EU budget talks nearing conclusion

Budget negotiations between the EU Council, the European Parliament and the Commission have entered their final stage before a formal vote is taken by MEPs by the end of next month.

Following another meeting this week on the EU's financial perspectives for 2007-2013, the Parliament's rapporteur, Reimer Boege, termed the negotiations as a first step in the right direction.

The German MEP said that, for the first time, the Council had signalled its willingness to be more flexible on its negotiating position.

One of the main sticking points, concerning the Parliament's request for more funds, is however, still unsolved.

Mr Boge said the maximum amount of €1.5 billion of additional funds proposed by the current Austrian presidency was still being considered as insufficient.

"After the Council, at its last meeting in December, had given €10 billion in Christmas presents to individual member states without a European added value, Parliament insists on an increase of 1.5 per cent compared to the current Council proposal of €862 billion until the year 2013 to safeguard the programmes having a European added value," he said.

These additional funds of about €12 billion were foreseen for areas providing real European added value, such as education, research, trans-European networks or foreign policy.

Sources close to the Council said it will be difficult for the 25 member states to agree to increase the budget.

The budget for the next seven years was agreed by EU leaders during last December's summit.