On 10 July 2019 the EU ambassadors agreed the Council’s position on the 2020 EU draft budget. This is due to serve as a mandate for the presidency in negotiations with the European Parliament once the draft budget has been formally adopted by the Council. Formal adoption is expected to occur in early September, Parliament’s position is scheduled to be adopted in the second half of October.
The Council’s position for next year’s budget amounts to €153.1 billion in payments and €166.8 billion in commitments. This is an increase of +3.3% in payments and +0.6% in commitments in comparison to 2019. The increase in payments is said to reflect the acceleration of programme implementation towards the end of the multiannual financial framework for 2014-2020. The agreed figures are based on the premise that the UK will continue to participate fully in the implementation and financing of the EU budget until the end of 2020.
The strengthening of the European economy remains a key priority for member states. Accordingly, the Council will continue to support programmes under the “Competitiveness for growth and jobs” heading, which would receive €24.0 billion in total. Nearly 20% of the EU budget will be dedicated to tackling climate change. In the area of migration, additional resources for the European Border and Coast Guard Agency are budgeted. The biggest increases in the 2020 budget concerns European satellite navigation systems, the energy strand of the Connecting Europe Facility and the European Solidarity Corps.
No comments yet