In these times of crisis, MEPs voted to keep next year's EU budget almost on level with the current one, but call for more investment in education, research and innovation.

Draft budget 2011

With EU countries' finances in the red,  MEPs voted their draft budget for 2011.

Hard times call for exceptional measures:  only a slight increase compared to 2010.

The total sum reaches  nearly 130 billion euros.

The main priorities are youth, education,  mobility, research and innovation.

It’s a budget with interesting aspects.  It's thrifty, responsible,

and careful not to spend money  in an excessive manner

at a time when the Member States  are making efforts.

It’s a reasonable budget,  it's not extraordinary or flamboyant.

But the Member States  want to revise the budget down.

They wish to allocate 126,5 billion,  more than 3.5 billion euros less.

The first items to be cut would be  aid to the poorest regions, agriculture

and international aid. MEPs could  accept this for something in return.

We can see that the funding  of the European budget

through national contributions is now  in a political and financial dead end.

Would it be responsible  to refuse to develop the system?

Next week the Member States and the EP  go into conciliation to clinch a deal.

The EP President  will chair the negotiations,