add updates as you or I find them 'EU budget hangs on creative accounting' By Joshua Chaffin in Brussels, Hugh Carnegy in Paris and Quentin Peel in Berlin Last updated: February 7, 2013 12:28 pm "Mr Van Rompuyâs proposal is expected to weigh in somewhere around â¬960bn, or 1 per cent of the blocâs gross national income â a reduction from the â¬972bn offer left on the table after a November summit ended in failure. Diplomats have warned that if leaders fail to get a deal at this summit then they may not be able to return to the budget for months, possibly next year. That delay would disrupt billions-of-euros in EU programmes, particularly development funds, which cannot be drafted until the broader budget is in place." http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7969748e-7084-11e2-a2cf-00144feab49a.html#axzz2KDUj0CvB
'EU summit starts six hours late, as Germany piles on pressure' "But as leaders sat down to eat, a German official briefed press that since the talks are proving "very, very difficult" it is likely there will be no deal at all." http://euobserver.com/political/118994 'David Cameron threatens to veto EU budget that is 'too high'' "Germany, Holland and Sweden are key allies for Britain at a second summit to try to fix the EU's long-term expenditure at the same level, or below, as the existing budgets timetabled between 2007 and 2013. Mr Cameron will tonight appeal for Angela Merkel's help in a clash with the French President." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...atens-to-veto-EU-budget-that-is-too-high.html
'EU leaders agree outlines of 960 billion euro budget' By Charlie Dunmore and Luke Baker BRUSSELS | Fri Feb 8, 2013 7:16am GMT "(Reuters) - European Union leaders agreed the framework of a new long-term budget on Friday after 15 hours of through-the-night negotiation, laying the ground for 960 billion euros of spending on agriculture, aid and scientific research in the years ahead. The agreement, which EU officials said would only be finalised later on Friday, strikes a tight balance between the demands of northern European countries such as Britain and the Netherlands that wanted a belt-tightening budget, and countries in the south and east such as France and Poland that wanted spending on farming subsidies and much-needed infrastructure." http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/08/uk-eu-budget-idUKBRE9160K920130208
'Opinion: EU budget sets the wrong priorities ' by DW's Christoph Hasselbach "Now all eyes have turned to the European Parliament. For the first time, the parliament must approve the seven-year budget. And parliamentary President Martin Schulz has made it clear that the legislature will not just rubber stamp the budget." http://www.dw.de/opinion-eu-budget-sets-the-wrong-priorities/a-16587678 'Plenary session, Strasbourg' "EU summit. MEPs will debate the EU's budget for 2014-2020 (the so-called MFF) with the Irish Presidency and the European Commission. They are likely to warn member states to avoid a long-term budget which will have structural deficits built into it or risk Parliament withholding its necessary blessing. (Wednesday) EP President Schulz will hold a press conference in Brussels immediately after his participation in the summit. (Thursday)." http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pressroom/agenda/2013-W6 'MEPs propose to hold the EU budget vote by secret ballot' by Daniel Hannan "Now, faced with what looks like a real terms cut â though there are different ways to measure these things â they have come up with a little ruse. They want to hold the vote by secret ballot. This is partly because they know that their constituents, who are putting up with difficult austerity measures at home, are in no mood to send the savings to Brussels. Mainly, though, it's because they know that, for all their bluster, they lack the cojones to defy their national party leaders. If Angela Merkel, Mark Rutte and the rest call their party delegations and tell them to endorse the deal that the national governments have agreed, MEPs will rush to ingratiate themselves. A secret ballot is, as it were, a double blind, intended to shield MEPs from pressure from above and below." http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/d...-to-hold-the-eu-budget-vote-by-secret-ballot/