and where do they live?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq0BmNO-Tcg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okQ1vVSy1y4
no, it’s not.
Halve it
Is it irresponsible to cut the EU budget? No hard and fast answer when we consider just how much of that budget is returned unused to donating nations each and every year.
To know whether it is irresponsible to cut the budget, we would need to know just how much was returned to member states unused over the last 7 year period. Would it amount to Euro 34 Billion as is the claimed budget reduction?
Such transparency is necessary to give even a partially evaluated answer. Knee-jerk commentary is rather pointless without knowing much, much more to answer a question like this.
reduce it to zero.
How about not having an EU? Cut the whole thing out of the budget!
We do not need a DRONE Government based in Brussels, bleeding us dry.
Let us get one thing clear. No government ever created a penny (or cent) of wealth in its own right. EVER. These institutions either print money (or in other words create debt the servicing of which which they conveniently pass on to the people via taxation) or they simply take it. Either way, the PEOPLE pay. And every penny to them is one little bit more power over you, and one less bit of freedom on your part to spend it how YOU like. It is a minor propaganda miracle that this obvious truth is treated as an irrelevance. It should be the starting point of this discussion. And if they want economic growth in Europe, all governments in Europe and of Europe should be realising they ll only get it when they get off ordinary people’s backs with their crippling taxes and ridiculous control for control’s sake approach to rules and let people do it for themselves. The best government is the least. And the cheapest. So of course we should cut it.
A further question to ponder is just how much of a budget cut is it really?
How much does it cost when a new nation joins the EU?
As far as I can tell there are no plans to allow entry of any new nations in the next 7 year budgetary period, unlike the past periods. That being the case, there must be a substantial saving when it comes to new members pulling down funds.
Demand reformation, and more clarity by the poorest countries like Greece, in order that the development would have some effect…
Actually, it is very responsible. This way, more money stays in the member states themselves who can very well make their own decisions where to spend it in their own country. Shovelling more to Brussels might actually be a losing proposition, since Brussels would first siphon off some percentage to pay for its own tax-exempt bureaucrats.
Beyond economic cooperation, I’ve never really seen the need for this Brussels thingamajig anyhow.
Once countries were each others’ enemies. Currently these countries have one common enemy : the EU.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/wozvurtgm/612793358737966?sk=app_208195102528120
‘No government ever created a penny (or cent) of wealth in its own right. EVER.’
But the government creates the right conditions through money management systems within the existing legal and economic conditions for economic development,
for development of entrepreneurship must take into account market research and finding the niche areas,and, of course and many other factors but a niche market can contribute to stimulate the economy, this is usually the local markets but also some large programs, and that’s it generates jobs,If we want to EU come out of the crisis, the first step is to approve this budget.
Private business, and particularly the more dynamic business people don’t need governments to tell them how to create wealth. They don’t need the rule makers to hold their hands and they certainly don’t need to be told what to do. If Europe wants a dynamic economy all it has to do is fix it up so that the agents of vitality are allowed to perform here, disincentivise indolence, allow the tax system to reward real value added effort, and then get the hell out of the way.
I just agree with you Hans! We have just a common enemy…….
I believe it’s a good measure, but needs to be followed by other measures to promote growth and compete with other economies. We now share one single currency that is also the same economic “weapon” for all of us, and it is too high for most of us to promote growth. one measure alone like the budget cut is definitely not enough and a blind measure.
At least keep the same, as a compromise to leaner times.
Cutting the budget sends the wrong message. And if you have to then rearrange the parts so that more funding flows to growth inducing activities while the total remains the same.
As it is the reduced budget looks more like a product of conspiracy among certain block of members motivated by payment avoidance.
Yes, I`ll be happy, especially to see cuts in the sphere of bureaucracy and CAP.
In the current economic climate it would make sense to cut the budget, and I understand people who want to see this happen…. If countries are struggling, they need all the funds they can find to keep their economy afloat.
But it is also irresponsible to follow this populist line if the funds can be found from doing what it needs to be done and the reforms that are needed, instead of grasping the easier solution of cutting the EU budget.
In my opinion the EU budget should be stay the same or even increase, in order to be able to invest in all those things that will make some difference in the future of Europe..
Having said that, the EU budget must be reformed and countries that were contributing as much, it is time to start giving more. Instead of relying on subsidies, these countries must be encouraged to invest and become more industrialized, become richer like the “core” EU economies and start giving their share.
Thus a more harmonized European economy is needed. The “core” countries will lose out a bit, but at least they won’t have to moan all the time of contributing too much and “sustaining too many freeloaders” as many British Euro-skeptics have put it.
If there is a more harmonized European economy, then there won’t be needed for some countries to contribute more in the budget or others less… Then it will be fair, and the squabbles between the states of who gives more or less will stop.
Then we will be able to increase the EU budget and invest with it in all the spheres that will be beneficial for all European economies… But I think that it will be the “core” countries that will object more to such thing…. So let them keep paying for the others and moan about it….
correction! where I say: “the EU budget must be reformed and countries that were contributing as much, it is time to start giving more,” now please read “the EU budget must be reformed and countries that were NOT contributing as much, it is time to start giving more.”
Why isn’t there an edit button here…?? Jesus!!!
I believe it is necessary an economic growth. Cuting the buget during the crisis it is an error. The use of that concept presents risks for the developement in U.E. If it is necessary to cut fonds i think the bureaucratism must be reduced.
It is a bad notice
It’s not a matter of cutting, rather a matter of redistributing and preventing wasted money. Give Europe the means to replace inefficient national duplication and let the internal market do it’s job.
The budget should be realistic. The most important thing is how it is spent. If the wastes are not dramatikaly reduced, it will be a fiasco.
First of all I suggest that all the money spent for maintaining EU staff and facilities for the EU superstructure should be deeply cut.
Second, all products that are considered above the national share, should be given to the poors.
After that, we may start considering about cutting the new realistic budget.
But as normal citizesn, do we have any power?
To me it doesn’t look possible with the present political laws.
I think , bankers should earn more money !bonuses and extra aids.without them what would we do ? :D
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Seja bem-vinda. Um bom Domingo.
Iwould like to see the number of bureacrats slashed
The European Budget should reflect the current difficult reality in Member States. We should focus on development and our first concern should be the people and not the money. All people deserve a decent life and that should cover the European budget.
http://eblanademocraticmove.blogspot.ie/2013/02/a-very-predictable-new-eu-budget-for.html
An analysis and my opinion on the budget… Hopefully some of our leaders will take note… Enjoy the read…
To cut the EU budget is NOT “iirresponsible”. To cut the EU budget means to bring the spending decisions closer to the ordinary people – because the national and municipal budgets are closer to the ordinary people.
EU needs more fiscal and economic discipline
just get rid of the European Parliament , The Euro Commission and the Court of Justice – we do not need this artificial communist / fascist state run by unelected technocrats . thanks
EP unelected? Come on!
schulz was elected in backroom deal years before the election for ep pres…..thin whole rotten eu needs to be abolished.
The whole budget is paid for by the tax payers in the member countries. All Brussels does is suck this money in, skim off a percentage to pay for it’s own existence and then dishes out what remains to various projects it considers worthy
Why should tax payers be expected to pay more to Brussels while having to make sacrifices in their own households?
Better control of what they already get is what is needed not just throwing more good money after bad
Three months ago the British government committed a spending increase over the next five years to a pan European institution in order to boost a growing UK sector.
This was the European Space Agency and was widely welcomed.
One of the reasons is that it could be explained where the money is going and why.
‘The EU budget’ is an esoteric concept with little knowledge among austerity-hit voters throughout the EU as to where the money goes.
Increased spending in pan European infrastructure and R&D projects (with the massive economies of scale it brings) in a recession doesn’t just makes sense in outer space, but need to be justified.
Any increases should be discussed on a case by case sector basis so a more intelligent accountable debate can be made on their merits, instead of populist rhetoric about ‘Brussels fat cats.’
The enlarged EU is full of corruption. Also because of this its budget should be reduced rather than expanded. More Europe of this type means less prosperity for all of us. See financial crisis …
http://euobserver.com/justice/119028
One symbol of responsibility over our money would be to implement a single seat EP.
Stop the transfer to Strasbourg of the EP.
The extra EP in Strasbourg started as a peace symbol but has become a symbol of waste of money, irresponsibility and how impracticable the EU is at date.
In Portugal people are starting to interrupt the ministers speeches at local events by chanting “Grandola vila morena”, a Portuguese Song by the author Zeca Afonso popularized back in 1974 when the Revolution against the old regime and oppression occured on the 25th of April 1974. In Spain the protests are adopting it too.
It goes somewhat like this:
Grndola vila morena, the place of brotherhood/fraternity, the people are who gives most of the orders, inside of you, city
In every corner a friend, in every face equality,
Grndola, vila morena, the place of brotherhood/fraternity
In the shadow of an Oak, that didn’t know it’s age, I swore to have as a mate your will, Grndola
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaLWqy4e7ls
Personaly, since most of Europe knows this song better I would go for this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pm4fQRl72k