Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-12-17-Speech-3-027"
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"en.20081217.3.3-027"2
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"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I should like to start by thanking the rapporteurs, Mr Lewandowski and Mrs Haug, and also the coordinators and staff of the Secretariat and the group. The latter, in particular, were, at times, stretched almost beyond their limits with their workload, as is usual for them every year. I also wish to thank the French Presidency for the good, fair negotiations. I realise that the Presidency would have been prepared to go a bit further if the majority in the Council had allowed this. I should also like to emphasise that the Commission engaged extremely constructively in the negotiations. Commissioner – if I may say this openly here – since we have managed to achieve a good working relationship, I would not object to your standing as a candidate again next year.
Ladies and gentlemen, the 2009 budget is divided into three stages. The first stage is to be voted on tomorrow. We are financing the EU’s basic needs with EUR 133.7 billion in commitments and EUR 116 billion in payments, and have managed to get the Food Facility on track by means of an emergency operation: by amending the Interinstitutional Agreement, using the flexibility instrument and making a redeployment within Heading 4. It is good that this is on track, but it must also be made clear that a review of the existing development instruments in both the development cooperation section of the budget and the European Development Fund is also part of the package if we are to achieve a better solution and better prospects in the long term, including for the security of food supply in developing countries. It also makes clear the vital importance and urgency of a fundamental revision of Heading 4 – ‘The EU as a global partner’ – in particular.
Part 2 will need to be discussed when the pecuniary benefit of the declaration adopted takes effect; that is, the acceleration and simplification of the existing rules in respect of the Structural Funds and of the implementation of rural development. If we all do our homework on this in the first quarter, this should and will result in supplementary budgets with increased payments to the Structural Funds and the agricultural funds, which will also support economic development. If we do not then manage to exceed EUR 120 billion in payments during the year, there must be administrative and political consequences. Anything else would be untenable.
The third point concerns the economic recovery package. The figures we are discussing from the European budget of course tend to be downstream, and so I should like to say two things in this regard. The first is that it is right and vital for the European Investment Bank to become involved, but there should be no new shadow budget outside the European budget in the long term – that is unacceptable. The second is that we are prepared to ensure the proposed revision on the basis of the right projects and the necessary procedures, including in conjunction with the priorities of linking up energy networks in the interests of the solidarity laid down in the Treaty of Lisbon in energy policy, and putting broadband connectivity in disadvantaged rural areas on track – as a supplement to all the other necessary measures already on the agenda."@en1
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