Ekaterina Zaharieva: “The Next EU Budget Must Be Effective and Balanced”
09 March 2018 News
“A host of challenges and changes confront Europe today. Within the context of Brexit and the forthcoming European Parliament elections, we must take smart, emotionless action, realising the great responsibility that rests with us with regard to the next EU budget,” Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said in her opening remarks at a high-level conference on the future EU Multiannual Financial Framework that was held in Sofia today.
The Foreign Minister emphasised in her statement that before reaching agreement on the size of the budget, the discussion must focus on the priorities. “The budget is our policy-making instrument. We Member States must determine the extent of our ambitions,” Zaharieva pointed out. She stressed the need to find a balance between the Union’s traditional policies and the resources necessary to respond to the new challenges, especially in the area of security and migration. “EU citizens want security where they live, protection of the Union borders, but also job security,” she asserted. Among the policies that have proved their added value to all European citizens, Deputy Prime Minister Zaharieva singled out the Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy.
“We must have a high-quality budget covering all these policies. We have to seek greater effectiveness and flexibility and, at the same time, new ways of financing. EU citizens expect us to ensure their security both by protecting the external border and by creating jobs and providing for their future,” the Foreign Minister stressed in her statement.
Zaharieva pointed out that, as holder of the EU Presidency, Bulgaria is responsible for facilitating an open and fruitful discussion on the Union’s key strategic objectives and priorities. “We back the Commission’s desire that the talks on the next Multiannual Financial Framework start as soon as possible. Further discussions on the next EU budget are essential to ensure a faster and more effective negotiating process, and this conference is an important step in this direction,” the chief Bulgarian diplomat added.
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