Press release

 

The financing of Galileo (the European satellite navigation system, which will be independent of the American, Russian and Chinese systems) and the European Institute of Technology (EIT): both projects, according to this vote, will be funded entirely by the Community, without jeopardising the necessary financial means of the Lisbon Agenda multiannual programmes such as Lifelong Learning and Trans-European Networks. The amount needed by 2013 (a shortfall of €2.4bn) will be found mainly from the revision of the Financial Perspectives. Globally, €3.7bn are foreseen for Galileo and EIT within the multi-annual financial framework until 2013.

 

Details (2007-2013)

   -   €1 600 million from a revision of the multiannual Financial Framework (reallocation of unused means in the agricultural budget for 2007)

   -   €200 million from the use of the so-called flexibility instrument

   -   €400 million of reprioritisation within heading 1A (growth and employment) from the transport related research activities financed under  FP 7

   -   €200 million of redeployment within heading 1A concerning mainly administrative expenditure (€100 mio), decentralised agencies (€50 mio) and Euratom (€50 million)

   -   €300 million from the margin - for the European Institute of Technology.

 

In 2008

EIT	Commitments	Payments
European Institute of Technology	0	0
European Institute of Technology and Innovation	2,900,000	2,900,000
European Institute of Technology and Innovation - Governing Structure	p.m.	p.m.
European Institute of Technology and Innovation - Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs)	p.m.	p.m.
GALILEO
Galileo Programme	p.m. 890,000,000	100,000,000 200,000,000
Galileo Supervisory -Authority - Subsidy under Titles 1 and 2	7,059,000	7,460,000
Galileo Supervisory Authority - Subsidy under Title 3	2,933,500	3,100,000

 

2) CFSP, Kosovo, Palestine

 

The additional needs for the common foreign and security policy (CFSP, including EU police mission in Kosovo) for 2008: The CFSP will receive a total of €285 million from the EU budget, an increase of €125 million over 2007. Of this figure, €70 million will be deployed through the flexibility instrument, which is designed to finance unforeseen or exceptional expenditure, under the Interinstitutional Agreement (IIA) of 17 May 2006. This exceptional funding will be used in 2008 for the CFSP actions, essentially for the EU growing obligations in Kosovo.

 

 

 

The political involvement of the European Parliament in this matter deserves attention: according to a declaration agreed in conciliation, the European Commission will hold regular political dialogue three times a year with the European Parliament on democratic scrutiny and coherence of external EU relations.

 

For the first time, growth and jobs ("Sustainable growth and employment", heading 1a & 1b) take the biggest share of the EU budget, edging ahead of farm subsidies (Agriculture part, under

the heading 2: "Natural resources").

 

Given the urgency of immigration matters, the Parliament proposes an increase for the agency managing EU external borders, the EP decided to double the amounts allocated to Frontex (EU Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders) , the agency for the EU's external frontiers, with €30 million extra (€2.8 million will be dedicated to administrative costs) . The figure earmarked for this agency thus rises to €70 million in total. The plenary endorsed the 2nd reading budget committee vote and decided to release the reserves agreed at the first reading for Frontex.

 

As regards the initial (at the first reading) €49 million reserve under Heading 5, devoted to the European Commission staff expenditure, MEPs decided to maintain in reserve only €5 million.