International

SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong describes the European Parliament vote to endorse the budget increase for 2013 as sending completely the wrong signal. After months of negotiations the governments of the EU member states have reached an agreement on the budget for EU spending for 2013. ‘More spending without improved monitoring, that’s what this budget is all about,’ says De Jong. ‘It’s shameful that it hasn’t got through to the EU’s member state government leaders and the Members of the European Parliament that this is not the time for more spending, but to be economical.’

The SP Euro-MP is urging his colleagues to improve supervision of expenditure. A proposed amendment from the SP attacked the wasteful EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). ‘The EU continues, for example, to support tobacco farmers with subsidies while at the same time measures are being proposed to discourage smoking’, De Jong points out. ‘That this is hard to explain to people has evidently not got through. Even my proposal to trim this subsidy was rejected.’

There is also controversy over the multi-annual budget for 2014-2020. ‘That there is now an agreement on a higher budget for 2013 is a very bad omen,’ warns De Jong. ‘It’s clearly difficult for government leaders to keep their resolve in Brussels and put spending cuts on the EU agenda instead of only in the member states.'