Minister-president Geert Bourgeois broadly endorses the proposed policy clusters of the European Commission for the new EU multi-annual budget. It demonstrates a logic: budget follows vision. The European budget must focus on those things where the EU offers added value. The focus is mainly on priorities that are supported by the Government of Flanders, including:
- Research & Development
- Digitization
- Erasmus
- Defence
- Border management
- Safety
The question remains whether the European Commission is sufficiently committed to the realization of a digital, energy and transport union.
It is too early to assess the individual budget headings. It is in any case necessary to make savings and efficiency exercises, especially after the Brexit, and to make a budgetary shift to the new emphasis, which also justifies a limited increase in resources.
The Minister-president regrets that at first sight the proposals are 'Brexit-blind'. In particular, it can not be justified that Member States can deduct only 10% instead of the current 20% of the customs duties collected. Especially at a time when a number of countries, particularly around the North Sea, will be confronted with serious negative consequences of the Brexit and with large additional expenses for customs (infrastructure, ICT, etc.) and customs officers.
We now have to wait and see what the concrete implications of the proposals for austerity, increased expenditure and budget financing are. We will look at this constructively and critically.
Minister-president Geert Bourgeois: "The EU is a partnership that is built from the bottom up and considers subsidiarity, proportionality, responsibility and solidarity to be of paramount importance. Every form of European solidarity must always be based on the principles of objectivity, proportionality, temporality, transparency, efficiency and reciprocity. Solidarity must be based on responsibility: Member States first must implement structural reforms ".