MEPs reject EU spending cuts and demand extra £1.7bn from British taxpayers

[Chippiewill]

MEPs have rejected cuts to European Union budgets agreed at an all-night summit last month and have demanded that national governments pay an extra £14 billion in spending for this year.

Five weeks ago, at a marathon 32-hour Brussels summit, David Cameron secured a reduction in long-term European spending plans, the first in the EU's history.
The Prime Minister hailed the EU cuts as the implementation of long overdue austerity in Brussels at a time when national governments were cutting back on spending.
The European Parliament demands, which hold the spending deal hostage until MEPs agree, could cost the British taxpayer up to £1.7 billion in extra EU contributions in 2013 at a time of deep cuts to domestic public spending.
"The European Parliament cannot accept the proposal from the member states without the fulfilment of certain essential conditions," said Martin Schulz, the speaker of the EU assembly.
While accepting the overall figures for EU financing for the seven years 2014 to 2020, the parliament has tied its agreement to conditions including "unpaid payment claims" for this year, a bill that would represent a 12 per cent increase in national contributions.
Additionally, MEPs have demanded a "compulsory, legally binding and comprehensive revision" of EU spending cuts in 2017 that could restore expenditure by a vote of Europe's leaders, stripping Britain of its veto.
The parliament is also seeking more "flexibility" in spending to allow the EU to go to the top of expenditure ceilings and to roll cash over from one year to another between 2014 and 2020.
Most controversially, and without any prospect of agreement, MEPs have demanded that the EU create new taxes to fund the Brussels budget.
"These issues are of fundamental importance for the parliament. The European Parliament will not accept the proposal from the member states unless there is movement on all of these issues," said Mr Schulz.
British diplomats have ruled out any talks on new EU taxes or negotiatons on the overall figures agreed at the European Council of Europe's leaders last month but have signalled that negotiations could take place on other issues, including extra spending for 2013.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...taxpayers.html

Schulz and the other deluded MEPs can go **** themselves.

[GommeInc]

And the EU wonders why the entire Eurozone and Union are suffering hard times? It's like getting blood from a stone. Cuts need to be made, otherwise more countries will want to leave - and hopefully they do, it's a terrible institution which seems to be widening the gap, making the rich richer, and the poor poorer.

[-:Undertaker:-]

From what I have heard (and not from the media of any side) - Cameron's supposed budget cut did cut a small amount in real terms (and I mean small, like 2p off £1)... but apparently committed Britain to paying disproportionately more in the future. So it was a con anyway.

As for the EU budget rising, it's only logical. As more powers are transferred to Brussels, as they are on a daily basis, it only makes logical sense that the funds are therefore transferred from the increasingly defunct nation states to the new executive in Brussels. Unless we leave.

The politicians are playing a con. If powers are to reside in Brussels as they increasingly do, then so will the money. It's that simple.