It is planned to increase expenditure in the area of external relations from 5.7 % to 6.8 % of the overall budget.

How can this in fact be achieved, however, in the wake of the latest, dramatic, developments in the European Union (Spain and Cyprus need ESM aid, Italy is teetering on the brink), especially in the light of such problems as the high youth unemployment rate in many EU Member States and the need for greater investment in the labour market in general?