Parliament not responsible for postponing MFF negotiations

Reimer Böge MEP, Co-Rapporteur of the European Parliament on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), denies any responsibility by Parliament for the delay of the start of the MFF negotiations:

“Over the past weeks, the Parliament has been preparing its negotiating position and is thus ready to start negotiations. The situation in the Council, however, is catastrophic and makes real negotiations at this point impossible. Firstly, the Irish Presidency has not managed up until now to receive a formal mandate from the General Affairs Council for the legal texts on the basis of the Council conclusions from February; secondly, ECOFIN has shown absolutely no willingness to cooperate with regard to a swift solution for the draft amending budget.

Given that the Council has given no signs of making concessions on the draft amending budget or on the EP priorities regarding the MFF, the Parliament had no choice but to postpone the start of the negotiations and to invite the Presidents of the Institutions to accelerate the process, making a timely agreement possible."