Final vote on 2015 budget and 2014 budget top-up
Parliament is to vote the EU’s 2015 budget and top up funds for 2014 into law on Wednesday, sealing a provisional deal struck by budget negotiators for Parliament and the Council of Ministers on 8 December. Before the plenary vote, the deal must first be formally approved by the Council on Friday and then by Parliament’s Budgets Committee on Monday.
Parliament's priority has been to ensure that bills from various firms, organisations, and institutions in member states get paid.
At every year-end since 2010 ever more invoices have been rolled over for payment in the following year, causing difficulties for cash-strapped contractors of the EU and depleting available resources in that year. Parliament’s negotiators ensure that, €4 billion more will be available to settle the most urgent bills for 2014 through an amending budget.
Parliament insisted on a payment plan that clearly defines a sustainable level for outstanding debt and proposing steps toward clearing the backlog.
For 2015, Parliament’s negotiators secured more funding for small and medium-sized enterprises, education programmes like Erasmus+, for research and for the EU's humanitarian role.
The whole budget package for 2014-2015 also includes disaster relief for victims of floods, ice storms and earthquakes in 2013-2014.
Procedure: budget
Debate: Tuesday 16 December
Vote: Wednesday, 17 December
Press conference: Wednesday, 17 December 14:30
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