EPP Group rejects cuts to the 2017 EU budget

“No citizen in Europe will understand Member States advocating the need to restore economic growth and tackle the refugee crisis effectively, while proposing cuts to research and innovation, infrastructure and policies aimed at tackling the root causes of migration,” stated Siegfried Mureşan MEP, the EPP Group negotiator on the 2017 EU Budget, while commenting on the Council's position.

The Commission's draft 2017 EU Budget of €157.7 billion in commitments and €134.9 billion in payments is challenged by the Council, who want to reduce it to €156.38 billion in commitments and €133.79 billion in payments. These cuts represent more than €1.2 billion in commitments and €1.1 billion in payments. Any further decrease within the already tight budget will make it very hard to finance traditional EU policies and new challenges springing from the refugee crisis.

Mureşan regretted that: "Instead of making sure that the EU can deliver in key areas in which citizens expect results from us, the Council made further cuts throughout all headings of the budget."

The EPP Group Spokesperson in the Budgets Committee, José Manuel Fernandes MEP, recalled that "The EPP Group will only accept an EU Budget that strengthens investment, promotes employment and further supports innovation and the competitiveness of European companies, as well as prioritising the safety of EU citizens."

The EPP Group negotiator on the budget concluded that “The EPP Group will fight for appropriate funding for students and youth, for SMEs, researchers and innovators, for farmers and the EU agencies that make Europe more secure and help us tackle the refugee crisis. The EU Budget will be a tool for investment, supporting job creation and for ensuring the security of our citizens.”