MEPs under pressure from governments, with southern countries keen to get cash flowing quickly.
As the economic crisis worsens, the European Parliament’s unity in EU budget negotiations is cracking.
With Europe facing a second coronavirus wave and the prospect of
fresh lockdowns, a growing number of MEPs — especially socialists from
Southern EU countries — have quietly abandoned their threat to withhold
approval for the next seven-year budget unless there’s significantly
more cash for certain programs.
EU leaders agreed on a €1.82 trillion budget and recovery package in
July, but the Parliament responded by demanding concessions in four
areas: more money for 15 budget programs including research and health; a
binding calendar for new sources of income, a bigger role for MEPs in
the planned €750 billion recovery fund; and a strong mechanism linking
the distribution of EU funding to rule-of-law criteria.
But member countries have rejected the idea of pumping more money
into the bloc’s coffers, and Hungary and Poland have threatened to block
the recovery fund if a strong rule-of-law mechanism is introduced.
European Parliament President David Sassoli issued a statement
Tuesday evening insisting the legislature is “united to get an
ambitious deal” on the budget and recovery fund and related issues. But
Sassoli also said the Parliament is “aware of the urgency of the
situation.”
And with less than three months until the rescue package’s planned
January 1 start date, some political groups are showing signs of
backtracking on the Parliament’s original demands....
more at POLITICO
© POLITICO
Key
Hover over the blue highlighted
text to view the acronym meaning
Hover
over these icons for more information
Comments:
No Comments for this Article