THERE WILL BE NO EUROPEAN RENEWAL WITH A FALLING BUDGET

USPA NEWS - While the Heads of State and Government are going to debate today the EU's multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2021-2027, the proposal put forward by the President of the European Council absolutely does not finance a new ambition for Europe. In its communication of January 14 on the Green Deal, the European Commission affirmed that to succeed in the Green Deal, it needed between 260 and 530 billion € per year. Unfortunately, instead of seeking to find new funding, the President of the Council is proposing a budget which, if inflation is taken into account, would clearly be lower than the current multiannual financial framework. The President of the Council is proposing a 14% reduction in the common agricultural policy, a 19% reduction in the European Social Fund - which includes food aid in particular - or a drastic reduction in Erasmus funds ... These proposals are completely unacceptable.

On the contrary, it is essential to propose a much more ambitious budget to ensure the continuity of existing policies and deploy the policies expected by citizens (Green Deal, Defense Europe, digital transition, fight against poverty, gender equality ...). Like a majority of deputies, our delegation would reject such a proposal if the Heads of State validated it. To unblock the situation and obtain a more ambitious budget without asking the Member States for more money and responding to the demand for fiscal justice carried by the yellow vests and millions of citizens, it is urgent to move forward on the issue of own resources : a European profit tax, a carbon tax at the borders, a tax on financial transactions, a kerosene tax ... Pierre Larrouturou, General rapporteur for the 2021 budget, explains: "While the challenges have never been more numerous, both in the fight against climate change and in social justice, the European Council proposes to reduce the European budget. This is unacceptable. " MEP New Deal adds: "Nothing would be worse than a Green Deal without new resources. It would only be Greenwashing. Ursula Von der Leyen´s speech raised immense hope among all those interested in the fight against climate change. A real Green Deal could create up to 5 million jobs in Europe and improve the purchasing power of as many people as possible (lower heating and transport costs). With all the Social Democrat deputies, our delegation will fight to obtain funding commensurate with this historic issue “. Source : Social Delegation & Ecologist to UE