EU Budget compromise fails to address the big problems

East Midlands MEP Emma McClarkin has today opposed a compromise budget package for the European Union.

A majority of MEPs ultimately supported the series of amending budgets for 2014, along with a package of spending and commitments for 2015, but the UK’s Conservative MEPs, Including Miss McClarkin, voted against.

The revised figures and supporting statements were arrived at during a round of urgent negotiation between the European Parliament and EU Council after initial talks ended in deadlock earlier this month.

Miss McClarkin said:

“We voted against a rise in the EU’s budget. They can’t even account for how they’ve spent the EU funds for the last 19 years, yet they keep asking for more.

“More needs to be done in terms of making unpalatable decisions about where we cut the budget. The process needs to deliver better value for money and to better reflect the budgetary restraint being taken by member states.”

“Instead of the Parliament always asking for more money, we need to work on finding longer-term solutions. This should let both the Parliament and the member states regain control of the budget – to ensure more bang for our buck.”