European Parliament’s centrist factions demand Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen make major changes to her plan for the EU’s seven-year budget. MEP Danuše Nerudová (EPP, CZE) criticizes the draft budget as ’lacking ambitions’ and ’opening possibilities of misusing European funds’.

Lawmakers oppose the Commission’s ’national plans’ which is an idea to pool funds for farmers and regions into single pots managed by the bloc’s 27 governments. These two sources of money make up around half of the total EU budget, worth some €1.8tr. It would be a major change from the current system where regions play a crucial role in handling the funding.

The centrists groups (European People’s Party, Renew, Greens, and Socialists and Democrats) are threatening to reject a key part of the 2028–2034 budget in the next plenary session which will be held on 12 November unless their conditions are met in a new amended proposal from the Commission.

A formal rejection would be a major blow to the European Commission. It would force the executive to propose an amended version.

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MEP Nerudová: Open doors for misuse of funds

“The Commission presented a draft budget that lacks ambition because, taking into account inflation and the cost of pandemic loan repayments, it remains effectively at the same level as before. The proposal also limits the role of the regions and the European Parliament itself, which is the only directly elected institution in Brussels and also the watchdog of the European common treasury,” said MEP Danuše Nerudová (EPP/CZE) in a statement.

The proposal also limits the role of the regions and the European Parliament itself, which is the only directly elected institution in Brussels. – MEP Danuše Nerudová (EPP/CZE)

Ms Nerudová also argues that “The Commission’s proposal (…) opens up the possibility of misuse of European funds by some governments, which will gain greater freedom in their redistribution.” The Czech MEP warns that “we know very well what the consequences could be in Hungary, Slovakia, and potentially also in the Czech Republic. We are giving the European Commission until mid-November to come up with a revised proposal.”