Latest news with #Serafin
Euronews
17-07-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Poland expects to get biggest cut of EU's proposed €2 trillion budget
Poland will remain the biggest beneficiary of the EU's proposed €2 trillion budget for 2028-2034, officials said Wednesday after the European Commission unveiled its draft multiannual financial framework. Polish Finance Minister Andrzej Domański called Poland "the biggest beneficiary of the biggest ever EU budget" with further funds available for security, cohesion, agriculture and innovation. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the proposal as "a budget for a new era that matches Europe's ambitions," designed to "strengthen our independence and respond to the challenges facing the union." The budget allocates €300 billion for agriculture and €218 billion for less developed regions, but faces opposition from farmers concerned about Common Agricultural Policy reforms. European farmers protest reforms Agricultural workers from across the EU gathered outside the European Commission building in Brussels on Wednesday as von der Leyen unveiled the long-term EU budget plan. Many protested against what they saw as damaging reforms to the EU's historical Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and a plan to combine the existing separate funds into a single national one, all part of the new budget proposal. For Poland, this may not pose an issue. "Poland, despite the fact that it has been growing very fast in recent years - and such are the growth forecasts for the coming years - will remain the biggest beneficiary of these national and regional partnership programmes," European Commissioner for Budget Piotr Serafin said. Furthermore, the European Commission has also proposed introducing new EU taxes alongside member state contributions as sources of funding. "We see the world we live in today. Flexibility must be increased," Serafin said. MEPs wary of Commission proposal Meanwhile, EU lawmakers have expressed dissatisfaction with the budget presentation on Thursday, with Committee on Budgets chair Johan Van Overtveldt criticising the lack of detailed information provided to lawmakers. "Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is giving a press conference, and she is giving to the press more information than you to us," MEP Overtveldt told Serafin during a committee briefing. Other MEPs bemoaned what they called the lack of figures, official documents, and explanatory materials from the Commission ahead of budget discussions. For the multiannual budget to take effect, a majority of MEPs must approve the final text, followed by the unanimous consent of all EU member states.
Saudi Gazette
17-07-2025
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
EU budget: Parliament revolts against Commission proposal
BRUSSELS — The European Parliament's members are deeply unsatisfied with the proposal for a seven-year budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) put forward by the European Commission on Wednesday and have threatened at the outset not to enter into negotiations on the paper. The level of information provided by Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin in a briefing to MEPs from the Parliament's Committee on Budgets (BUDG) on Wednesday was deemed unsatisfactory by most. 'Commission President's Ursula von der Leyen is giving a press conference and she is giving to the press more information than you to us,' lamented Belgian MEP Johan Van Overtveldt, the committee's chair. Some of his colleagues underlined the lack of figures, official documents, and explanatory materials from the Commission to prepare for the discussion with the Commissioner. Commissioner Serafin, who acknowledged the discontent, said that he had left the decision-making meeting of the Commission early to be present at the Parliament and to present the proposal there first, "in recognition of [Parliament's] role". MEPs were also very critical of the content of the proposal, which amounts to almost €2 trillion, or 1.26% of the EU's gross national income. 'For sure, this is not a 'historic budget' as the European Commission is attempting to present it. It is at the same level as the budget of the EU in the previous seven years,' Siegfried Mureșan, one of the rapporteurs for the MFF in the Parliament, from the European People's Party (EPP), said during a press conference.'The attempt of the Commission to convince us that this budget is a significant increase is misleading. The increase is coming only for the adjustment to the inflation rate and it is only coming because we have to pay back the Next Generation EU fund,' he said, referring to the extraordinary funding lines furnished to recover following the COVID-19 many of his colleagues, Mureșan also believes that key demands from the Parliament have been ignored. One of the most contentious points concerns the so-called 'National and Regional Partnership Plans', under which the EU funds will be disbursed. 'This proposal is an attempt to renationalise the EU,' he told Commissioner Serafin and repeated in the press opposition to national plans was reiterated in a statement from the leaders of the Parliament's so-called centrist majority groups—EPP, Socialists and Democrats, Renew Europe, and Greens/EFA. They believe that the national plans would give more power to the member states to deal directly with the Commission, bypassing the Parliament's role.'The European Parliament will not accept any reduction of Parliamentary oversight and the legitimate democratic control and scrutiny over the EU spending,' read the problematic issue is the merging of cohesion and agricultural funds, which most MEPs would like to see funded under a separate budget line and legal received was the proposal on 'own resources'—taxes imposed at the EU level that should generate €58.5 billion per year, according to the Commission. Several MEPs endorsed the idea of increasing revenues by imposing duties on tobacco products and taxing companies with a net annual turnover of at least €100 MFF requires the regulatory consent of the European Parliament in addition to the unanimous consent of the EU member states to be approved: a majority of MEPs must therefore approve the final text for it to enter into this stage, the Parliament may also refuse to enter into talks, the rapporteurs have threatened. MEPs could approve a resolution asking the Commission to withdraw its proposal and present a new basis for this would be a last resort, as co-rapporteur Carla Tavares from the Socialists and Democrats told Euronews. 'We want to put pressure and work with the Commission in order to find a compromise acceptable to all.' — Euronews
Euronews
17-07-2025
- Business
- Euronews
EU budget: Parliament revolts against Commission proposal
The European Parliament's members are deeply unsatisfied with the proposal for a seven-year budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) put forward by the European Commission on Wednesday and have threatened at the outset not to enter into negotiations on the paper. The level of information provided by Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin in a briefing to MEPs from the Parliament's Committee on Budgets (BUDG) on Wednesday was deemed unsatisfactory by most. 'Commission President's Ursula von der Leyen is giving a press conference and she is giving to the press more information than you to us,' lamented Belgian MEP Johan Van Overtveldt, the committee's chair. Some of his colleagues underlined the lack of figures, official documents, and explanatory materials from the Commission to prepare for the discussion with the Commissioner. Commissioner Serafin, who acknowledged the discontent, said that he had left the decision-making meeting of the Commission early to be present at the Parliament and to present the proposal there first, "in recognition of [Parliament's] role". MEPs were also very critical of the content of the proposal, which amounts to almost €2 trillion, or 1.26% of the EU's gross national income. 'For sure, this is not a 'historic budget' as the European Commission is attempting to present it. It is at the same level as the budget of the EU in the previous seven years,' Siegfried Mureșan, one of the rapporteurs for the MFF in the Parliament, from the European People's Party (EPP), said during a press conference. 'The attempt of the Commission to convince us that this budget is a significant increase is misleading. The increase is coming only for the adjustment to the inflation rate and it is only coming because we have to pay back the Next Generation EU fund,' he said, referring to the extraordinary funding lines furnished to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many of his colleagues, Mureșan also believes that key demands from the Parliament have been ignored. One of the most contentious points concerns the so-called 'National and Regional Partnership Plans', under which the EU funds will be disbursed. 'This proposal is an attempt to renationalise the EU,' he told Commissioner Serafin and repeated in the press conference. This opposition to national plans was reiterated in a statement from the leaders of the Parliament's so-called centrist majority groups—EPP, Socialists and Democrats, Renew Europe, and Greens/EFA. They believe that the national plans would give more power to the member states to deal directly with the Commission, bypassing the Parliament's role. 'The European Parliament will not accept any reduction of Parliamentary oversight and the legitimate democratic control and scrutiny over the EU spending,' read the statement. Another problematic issue is the merging of cohesion and agricultural funds, which most MEPs would like to see funded under a separate budget line and legal base. Better received was the proposal on 'own resources'—taxes imposed at the EU level that should generate €58.5 billion per year, according to the Commission. Several MEPs endorsed the idea of increasing revenues by imposing duties on tobacco products and taxing companies with a net annual turnover of at least €100 million. The MFF requires the regulatory consent of the European Parliament in addition to the unanimous consent of the EU member states to be approved: a majority of MEPs must therefore approve the final text for it to enter into force. At this stage, the Parliament may also refuse to enter into talks, the rapporteurs have threatened. MEPs could approve a resolution asking the Commission to withdraw its proposal and present a new basis for negotiations. But this would be a last resort, as co-rapporteur Carla Tavares from the Socialists and Democrats told Euronews. 'We want to put pressure and work with the Commission in order to find a compromise acceptable to all.'
RTHK
16-07-2025
- Business
- RTHK
EU unveils two-trillion-euro budget for 2028 to 2034
EU unveils two-trillion-euro budget for 2028 to 2034 EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the next budget as the most ambitious one ever proposed. Photo: Reuters The EU executive proposed on Wednesday a long-term budget boosted to two trillion euros as Europe confronts complex challenges. EU budget commissioner Piotr Serafin unveiled a funding plan from 2028 to 2034 that aims to foster the bloc's economic competitiveness, support Ukraine and satisfy traditional beneficiaries of European money, such as farmers. "The next MFF (Multiannual Financial Framework) will be the most ambitious ever proposed. It is more strategic, more flexible, more transparent," EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said. The proposal is set to kick start two years of tense negotiations with the EU's 27 member states and lawmakers in Brussels. Serafin said that under the commission's plans, 300 billion euros (US$347 billion) will be ring-fenced to support farmers, who have been worried about potential cuts to their slice of the pie. A competitiveness fund bringing together EU investment efforts in clean tech, digital, biotech, defence, space and food will amount to 451 billion euros, he said at the European Parliament. The European Commission also proposed establishing a fund of up to 100 billion euros (US$115 billion) to support war-torn Ukraine. "This is a long-term commitment to Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction," Serafin said. And as Europe pushes to re-arm, the amounts dedicated to defence and space will increase five-fold to 131 billion euros. Similarly, the sums dedicated to military mobility under a separate pot dedicated to investment in infrastructure will go up 10-fold, he said. The current 2021-to-27 budget is worth around 1.2 trillion euros. (AFP)
RTÉ News
16-07-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
EU Commission proposes 2 trillion euro 7-year budget
The European Commission has proposed a €2 trillion seven-year EU budget, placing a new emphasis on economic competitiveness and defence while aiming to reform the rules around farm and economic development subsidies. EU Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin said €300 billion would go to agriculture, €218 billion to less developed regions and €451 billion to a European Competitiveness fund. The new budget also allocates €131 billion to defence and space, a fivefold increase over the current level, Serafin told the European Parliament. An agreement on the new EU budget, which will run from 2028 to 2034, requires backing from all 27 member countries and sign-off from the European Parliament.
