The budget foresees €145.32 billion in commitments and €141.21 billion in payments for 2015, and an extra €4.25 billion to settle unpaid bills in 2014.
ˮIt is clear that the amounts that we are to accept will at best only stabilize the level of European debt. What gives me hope is the payment plan aimed at decreasing the amount of unpaid billsˮ, said Budgets Committee chair Jean Arthuis (ALDE, FR), in the final debate on the budgets on 16 December. ˮGovernments had accepted the political commitments but then they failed to pay what they owed. Do we have to recall yet again that payments are only technical consequences of commitments?ˮ, he asked.
Parliament’s priorities have been to secure enough money to pay off the most urgent outstanding bills from contractors working on EU-funded projects in the member states; to agree a detailed plan to wind down an accumulated pile of bills; and to secure investment financing in areas that EU institutions prioritized in their political commitments.
Payments: €4.25 billion more for 2014, mid-way compromise for 2015
Parliament’s negotiators secured extra resources to pay bills from EU contractors such as local collectives, non-government organisations, and small firms. The 2015 compromise safeguards the payments to beneficiaries in areas that were most hit by delayed payments.
Payment plan
At Parliament’s insistence, the European Commission is to present a plan to wind down the unpaid bills backlog, which reached €23.4 billion by the end of 2013 and is set to hit €25 billion by the end of 2014, according to the latest Commission forecast. The plan will define a “sustainable level” that the amount of unpaid bills must not exceed.
Full press release
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