ECOFIN Council - Budget on 21 November 2008
Eric Woerth - Dalia Grybauskaite
© Le Conseil de l'Union européenne
- On: 21.11.2008
- In: Brussels
On 6 May 2008, the Commission presented its Preliminary Draft Budget for 2009, amounting to 134.4 billion euros in commitment appropriations (+ 3.1%) and 116.7 billion euros in payment appropriations (-3.3% and -3.9 billion euros) compared with 2008. This reduction in payment appropriations conforms to the expenditure trends drafted during the negotiations on the multiannual financial framework for 2007-2013. The proposal particularly reflects the Commission's commitment to devote the highest share of the Community budget (44.7%) to employment and growth, in line with the Lisbon Strategy. Almost 14 billion euros are also earmarked to fund environmental targets. The Commission suggests increasing funding for migratory flow management and police and judicial co-operation. Agricultural spending will remain the second item of the EU's budget.
At the ECOFIN Council on 17 July 2008, the general draft budget of the European Communities was unanimously approved for 2009. This draft budget reflects the Council's commitment to adopt a 2009 budget that both guarantees the EU's commitment capacities, based on appropriation implementation capacities, and responds to the concerns of European citizens, whether these relate to supporting growth and competitiveness, policies in favour of cohesion within the EU with Member States who joined in 2004 and 2007 or EU solidarity with third countries.
This draft budget, which is slightly less than what the Commission proposed, provides for 133.9 billion euros in commitment appropriations and 114.9 billion euros in payment appropriations. Its main items are the preservation and management of natural resources (57.1 billion euros), cohesion (48.4 billion euros), competitiveness (11.1 billion euros) and initatives outside of the European Union (7.5 billion euros).
According to the Community budgetary procedure, this draft budget was examined and amended in the first reading by the European Parliament during the plenary session of October. The Parliament proposes total spending of 136 billion euros in commitment appropriations and 124 billion euros in payment appropriations, which exceeds the total of the draft budget adopted by the Council. The second reading by the Council will take place during the ECOFIN Council - Budget session on 21 November 2008. This will be followed by discussions between the two budgetary authorities to reach a compromise over the 2009 budget. The European Parliament will then conduct a second reading, with a final vote taken in December 2008. The budget voted upon should enter into force on 1 January 2009.
- Updated: 28.12.2008
