International

SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong has called the European Commission’s proposal for a budget increase of 6.8% for 2013 ‘shameless and utterly unrealistic’. De Jong: ‘It’s as if the European Commission believes there are two worlds – the Brussels world where money can be chucked around and the outside world where everyone has to tighten their belt.’

The SP Euro-MP is calling on the Council, which directly represents the member states, to take urgent action to cut the budget. ‘The sky-high salaries of EU officials must be frozen,’ he says. ‘The Commission has already put forward a proposal to this effect in the event of future crises. Why wait? It’s inexplicable that these well-paid officials will be earning still more while pensions and benefits are being reduced.’

The EU budget is, according to the Commission, being increased by such a large amount because spending from the various funds, such as the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is growing rapidly. As De Jong sees it, ‘it’s precisely in the monitoring of these funds that most of the fault lies. Two years ago the acceptable margin of error was raised from 2% to 5% of the budget. More than €7.5 billion is thus now being spent in ways which do not follow the rules. Let the Commission first of all put its affairs in order before a huge stack of additional money is to be spent.’