19 June 2013

Tánaiste concludes negotiations on EU’s €960 billion budget

Speaking from Brussels, the Tánaiste said:

"We have concluded negotiations on the EU’s multi annual budget for the next seven years. I have reached an agreement with the European Parliament’s chief negotiator. We have agreed a package that we are both going to recommend to our respective institutions. I will present this agreement to Member States next Tuesday.

"This is a balanced package that addresses all four of the issues identified by the European Parliament as important for the EU budget."

The package includes:

• Flexibility to allow more efficient use of EU money 
• A review of the seven year budget before the end of 2016
• A method for carrying forward discussion on EU own resources
• Unity of the budget, to allow European taxpayers to see in a more transparent way where their money is going.

The Tánaiste said: "This deal is about putting in place a robust €960 billion budget for investment that will enable the European economy to grow, create jobs and address the particularly urgent need to provide employment for young people".

Agreement on the EU’s multi annual budget has been a top priority for the Irish Presidency. The European Council in February agreed the €960 billion budget to be focussed on competitiveness, jobs and growth measures. The Irish Presidency has been negotiating on behalf of EU Member States with the aim of getting the European Parliament’s agreement on this budget. There have been 10 rounds of intensive negotiations, with the last round lasting over 24 hours.

Press release

© Irish Presidency