NordenBladet —
Chairman of the European Union Affairs Committee Peeter Tali said that the European Union’s next seven-year budget will be EUR 740 billion larger than the current one. In addition, the European Commission has proposed creating a EUR 30 billion European Peace Facility and a EUR 100 billion Ukraine Reserve outside the budget.
“The proposal allocates EUR 6.5 billion to Estonia, which is EUR 1 billion more than at present. The increase in funding is vital for Europe, mainly due to the deteriorating security situation. The EU budget could be even larger if it would help to better protect the EU’s eastern border, increase our military defence capability, protect the European market, and increase Europe’s competitiveness. The close proximity of Putin’s aggressive regime has a significant impact on border countries,” Tali pointed out.
According to Tali, the European Union Affairs Committee cannot support an increase in administrative costs and the number of permanent positions in EU institutions. “The Government’s initial position was that Estonia would not support a significant increase in administrative costs and in the number of positions, but after a lively debate, the commission decided to change the wording so that Estonia would not support an increase in administrative costs or the number of positions at all. In the opinion of the European Union Affairs Committee, the phrase ‘significant increase’ is not measurable and therefore means nothing.”
“The European Commission wants to create 2500 new jobs and increase administrative costs by 38 percent. This is partying during wartime. Estonia, which is drastically cutting its public sector, cannot agree to such peacetime spending, because an increase in the number of officials will inevitably lead to more bureaucracy. Our aim is to reduce bureaucracy and direct new money into our defence,” Tali said.
According to the approved positions, Estonia’s priorities in the budget negotiations are to ensure sufficient and consistent funding for increasing defence readiness and developing cross-border transport and energy connections, to ensure support for Ukraine in accordance with their needs, to protect the amount of resources allocated to Estonia under the national plan presented in the proposal, and obtain additional funding for the countries on the eastern border of the European Union to mitigate the negative socio-economic impacts caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi presented the European Union Affairs Committee the Government’s positions on the long-term budget of the EU for 2028–2034. The European Union Affairs Committee decided to approve the positions of the Government with amendments, taking also into account the opinion of the Finance Committee. The Committee also supported other initiatives on the agenda relating to the long-term budget.
Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
+372 631 6592; +372 510 6179
merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee
Link uudisele: The Riigikogu approved Estonia’s positions on the EU’s long-term budget, but does not agree to creation of 2500 new positions
Source: Parliament of Estonia