"Government must solve EU budget row without cutting regional funding" - Watson

6.31.03pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 6th Jul 2005

Members of the European Parliament have today defined their priorities for EU regional funding until 2013 and rejected any attempt by EU leaders to cut proposed funding levels in order to reach a compromise on the stalled EU budget talks.

In their final text, MEPs called for all attempts to reduce the budget "to be rejected most vigorously", including any attempts to renationalise all or part of EU regional policy and welcomed the current proposal for splitting up the money between different geographical areas.

The House urged the Council to take a decision on funding as soon as possible in order that European regions and Member States have an adequate period of time in which to prepare the new programmes.

Speaking after the debate yesterday, Liberal Democrat MEP, Graham Watson, urged the government to take decisive action in the Council of Ministers to get an agreement on the budget that is good for regions across the EU:

"I believe very strongly that EU funding should be available to areas in need wherever in the Union they happen to be located. In this light, I wish the UK well in its Presidency, hoping that it will include a speedy rapprochement on the budget. When the Prime Minister spoke recently to this House he referred to "a union of values, of solidarity between nations and people". May this understanding, above all, inform the debate."

MEPs also noted that the Commission and the Member States have joint responsibility for the Structural Funds and called on Member States to make annual declarations that EU taxpayers' money has been spent in a regular, legal and transparent manner. The House called for these declarations to be signed by the finance minister of each Member State.

ENDS

Notes:

MEPs voted today (Wednesday) on five legislative proposals for regulations governing the future functioning of the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Social Fund and the European Grouping of Cross Border Co-operation.