European Parliament adopts the 2024 budget           

The European Parliament endorsed next year's EU budget, for which the chief negotiator was the Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureşan

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Corina Cristea, 23.11.2023, 14:00

Gathered in plenary session in Strasbourg, the European Parliament adopted, on Wednesday, the agreement on the EU budget for 2024. A budget that reflects the main priorities of the Union, including economic recovery, green transition and digital transition, and was adjusted to the current difficult geopolitical context. The final version resulted from the negotiations carried out in the last six months with the Council of the European Union and the European Commission, negotiations led by the Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureşan. The final draft was voted by a large majority in the plenary of the European legislature.

The budget has a value of 189 billion euros, and the chief negotiator says that there are now sufficient funds to finance the traditional priorities of the Union, in this case the cohesion policy and the Common Agricultural Policy. A very good news for Romania, which receives most of the European funds in non-refundable form on these financing lines. „The first and most important signal we are giving to European citizens, businesses and regions is that funding for 2024 is secure. We have a sufficient budget for the most important needs. Thus, all the programs of the European Union will be properly financed”, said Siegfried Mureşan. Also, he added, the agreement on the budget was reached in due time, so that the budget law can enter into force from the first day of next year and all beneficiaries of European funds can thus benefit from predictability.

Budget allocations increased by 807 million euros for areas such as research, for the Erasmus+ program or for young farmers. At the same time, the final agreement eliminates the budget cuts in the amount of approximately 700 million euros initially proposed by the Council of the European Union at the beginning of the negotiations. The budget also takes into account the events at the borders of the Union, allocating funds for Ukraine, for the Republic of Moldova, for the Middle East or for the management of the migration issue.

„We have supplemented the budget for humanitarian aid. We want the European Union to help reduce the risks to humanity caused by the two wars on our borders: in Ukraine and in the Middle East”, said Siegfried Mureşan after the vote in the Plenary of the European Parliament. He also says that the Parliament also took the decision to strengthen the institution of the European Public Prosecutors Office to ensure that the money will be spent correctly at the level of the entire community area. Like the representatives of the Commission, he calls on the European Council to adopt a common position as soon as possible regarding the multiannual budget 2024-2027, in order to be able to plan in time both the financing for the key areas in Europe, as well as to support Ukraine in the long term. (MI)