Impending EU budget crisis: How the measures could also affect Austria

Planning for the next EU budget are running, the financial gaps are forcing the EU Commission to radical conversion in expenses and income. It’s about billions.

It is a remarkably short sentence with a remarkably large amount of political punch. “It cannot stay as before.” So the obviously personal assessment of EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen In an internal Brussels authority strategy paper that of the renowned business newspaper Financial Times was played. On a few pages, very fundamental considerations have been put together for the long-term EU budget.

Basically, also because those responsible in Brussels have now become clear how big the gap has become: between what Europe wants to master in the coming years and what the available funds make possible.

The new period for that only begins in three years Long -term budget of the EUwhich applies for seven years. The last time the tug of war between the EU Commission, the Parliament and the member countries lasted more than two years. This time, however, a huge additional burden is threatened right from the start. Around 700 billion euros the EU has applied to extra budgets for combating pandemic and its consequences. For the first time, the EU has accepted common EU debts-and they have to be paid back. If you finance the loan repayments directly from the EU budget, it would be 20 percent away.

Impossible for an EU household, in which the greatest part has already been awarded right from the start. A third belongs to agriculture, a third goes to the economically disadvantaged regions in Europe via the so -called “cohesion fund”. If one then calculates as well as those for the EU authorities, development aid or securing the external borders, there is already not much scope to meet new challenges, such as the 20 funding billions for projects, which are particularly announced by the Leyen the area of ​​artificial intelligence.

More freedom

In order to get out of this much too narrow financial scaffolding, the EU is considering reorganizing the budget. For example, a budget is to be negotiated with each individual member country, which is made available from the EU fund.

The national governments have more freedom of choice and do not have to use the strictly regulated EU funding. Expenditures for the future of Europe, such as the planned expansion of the defense, would be financed from the part of the budget, which is centrally managed by Brussels.