Politica
Deciding on the EU budget means putting solidarity into practice
The EESC President comments on the EU budget review
di Staff
“The Commission’s proposal for a multi-annual budget for 2014-2020 is right in putting the emphasis on investment and growth.” This is how Staffan Nilsson, president of the European Economic Social Committee, commented on the EU budget review. According to Nilsson in fact the EU budget represents more than just numbers and “taxpayers’ money should be spent on clear priorities and visible projects “, such as Europe 2020 strategy, as a matter of fact Nilsson declared that the budget should address the EU’s key objectives, such as growth, job creation, investments and innovation.
In his statement Nilsson also expressed the need to transfer national expenses to the EU level and achieve economies of scale since “European and national budgets should complement each other, avoiding overlaps and working towards common priorities.”
Nilsson also announced that the EESC, in partnership with the European Parliament, will carry out studies on the cost of non-Europe in order to demonstrate “how things can be done better and more cheaply if countries work together and avoid duplication in national budgets and quantify how much the delays in EU integration are costing European citizens.”
According to Nilsson in fact “One Euro invested at EU level is worth more than one Euro at national level. Hence, the European budget must be strengthened and have a leverage effect.”
