The stake is EUR 123 billion for Poland from the EU budget for 2028-34. KO votes “for”, PiS against
It will be very difficult to build the majority in the European Parliament necessary to approve the next EU budget if the current proposal regarding national and regional partnership plans remains on the table, Carla Tavares, EP rapporteur for the future EU budget, told PAP.
EU institutions accelerated work on the EU budget for 2028-2034. Leaders discussed the issue at their summit in Cyprus last week, and the European Parliament adopted its position on Tuesday. This means that the chamber is ready to start negotiations with member states on the future “seven-year plan”.
Tavares, who will represent the EP in these talks, told PAP that the European Parliament has clearly indicated in its position that it does not agree to the European Commission's proposal to combine cohesion policy with agricultural policy in the new financial perspective.
Money, among others both policies are to be spent by Member States in accordance with the agreed national and regional partnership plan. This is a solution similar to the National Reconstruction Plans (KPO) operating on the principle of “money for reforms”. Meanwhile, currently, only under the cohesion policy in Poland, there are 16 regional operational programs (one for each voivodeship) and 8 main national programs, and the money is refunded.
– This is not a good direction because it means competition between money for regional development and funds for agriculture. This approach also does not guarantee sufficient involvement of local and regional authorities, which have so far determined their investment needs themselves, emphasized Tavares.
She added that the KPO model did not work. – This fund played a very important role in the difficult moment that Europe and the world find themselves in (during the pandemic – PAP), but the KPO architecture will not work in the face of the challenges we are now facing – said the MEP from Portugal.
– We are afraid that we will lose traditional policies such as cohesion and agriculture and gain nothing in return – she noted.
– With the structure we currently have in the proposal for the new multiannual financial framework, and without strengthening local and regional authorities in national and regional plans, it will be very difficult to build a majority in the European Parliament to support the budget, she said. When asked whether the European Parliament could reject the budget for 2028-2034 in a vote, she replied in the affirmative.
Tavares, however, emphasized that the European Commission knows the position of the European Parliament and is aware of the potential blockade. – That is why we hope that we will be able to change this proposal in the upcoming negotiations – she noted.
The Portuguese also said that the EP's position is also intended to put pressure on member states to start seriously working on new own revenues for the EU budget. – Without greater own revenues, we will either have a very bad budget that will not be sufficient to face all new challenges and implement traditional policies, or member states will have to pay higher contributions – she emphasized.
The European Commission has proposed five new own resources: part of the revenues from the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), the CO2 border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), a new levy on uncollected e-waste, a contribution from the turnover of large enterprises and a new tax on tobacco products.
In the opinion of the chamber, if the member states that decide on this matter unanimously reject the proposals for new revenues proposed by the EC, alternative solutions should be considered, such as a fee for digital services, a fee for online gambling or a fee on capital gains from cryptoassets.
Tavares said that the EP came up with its own solutions because it knows that some EC proposals, e.g. a new tax on tobacco products, are unacceptable to all member states. He hopes that the measures that the European Parliament has just put on the table will reopen the debate on pan-European levies.
