There may not be much to redistribute in EU cash boxes, says the MEP chairing a new Temporary Committee on the future budget, but having more of a say on the matter is a question of prestige.

Interview: Budget - Parliament has to develop its position

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/15022673/N003-0070-EN.srt

Jutta Haug, in July  you will become chair

of the new Special Committee  on Financial Perspectives after 2013.

it won't be a mere subcommittee  of the Budget Committee.

although the decision on who exactly  will be part of the team is still pending,

will include many of our colleagues  from other committees,

as they are all involved  in shaping the future EU policy.

The main task  of this new special committee

is to incorporate the position  of the European Parliament

into the plans for the EU's next  long-term budget framework after 2013.

This cannot be achieved by members  of the Budget Committee alone,

as we need the expertise of our  colleagues from the select committees.

How influential  will this new committee be?

the EP is supposed to have more powers  regarding financial perspectives.

I think so.  According to the Lisbon Treaty,

any medium-term budget framework  has to be endorsed by Parliament.

This means that the Council cannot  take decisions without consulting the EP.

So any proposal has to be endorsed  by the European Parliament,

and it has to be endorsed  by Parliament as a whole.

This integral rule of the Lisbon Treaty  is an important step in my opinion.

The other point is,  the EP now has the opportunity -

for the first time  as far as I can remember -

to map out proposals  for the next budget framework,

including specific financial plans  for certain policy areas.

The Commission hasn't come up  with any proposals yet,

and the Council obviously  hasn't put anything forward either.

So the European Parliament  is the first institution

to prepare the work for the EU's  financial perspectives after 2013.

And my hope is  that the Commission's proposal,

which is due in detailed form  by next summer,

will include the Special Committee's  discussions and considerations.

I hope that our work will be reflected  in the Commission's proposal.

The Spanish Presidency  is very audible today.

Looking forward to 2020,  it is quite obvious

that there aren't even sufficient funds  in the financial framework for 2007-2013.

The EP has made it clear  that it wants to review the entire package

and that additional funding  will be needed.

What are the implications  for the financial perspectives after 2013?

Well, we have to maintain  a realistic outlook.

I don't think that the amount of  own resources will increase after 2013.

The own resources system  will not change.

I simply cannot imagine that  the Member States will agree

to exceed the limit of 1.23% of the gross  national income of the EU.

But this doesn't mean that the budget  will always have to be the same.

In some areas  reforms will be necessary

if we want to achieve the 2020 goal  endorsed by the European Parliament.

The new Special Committee  will be chaired by a German.

The fact that I was singled out as  the potential chair of the new committee

must be seen in the context  of the negotiations

which were held by my political group  after the European Elections.

The election results  were a decisive factor.

I believe that I was chosen  for this position

because I had already worked  on the Budget Committee.

My group obviously thought  that I had done a good job there.