#EPP - More money to fight #ClimateChange

“Innovation, research and competitiveness are key priorities for next year’s EU Budget. We want more money for Horizon 2020, for research and innovation in the climate and environment area. Fighting climate change is the priority for the EU 2020 Budget”, said Monika Hohlmeier MEP, the European Parliament’s spokeswoman on the subject.

“Another key priority is youth. We want to reinforce the exchange programmes Erasmus+ and the DiscoverEU Programme, where the EU gives away Interrail tickets to 18 year-olds so that they are not dependent on their parents’ financial capacity to be able to travel through Europe and learn more about the European culture”, pointed out Hohlmeier. “Also, we want to strengthen the Youth Employment Initiative, the programme which helps young people get qualifications to find jobs”, Hohlmeier explained.

“Finally, our third priority is development aid. We want more money to tackle climate change, to have plastic-free seas and to have decent situations for populations in third countries”, she concluded.

The Budgets Committee vote reflects a budget of €171 billion in commitments, €2.7bn above the original European Commission draft budget for 2020 of €168.3bn proposed in early June this year. The Council only foresees €166.8bn in commitments for next year’s budget.

The whole European Parliament will adopt its position later this month at the plenary session in Strasbourg.