The European Union's new regional aid commissioner, Poland's Danuta Huebner, vowed yesterday to defend plans to boost the bloc's spending after 2006 against demands of EU heavyweights to freeze expenditure.

Ms Huebner told Reuters in an interview that the EU's historic enlargement into ex-communist Europe required adequate financing from the bloc's next long-term budget, despite fiscal concerns voiced by many old member states.

She was one of 24 commissioners who received their portfolios in the EU executive on Thursday from Commission President-elect José Manuel Barroso. The new Commission is due to take office on November 1 for a five-year term.

Ms Huebner, the soft-spoken former Minister for Europe in the Polish government, said that apart from helping impoverished eastern regions, the EU must also secure funds for research, development and job creation to allow it to catch up economically with the United States.

"I will be in the middle of the fight over the budget... My priority will be to launch the catching-up process of poor regions while also securing enough funds for pro-growth initiatives," the 56-year-old Ms Huebner said.

The outgoing Commission of President Romano Prodi proposed this year to increase the EU's 2007-2013 budget to 1.14 per cent of the bloc's Gross National Income (GNI) despite protests from leading paymasters.

Austria, Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands demanded that spending be capped at the current level of one per cent of GNI, arguing national budgets were overstretched as countries strive to meet EU deficit limits.

"Of course, the budgetary discipline must be watched in all member states, but we must not forsake the chance enlargement gives to the EU. And this means a bigger budget," Ms Huebner said.

Politicians expect a fierce battle next year over the budget, not least because of the Commission's proposal to phase out the British rebate from Brussels coffers and replace it with a partial refund for all major net contributors.

Under the Prodi Commission's proposal, the EU's annual budget is to grow to €158.5 billion in 2013 from €133.6 billion in 2007.

Of that, about 40 per cent is to be spent on regional funds, mostly to build transport infrastructure, clean up the environment, overhaul industries and create jobs.

Ms Huebner said she was happy she had received the regional policy portfolio, not least because she comes from Poland - the biggest new member state, which stands to become the biggest beneficiary of EU regional aid after 2007.

But she promised fair treatment for countries such as Spain, Portugal and Greece that have so far received the bulk of EU aid and will sooner or later lose out financially on enlargement.

"Aid for the old EU's regions must not be shut overnight, despite the fact that there are now many more needy regions," she said.

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