The politics of the EU budget

How do the two arms of European Union (EU) budgetary authority (the European Parliament and the Council) reach compromises in annual and multiannual procedures? What formal and informal mechanisms do the EU institutions have at their disposal to influence budgetary decision-making? And what reform options are feasible in the areas of revenue, spending and control procedures?

These three questions were the focus of a workshop on ‘EU budget politics – experiences, dynamics, and reform options’, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 8-9 October 2015, organised by the Jean Monnet Chair at Speyer University, with the support of the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS). Speakers included academics and institutional ‘insiders’ working in the EU budget area.

Written by Alessandro D’Alfonso.