FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Diplomats haggled hard on how to keep the money to a minimum, playing a game of "mix and match" to fill the gaps.
The agreement has been the subject of fierce bargaining among member states for months. Each of them, with the upcoming elections for the European Parliament in mind, tried hard to see their wish list come true.
Negotiations began in June, shortly after the European Commission unveiled its proposal, and culminated in an extraordinary summit on February 1, where Viktor Orbán, under immense pressure from other leaders, lifted his month-long veto.
As soon as the deadlock was broken, a new figure emerged: the bloc's 2021-2027 budget, worth €2.018 billion in current prices (including €806.9 billion for the COVID-19 recovery fund), will be given an extra €64.6 billion until the remainder of the period.
The political agreement is a significant reduction from the additional 98.8 billion euros initially predicted by the Commission. The executive argued that public coffers had been drained by the economic waves of the pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the energy crisis, record inflation and devastating natural disasters, leaving the budget deprived of the financial flexibility to react to unforeseen events.
But from the start, the €98.8 billion draft faced strong resistance from member states, which would have been forced to provide more than €65 billion in brand new contributions. Rising interest rates, sluggish growth and shrinking revenues made the idea of writing such a check to Brussels even more intolerable.
Diplomats haggled hard on how to keep fresh money to a minimum, playing a game of "mix and match" to fill the gaps.
50 billion euros for Ukraine
Increasing aid to Ukraine is the raison d'être of the revised budget. In fact, it was the only envelope the leaders left untouched. Under the deal, the EU will create a Ukraine facility to provide the war-torn nation with €50 billion between 2024 and 2027 to keep its economy afloat and support essential services such as healthcare, education and social protection. The position will combine €17 billion in non-refundable grants and €33 billion in low-interest loans, meaning member states will only subsidize the former. The money for the loans will be borrowed by the Commission on the markets and later repaid by Ukraine.
Brussels will use the Facility in gradual payments to guarantee reliable and predictable funding. In return, Kyiv will be required to carry out structural reforms and investments to improve public administration, good governance, the rule of law and the fight against corruption and fraud, all of which could help the country advance its bid for EU membership. EU.
In a small concession to Viktor Orbán, the only leader to oppose aid to Ukraine, leaders will hold a debate each year to assess the implementation of the Facility, but this high-level discussion will not be subject to a vote (or potential veto). "If necessary," the agreement says, leaders can invite the Commission to review the package within two years. If co-lawmakers quickly agree on the regulation underpinning the aid, Brussels will send Kiev the first tranche in early March.
9.6 billion euros for immigration
This envelope survived the negotiations almost unscathed and it is easy to see why: managing migration is a key priority shared by all countries, especially those in Southern Europe that bear the brunt of irregular arrivals. The commission initially requested 12.5 billion euros to cover costs for border control, relations with the Western Balkans and hosting millions of Syrian refugees in Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. The executive said the extra money was needed to deliver on the ambitions of the New Deal on Immigration and Asylum, the bloc's sweeping reform of migration policy that is nearing the finish line. The leaders mostly agreed and gave 9.6 billion euros. "Immigration is a European challenge that requires a European response," they said in the agreement.
1.5 billion euros for technology
The EU aims to be a major player in the sharp race for cutting-edge technologies. For this, she needs a lot of money. Fulfilling a grand promise made by President Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission created the Strategic Technologies Platform for Europe (STEP) to finance avant-garde projects and promote EU-made high technology. STEP was created to help all member countries, from the richest to the poorest, access the necessary liquidity on equal terms. Von der Leyen initially requested 10 billion euros for STEP to reinforce ongoing programs such as InvestEU and the Innovation Fund. But the leaders shot down the idea and allocated only a small part: 1.5 billion euros to support the European Defense Fund (EDF).
3.5 billion euros for unforeseen crises
Që nga ditët e para të vitit 2020, blloku është përfshirë nga kriza të njëpasnjëshme. Nga një sëmundje vdekjeprurëse e transmetuar nga ajri deri te përmbytjet dhe zjarret që shkaktuan kërdi të padurueshme, Brukseli e ka pasur të vështirë të përshtatë buxhetin e tij të ngushtë me një listë të madhe shpenzimesh. Në propozimin e tij origjinal, Komisioni kërkoi 2.5 miliardë euro për të forcuar Rezervën e Solidaritetit dhe Ndihmës Emergjente, e cila është krijuar për t’u marrë me fatkeqësitë e mëdha natyrore, dhe 3 miliardë euro për Instrumentin e Fleksibilitetit, i cili, siç sugjeron emri i tij, mund të përdoret për të përgjigjen ndaj çdo lloj situate kritike.
Me gjithë efektet përkeqësuese të ndryshimit të klimës dhe një shtytje të fortë diplomatike nga Greqia, një vend i goditur keq nga zjarret, udhëheqësit nuk shkuan deri në fund: marrëveshja e tyre parashikon 1.5 miliardë euro për ndihmën emergjente dhe 2 miliardë euro për Instrumentin e Fleksibilitetit.
Si rezultat i krizave të lartpërmendura, BE-së iu desh të shtypte pedalin në metal në huamarrjen e saj të përbashkët, më së shumti për të ndërtuar fondin e rimëkëmbjes COVID-19. Plani prej 800 miliardë eurosh, i cili do të zbatohet deri në vitin 2026, vjen me një pagesa të konsiderueshme të faturave të interesit, të cilat u rritën në mënyrë drastike pasi inflacioni arriti në shifra dyshifrore dhe Banka Qendrore Europiane u hakmor me rritje të njëpasnjëshme të normave. Duke u përballur me një faturë të lartë, Komisioni iu lut shteteve anëtare që të shtonin 18.9 miliardë euro në rishikimin e buxhetit, një shumë që ngriti menjëherë vetullat. (Shifra për të mbuluar kostot e tejkaluara është e ndryshueshme dhe tani vlerësohet në 15 miliardë euro.)
Në fund, udhëheqësit zgjodhën një “mekanizëm kaskadë” me tre hapa. Së pari, paratë do të vijnë nga dispozitat ekzistuese brenda fondit të rimëkëmbjes. Nëse kjo nuk mjafton, Brukseli do të tërheqë fonde nga programet që nuk performojnë mirë dhe nga Instrumenti i Fleksibilitetit. Nëse kjo nuk është ende e mjaftueshme, hapi i tretë do të fillojë dhe do të krijojë një instrument të financuar nga “ç’angazhimet”, zarfe financiare që ishin të pashpenzuara ose të anuluara. Vetëm kur e gjithë kjo të ketë dështuar, kaskada do të godasë udhëheqësit pasi Komisioni do të ketë të drejtë të kërkojë nga shtetet anëtare të japin kontribute të drejtpërdrejta.
10.6 miliardë euro për rivendosjet
All the numbers listed above add up to a total of €64.6 billion, but there's a catch: countries will only collect €21 billion. How is it possible? In addition to the €33 billion in loans from Ukraine, which includes the Commission and Kyiv, member states decided to move €10.6 billion from ongoing EU initiatives: €4.6 billion from Global Europe, €2.1 billion from Horizon Europe, €1.3 billion from aid to displaced workers, €1.1 billion from agriculture and cohesion funds, €1 billion from EU4Health and €0.6 from a special reserve to mitigate Brexit disruption.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior Commission official said overnight cuts to Horizon Europe, the bloc's flagship research program, and EU4Health were regrettable and "hard to swallow". In the case of EU4Health, the comma represents around 27% of the money left in the envelope, created less than four years ago in response to the pandemic. The changes requested in both Horizon and EU4Health are likely to anger the European Parliament, which must co-approve the budget review./ Taken from "Euronews" , adapted by "Pamphlet".
Lini një Përgjigje