MEPs counting on a careful budget

Date: 31/10/1996

By Rory Watson

UNION governments have less than three weeks to meet several key conditions set by MEPs, if spending on a series of EU-funded programmes is not to be disrupted next year.

Breaking with their tradition of pushing Union expenditure to its limits, MEPs are preparing to adopt a rigorous 89-million-ecu budget when they give their final approval to the EU's 1997 spending plans in mid-December.

But they are also determined to use their budgetary powers to squeeze concessions from other institutions with an input into Union policy-making.

The Parliament is pressing EU budget ministers to agree to review the rigid spending ceilings set four years ago on funding for the Union's internal policies when they meet on 19 November.

“We are not looking to increase overall Union expenditure, but we are pressing for more flexibility between different policy categories to reflect specific priorities,” said one parliamentary source.

If governments do not agree to the changes, then an extra 300 million ecu voted through by MEPs last week for spending on Northern Ireland, Trans-European Networks, research and development, and declining coalmining and textile areas will remain locked in a special reserve fund next year.

MEPs are also trying to use their control over the Union's purse-strings to force the Commission to make organisational changes in two of its more criticised departments.

The Commission has until mid-December to demonstrate to the Parliament that it has tightened up administrative procedures in the Directorate-General for tourism (DGXXIII). If MEPs remain unconvinced, they will confirm their decision to cut Commissioners' salaries by 10&percent; per month from January.

Similarly, at their first budget reading last week, Euro MPs voted to freeze part of the Commission's planned 1997 information budget until they were satisfied that greater efficiency had been introduced into the Directorate-General for information (DGX).