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#EUBudget2019 - Parliament fails to reach agreement on 2019 budget, urgent talks resume today

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After making every effort to reach a compromise on an adequate EU budget for 2019 during long hours on Friday, Parliament and Council have suspended the talks without agreement. The discussions will continue today (19 November), the last day of the conciliation period.

Committee on Budgets Chairman Jean Arthuis (ALDE, FR) said: “The discrepancy between the speeches of the EU heads of state and government and the behaviour of the Council of the EU is full of contempt towards the delegation of the Parliament. For us, this budget represents a political vision. We need a budget for 2019 that lives up to our words in order to support young people, research, SMEs, tackle the security challenge and the management of migration policy. And now we are fighting over a few million euros on the basis of a budget of 165 billion euros - all this on the eve of the European elections next May. The Council's inflexibility is unbearable.”

Daniele Viotti (S&D, IT), lead rapporteur (Commission section of the budget), said: “I am still looking forward to find an efficient and fair agreement for the benefit of the citizens with the Council on Monday, even though the latter demonstrated an irresponsible rigidity today which made it impossible to go on with the talks. It’s about money for the citizen, to be used for EU programmes which create growth and jobs, money which the Council is holding back.”

Paul Rübig (EPP, AT), rapporteur for the other sections,  said: “In the space of 15 years, the EU budget has gone from 1.2% of the EU’s GNI to 0.9%. The Council should also take notice of the fact that around 94% of the EU Budget goes back to the member states: to the citizens, regions, cities, farmers and businesses.”

Next steps

Should the Conciliation Committee fail to find an agreement on a joint text within a 21-day-period – which ends on Monday 19 November at midnight –, a new draft budget must be submitted by the Commission. If the Conciliation Committee does agree on a joint text within the deadline, then Parliament and the Council have 14 days from the date of that agreement in which to approve the joint text.

Parliament’s position on the 2019 budget

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