Presseraum 

Budget MEPs approved €484.2 million in EU aid following natural disasters in France and Greece and for 20 countries in relation to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

MEPs have fought for and obtained better support for key EU programmes creating jobs, tackling the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and boosting climate action.

MEPs from Economic and Monetary Affairs and Budgets committees backed an extension of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), in their vote on Monday evening. They stressed however that the EU investment plan should focus on riskier future oriented investments, which would not otherwise happen, preferably in economically weaker EU regions, and in a transparent way.

Das EP-Verhandlungsteam begrüßt den Aufbauplan, warnt aber, dass die Zustimmung der Abgeordneten zum langfristigen EU-Haushalt nicht als selbstverständlich angesehen werden kann.

“We cannot afford a narrow accounting approach with a complete lack of political vision”, says the EP’s negotiating team for the long-term EU budget and Own Resources reform.

The current health crisis compels us to tackle the risk of the next long-term EU budget not coming into force on 1 January 2021 with even more urgency, MEPs say.

Ahead of this week’s plenary vote on a resolution on the planned new long-term EU budget, Budget Committee Chair Van Overtveldt shared his thoughts in an interview on EP’s Facebook page.

During the third round of talks on Friday, Parliament’s negotiators reiterated their key demands, based on a strong plenary mandate.

During the fourth trilateral talks with Council and Commission, Parliament’s negotiators underline that a lot remains to be done before an acceptable agreement can be reached.

Commenting on the draft conclusions for the 17 July EU summit, EP’s negotiators disagree with additional cuts to the long-term EU budget and urge the European Council to improve the text.

EP negotiators for the post-2020 EU budget discussed their priorities with European Council President Charles Michel, ahead of a crucial plenary debate on the budget next week.

In an EP webinar on the EU’s long-term budget and response to the crisis, MEPs urged that the recovery fund must be set up as soon as possible to prevent a major recession.

Budget MEPs want the EU to rise to the climate challenge, help the young and strengthen the economy, in a vote on Tuesday on their position on the 2020 EU budget.

Budget Committee MEPs gave their green light to top up support to refugees and host communities in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon in response to the Syrian crisis.

Am Montag (09.11.) haben die Abgeordneten ihre Position für das Instrument verabschiedet, welches EU-Staaten im Kampf gegen die Auswirkungen und Folgen der Corona-Pandemie unterstützen soll.

Refusing to move at all is not negotiating. MEPs will come back to the table once there is a real will from Council’s side to find an agreement.

Es sei höchste Zeit, die Verhandlungen über den MFR mit dem Rat aufzunehmen, sagte das Verhandlungsteam des EP für den langfristigen EU-Haushalt und die Eigenmittelreform.

Die Ausschüsse für Haushalt und Haushaltskontrolle haben den designierten Kommissar aus Österreich zur künftigen Haushaltspolitik und zum Schutz der finanziellen Interessen der EU befragt.

A high-profile panel on Monday warned of the economic difficulties stemming from the pandemic, whilst noting that this crisis could offer the chance to rebuild EU economies.

Most of the one million-plus migrants and refugees who travelled to the European Union in 2015 came via Turkey. There are now more than 2.5 million refugees in Turkey itself. At the end of November 2015, the EU and Turkey struck a deal to try to control migrant flows into Europe. Turkey in return is to receive an extra €3 billion from the EU budget and member states in order to support refugees in the country.