Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-03-08-Speech-2-012-000"
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"en.20110308.6.2-012-000"2
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"Madam President, first of all, let me offer my greetings to you, Madam President, to the Commissioner and to all my fellow Members who are here. Allow me to start by thanking all those who took part in this report and, in particular, the shadow rapporteurs from the various political groups.
The work has resulted in a broad consensus, as shown by the vote last week in the Committee on Budgets, where this report was passed by 34 votes to 1, with 1 abstention. This report aims to be in harmony and in line with the current moment: with the economic, financial and social situation through which we are struggling, with the crisis that we are experiencing, and, at the same time, with what the European public wants from the European Union and its institutions.
We will have a budget of restrictions, a budget of austerity and, at the same time, a budget which will have to provide the institutions and Parliament with the means to keep up with the European project and to keep up with the European public’s expectations.
Our objective is excellence in lawmaking and it would be very bad if we lacked sufficient means to achieve this: it would be a terrible sign for our times and it would have a cost, which the European public would still have to bear.
In order to achieve this, we will need the necessary resources. We have new powers resulting from the Treaty of Lisbon. However, given the current situation, we advocate a neutral increase, which means that we advocate an increase equal to inflation.
We are in line with the Commissioner’s letter, with the recommendation that he sent to Parliament and the other institutions. Therefore, when it becomes necessary, if it becomes necessary, we will draw up a letter or an amending budget for the purpose of commitments such as that which the European Union has to Croatia, or that resulting from the eight new members of the Treaty of Lisbon.
In order for us to achieve a savings budget, it is clear that we have, more than ever, to follow the principles of good management and economy, the principles of efficiency and effectiveness. These principles will have to translate to budgetary rigour, simplicity and transparency. With these principles, we will already be able to successfully identify cuts, not only in the estimates that we will now prepare, but we also want savings in the implementation of the 2012 budget.
In this way, we will manage to keep up with our responsibilities. We would also like – and introduced this concept – a budget that is a zero-based budget, in which each expense is justified and in which variable expenses are well known; wherever justified, there can be a cost-benefit analysis for these expenses.
Clearly, we will not endanger projects under way because that would not simply be a backward step, but would rather be a loss. I am referring to projects such as the extension of the Konrad Adenauer Building, projects such as the House of European History; these projects will go ahead under this budget of restrictions. We also argue, on this basis, that forthcoming budgets should be multiannual budgets, so that there can be overall planning right from the outset; overall planning that is in accordance and in line with the multiannual financial framework."@en1
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