"The Commission wants to increase the EU budget. The largest
part goes to aid for Ukraine.
Not much remains of the proposals for a sovereignty fund - a
response to the US billions for green technologies.
When the heads of state and government approved the EU
budget for 2021 to 2027 and the Corona recovery fund totaling 1.8 trillion
euros after a long struggle, Ukraine was not in sight. "The world has
changed dramatically since then," said Commission President Ursula von der
Leyen on Tuesday in Brussels.
After three years of permanent crisis and 30 billion euros
in aid for Ukraine, all scope and all margins of the financial framework for
2021 to 2027 have been exhausted. That is why the EU has no choice but to get
its hands on the budget again - without overburdening the EU states, which are
themselves suffering from the consequences of the crises.
50 billion euros for Ukraine
The European Commission is therefore proposing an increase
of 65.8 billion euros.
The largest part goes to aid for Ukraine. 50 billion euros
are earmarked for Ukraine over the next four years. Of this, however, 33 billion
euros are to flow "only" as loans in order to cover the immediate
financial needs of the country. The previous monthly support of 1.5 billion
euros will be continued. A further 17 billion euros are planned as direct
grants from the EU budget.
The Commission wants to cushion the consequences of
migration with 15 billion euros. The money is intended for border controls, but
also for third countries that cooperate with the EU, as well as the Syrian
refugees in Turkey and other countries.
In addition, according to the Commission's proposal, 19
billion euros will be used to finance the increased interest payments for the
debt that the EU has incurred for the Corona recovery fund. Budget Commissioner
Johannes Hahn emphasized that the 14.9 billion euros earmarked for this by 2027
had already been used up this summer. Since civil servants' salaries are rising
as a result of inflation, additional expenditure of 1.9 billion euros is
planned. Three billion euros are to be placed in the reserve for unforeseen
expenses.
The Sovereignty Fund will be cancelled
With ten billion euros, the Commission wants to promote a
new platform for strategic technologies. This is intended to bundle money from
various EU funds and structural funding to promote investments in green
technologies, biotechnology and digital technologies such as quantum computers,
virtual reality or the 5G mobile communications standard. The Commission hopes
to use the money to attract investment from private companies, bringing the
total to €160 billion.
That falls far short of the demands made by countries like
Italy and France in recent months.
In response to the American Inflation Reduction Act (IRA),
Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton had called for a fund of 350 billion euros
to promote greener technologies. Von der Leyen had announced a proposal for a
sovereignty fund for June. "The platform is the new sovereignty
fund," said Hahn. The advantage is that the money is available quickly.
In the past, Germany and other countries had made it clear
that they would not support a sovereignty fund of the kind that the commission
originally had in mind. The current proposal still has to be approved by the
European Parliament and the states. Hahn is aiming for an agreement by
December.
However, it is unclear whether the states will support the
proposals beyond the Ukraine aid.
In order to provide the EU with more direct revenue, the
Commission is also proposing a new own resource that should be based on the
corporate profits of the states, but is not a tax."
Komentarų nėra:
Rašyti komentarą