Insterinstitutional Conference with National Parliaments Future financing of the EU, in the EP in Brussels. Closing session&nbsp;statements by Vazil HUDAK, Slovak Presidency, Kristalina GEORGIEVA, Vice-President of the EC in charge of the Budget and Human Resources, Martin SCHULZ, EP President, and Mario MONTI, Chairman on the High Level Group on Own Ressources

Insterinstitutional Conference with National Parliaments Future financing of the EU: extracts from the closing session

SOUNDBITE (English), Vazil HUDAK, Slovak Presidency , <p>I believe we are at he crossroads of the evolution of the EU. We the situation, whether it is Brexit, whether it is new external aspects that we are facing ranging from migration to security issues. All these create an environment where Europe needs a change. And a change will never happen without financial resources and without rethinking the budget itself.</p>

SOUNDBITE (English), Vazil HUDAK, Slovak Presidency, How do we create this modern new budget? Certainly new own sources is an important element of this, but also we have to look, and I heard many voices saying, it is not only about new money or additional money, but it is also about how we spend the budget.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kristalina GEORGIEVA, Vice-President of the EC in charge of the Budget and Human Resources, The main message from these sessions here is that the majority of us recognize the need for modernization and simplification of our budget. On the revenue side and on the expenditure side. And that we ought to bring the budget closer to our citizens.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kristalina GEORGIEVA, Vice-President of the EC in charge of the Budget and Human Resources, In the current political environment there is sensitivity whether that swing would mean the establishment of EU tax. I speak on behalf of the Commission, this is NOT what we are proposing. What we are proposing is a change in the revenue sharing arrangement.

SOUNDBITE (English), Kristalina GEORGIEVA, Vice-President of the EC in charge of the Budget and Human Resources, What it is also NOT about in this particular debate, it is not about the size of the budget.

SOUNDBITE (German), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, Thinking about the debate we've had over the last couple of days, in fact it has been going on for a long time, looking at it from a parliamentary point of view, and it pertains to national parliaments just as well as to the EP, it comes down to one key point. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the democratic legitimacy and recognition beacuse at the moment in the system it is very difficult for tax payers to recognize who bears the responsibility.

SOUNDBITE (German), Martin SCHULZ, EP President, The hypocrisy in budget policy in Europe can scarcely be credited and we need therefore more transparency, and if we get more transparency, you can achieve that with greater own resources, because then those that decide on the revenue can decide on the cost and the whole thing becomes far more clear to citizens as to who carries the responsibility.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mario MONTI, Chairman on the High Level Group on Own Ressources, We have identified very strongly from all quarters I must say, the insistence on European Added Value, subsidiarity, European public goods as the fundamental filters concerning what should be done.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mario MONTI, Chairman on the High Level Group on Own Resources, Our work in the High Level Group now requires a bit more time, not much, we aim at delivering our final product, the report, with proposals to the Presidents of the three institutions which gave birth to us, and we intend to do that some time, with their agreement, in the course of December.

SOUNDBITE (English), Mario MONTI, Chairman on the High Level Group on Own Resources, The categories which are de facto relevant in the budget, The friends of agriculture, The friends of cohesion, The friends of of the rebates. Well, I believe that our ambition, our collective ambition is modest, or maybe not modest at all, we want to create, with an intellectual effort, with a political effort, a new category: The friends of European citizens.

Insterinstitutional Conference with National Parliaments Future financing of the EU: extracts from the closing session

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