EU budget agreement meets with resistance in European Parliament

The expenditures scheme must yet be accepted by the European Parliament, and so far it does not like the negotiated amount, and has appealed to increase it. In a resolution which will be accepted next week in Strasbourg, MEPs rejected the agreement of the leaders, but at the same time announced that they are ready to negotiate. "These two announcements have to be read jointly," said Janusz Lewandowski, chairman of the European Parliament Budget Commission. European Parliament knows that governments will agree to add some more money. The ambition of the Polish deputies is that the rise also concerns structural funds, which will also be received by Polish regions. "So far all proposals concern scientific research, competitiveness and foreign policy. This is very important, but one should not lose coherence policy from sight," said Lewandowski. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B2) M.M