Its four centrist groups have asked its president, , to make major changes to her plan for the next seven-year EU budget, according to a letter sent Thursday morning and obtained by POLITICO.
The groups are threatening to reject a key part of the 2028-2034 budget at the next plenary on November 12 unless their terms are met in a new amended Commission proposal.
Not in the “national plans” of the Commission
MEPs oppose the Commission’s “national plans”, an idea to pool funds for farmers and regions — which make up around half of the EU’s total €1.8 trillion budget — into single funds to be managed by the Union’s 27 governments. This is a change from the current system, in which the regions play a key role in managing funding.
A formal rejection would be a major blow to the Commission as it would force the executive to propose a modified version. Political groups hope the Commission will amend the proposal itself before having to resort to the “nuclear option”.
In the letter — signed by the head of the conservative European People’s Party Manfred Weber, Iratxe Garcia of the Socialists, Valerie Heyer of the centrist Renew Europe party and Bas Eichhout of the Greens — the political group leaders argue that Parliament has warned the Commission from the start of negotiations that they are opposed to the idea of national plans.
“Unfortunately, this is clearly the content of the Commission’s proposal. The European Parliament cannot accept this as a basis for opening negotiations,” the letter, the draft of which was reported by POLITICO on Tuesday, reads.
The letter is a last-ditch effort to put pressure on the Commission after weeks of stalled negotiations.
Defense spending
It is recalled that European Union officials approved funding of 1.5 billion euros to improve Europe’s defense preparedness due to the war in Ukraine.
Denmark, which holds the EU’s rotating six-month presidency, has reached a tentative deal with European Parliament negotiators to provide the funding in the form of grants until 2027, according to an EU statement. One fifth of the amount is earmarked for defense cooperation with Ukraine.
Among the program’s objectives are reducing the EU’s dependence on US weapons, simplifying procurement and increasing the competitiveness of Europe’s fragmented defense and aerospace industries. The program will be replenished with new funds once the new EU budget begins. The proposed spending plan for 2028-2034 includes €131 billion for defense and space.
Source OT.gr
