In 2020, the European Parliament gave its consent to the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the recovery funds to support the economic growth after and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. In the negotiaitions, Parliament obtained €15 billion for key EU programmes. EP negotiators have devised a roadmap to introduce new Own Resources to feed into the EU budget. And MEPs approved the regulation designed to protect EU funds from being misused by EU governments who bend the rule of law.

WEBER, Manfred (EPP, DE)

LAMBERTS, Philippe (Greens/EFA, BE)

GARCÍA PÉREZ, Iratxe (S&D, ES)

MICHEL, Charles (BE)

SASSOLI, David Maria (S&D, IT, S&D, IT)

ZANNI, Marco (ID, IT)

CIOLOŞ, Dacian (Renew, RO)

VAN OVERTVELDT, Johan (ECR, BE)

BOMBARD, Alain (PSE, FR)

Multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 (T)

HAYER, Valérie (Renew, FR)

VON DER LEYEN, Ursula (DE, EC)

Recovery plan for Europe (T)

European Parliament Review 2020: Economic Crisis, EU Budget, Recovery funds

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP president, The first priority is saving human lives.The other commitment is to protect jobs, businesses and the economy. To do this enough with austerity. Countries are authorised to spend everything that is necessary to guarantee support for employees, self-employed workers, business, and banks. (Brussels - 12/03/2020)

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, To save our countries, we must make the European Union work. And of course we should do more. Today, the watchword for Europe is solidarity. No one will be left alone and no one will act alone. (Brussels - 12/03/2020)

SOUNDBITE (French), Dacian CIOLO&#350; (RE, RO), Our debate on the fiscal outlook today takes on a new political dimension in the context of this coronavirus crisis. Because the question is not whether this epidemic will have an impact on our economy, but rather how big it will be. This coronavirus crisis will pass sooner or later and I hope with the fewest possible victims. But the key question is to know how the European economy will fare well and to what extent, in the aftermath of this crisis, the European budget will fully play its role as a lever for investment and economic recovery. (Brussels - 10/03/2020)

SOUNDBITE (English), Ursula VON DER LEYEN, The Commission is today proposing a new recovery instrument called Next Generation EU, worth 750 billion euro. It will sit on top of our revamped long term EU budget of one point one trillion. Next generation EU, together with a core MFF, sums up to one point eight five trillion euro in today's proposal. (Debate on the EU Recovery plan - Brussles - 27/05/2020).

SOUNDBITE (French), David CORMAND (Greens/EFA, FR), It is time for Parliament and the European Union to have its own resources, but above all it is saying that it is time for us to have fair resources. Because today, in our various States, the tax falls too often, precisely, on ordinary citizens. What is now proposed to the Council is to finally have this fair tax system, the one that attacks those who escape taxation today. It is the tax on financial transactions, it is the tax on GAFAM and it is also a tax at our borders, precisely to protect the companies of our territories which make the effort to be better-performing in matters social and environmental.

SOUNDBITE (French), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, Four days and four nights for these were complex negotiations on very complex issues. We agreed on the recovery package and the European budget. And this moment. Is my conviction is pivotal in European history. (Conclusions of the extraordinary European Council meeting - Brussels - 23/07/2020) <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=charles+michel&amp;rlz=1C1CHBD_en-GBGB857GB857&amp;sxsrf=ALeKk02vQJw0W04x75ogKtr2r9wviVki6g:1607504486137&amp;tbm=isch&amp;source=iu&amp;ictx=1&amp;fir=mv6LquUK81EGDM%252ChTbZUDZOwCyrBM%252C%252Fm%252F03g_mtk&amp;vet=1&amp;usg=AI4_-kQWZNlII58WhIvr_cgrfKcOAB6tIA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj1xvvuxMDtAhUL3aQKHQUOAJoQ_B16BAgdEAI#imgrc=mv6LquUK81EGDM"></a>

SOUNDBITE (English), Charles MICHEL, President of the European Council, In fact, this agreement is a &ldquo;first&rdquo; in many ways: this is the first time in European history that we agree to borrow collectively to finance expenditure. It is also the first time that our budgetary funds are connected to our climate ambition and it is the first time our budget will be directly linked to the rule of law. (Conclusions of the extraordinary European Council meeting - Brussels - 23/07/2020)

SOUNDBITE (English), Manfred WEBER (EPP, DE), We need a roadmap. We need a clear plan for implementing the principle: no money without respecting the European rules and the European mechanisms. (Conclusions of the extraordinary European Council meeting - Brussels - 23/07/2020)

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Iratxe GARC&#205;A P&#201;REZ (S&amp;D, ES), And I'd like to remind you that it was this parliament that put forth this proposal in the first place. And I think we should feel extremely proud as an institution. No reject of things because of unanimity is something that needs to be addressed. (Conclusions of the extraordinary European Council meeting - Brussels - 23/07/2020)

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), Iratxe GARC&#205;A P&#201;REZ (S&amp;D, ES), We will work in the negotiations that we hope will begin as quickly as possible to increase the financing of programmes including Horizon 2020, Invest EU Life, Erasmus, most of Europe, Digital Europe, as well as cooperation and development aid. Our ability to recover can not be at the cost of those who need our assistance the most, who live in the worst conditions, worse conditions than us. Solidarity within Europe, but also without Europe. (Conclusions of the extraordinary European Council meeting - Brussels - 23/07/2020)

SOUNDBITE (English), Johan VAN OVERTVELDT (ECR, BE), Yesterday we concluded negotiations on the European multianual framework. These netiotations have been intense, or intentsive bcause all those engaged were fully aware of what was at stake. (Multiannual Financial Framework, Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism and the Recovery Fund for Europe - Brussles - 11/11/2020)

SOUNDBITE (English), Johan VAN OVERTVELDT (ECR, BE), It is fair to say that we've been working hard and we needed to work hard because we were faced with () the July conditions of the Council conclusions were untouchable. That is what we heard and that is what we needed to change because there was a lot wrong in those conclusions.We fought for our prioities and there can be some satisfacion I dare say with what we reached, or what we achieved.  (Multiannual Financial Framework, Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism and the Recovery Fund for Europe - Brussles - 11/11/2020)

SOUNDBITE (French), Philippe LAMBERTS (Greens/EFA, BE), Parliament wanted a more ambitious budget, wanted a budget aligned with the values ​​of the European Union, starting with respect for the rule of law, also wanted a budget more oriented towards the future, starting with the ecological transition. And, in these three areas, it is indisputable that the agreement reached yesterday substantially improves the agreement of July obtained by the Council. (Multiannual Financial Framework, Rule of Law Conditionality Mechanism and the Recovery Fund for Europe - Brussels - 11/11/2020)

SOUNDBITE (French), Val&#233;rie HAYER (RE, FR), What I think is absolutely structuring for the future of the European Union, is own resources. It is an absolutely structuring, structuring and intrinsically important issue for the future of the European Union. It's one, it's a long-standing battlehorse of the European Parliament. - (Press conference - Brussels - 10/11/2020)

SOUNDBITE (French), Dacian CIOLO&#350; (RE, RO), L&rsquo;Europe est prise en otage par deux pays qui viennent d&rsquo;une r&eacute;gion durement &eacute;prouv&eacute;e par l&rsquo;exp&eacute;rience communiste, qui a pass&eacute; quelques d&eacute;cennies derri&egrave;re le rideau de fer et d&rsquo;o&ugrave; je suis originaire. (...) Une r&eacute;gion o&ugrave; nous nous rappelons encore tr&egrave;s bien ce que le mot oppression veut dire, tout comme les mots libert&eacute; et d&eacute;mocratie. Et, face &agrave; cette Histoire, accuser l&rsquo;Europe d&rsquo;&ecirc;tre sovi&eacute;tique est vraiment ridicule. (Preparation of the European Council meeting of 10-11 December 2020 - Brussels - 25/11/2020)

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Marco ZANNI (ID, IT), Oggi si punta il dito su due paesi che mettono il veto, legittimamente, perch&eacute; non possiamo parlare di regole che valgono solo da una parte e non considerare che questo potere di veto &egrave; un potere legittimo. Quindi chi chiede il rispetto dello Stato di diritto perch&eacute; &egrave; un punto fondamentale, un pilastro fondamentale dei trattati, deve anche rispettare poteri e modalit&agrave; di esercitarli, che vengono garantiti ai paesi dai trattati e dalle nostre regole. (Preparation of the European Council meeting of 10-11 December 2020 - Brussels - 25/11/2020)

Announcement on the result of the single vote on MFF, Rule of Law Conditionality and Own Resources (report by Jan OLBRYCHT (EPP, PL) and Margarida MARQUES (S&amp;D, PT)) saying that the vote is carried (548 votes in favour, 81 against and 66 abstentions). (Brussels - 16/12/2020)

David SASSOLI, EP President and Michael ROTH, German Minister of State for Europe and President in office of the Council of the EU sign COD LEX textson the Rule of Law conditionality. (Brussels - 16/12/2020)

SOUNDBITE (Italian), David SASSOLI, EP President, The European Parliament has adopted the European budget for the next seven years. We have a historic balance sheet for a historic moment: we ensured 15 billion more to support public health, research, the cultural sector and a common migration and asylum policy.