The coordination of budgetary policies at the centre of the debate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A presentation on the priorities for the EU budget 2012 and a discussion with national Parliaments on their budget priorities with particular reference to the Europe 2020 Strategy were the main points on the agenda of this interparliamentary committee meeting. The event, which was co-organised by the Committee on Budgets in Brussels on 13 April, covered the question of economic governance and, in particular, the new budgetary discipline.

As a consequence of the economic crisis, European leaders introduced the "European Semester" in order to reinforce the coordination of budgetary policies within the Union. Nevertheless, many practical details of the new procedure remain to be defined. In particular, the exact role of Parliaments has not yet been clearly established.

This was the second interparliamentary committee meeting on the "European Semester". The first one had taken place on 15 March on the initiative of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee.