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EU on collision course over long-term trillion Euro budget
European Union looks set for a new round of clashes this week as an extraordinary summit called to agree a long-term trillion-Euro budget heads for an ugly showdown, possibly even failure. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesI hope these talks do fail.
Nov 19th, 2012 - 12:10 pm - Link - Report abuse 0France has said “not a single Euro off the CAP” and yet the CAP is the most ridiculous antiquated protectionist policy of the entire EU and is simply a subsidy to French farmers. Furthermore their hopes to get it paid for by a new transaction tax are simply a way to get London and Frankfurt to pay for any additional EU spending on French protectionism.
The EU has gone from a daft idea to a total disaster in the last 20 years but it seems nobody is prepared to point out that fact for fear of taking the blame should it lead to it's demise.
The EU doesn't need to be anything more than a trading block. Europe is politically and culturally too diverse to be anything else
We just have to wait and see: what is speculatively published before these talks take place probably will bear little relation to what transpires.
Nov 19th, 2012 - 01:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The real prblem is that if no 7 year deal is agreed then the EU has the power to set an annual budget by simple majority voting.
Nov 19th, 2012 - 02:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Veto power can then be ignored.
However, “We're not paying that” can't be ignored. The UK Parliament wants to see cuts. The present UK contribution is more than £19.855 billion gross. £10.78 billion net. A 5% cut would represent around £1 billion. But the UK Parliament wants to see a cut in the budget, not just in the UK contribution. So a 5% cut in the actual budget could bring it down to €994.65 billion. Much more realistic. Perhaps if the eurocrats started by not sneaking any more increases in their salaries and expenses. And then went on to get their accounts properly audited. There's no excuse for an organisation of this size not to have had its accounts satisfactorily for 18 years.
Nov 19th, 2012 - 04:08 pm - Link - Report abuse 0But, with any luck, this situation may be resolved by the UK leaving the EU. £10.78 billion better off “at a stroke”!
Ah, isnt it lovely to see a United Europe... with our freely elected President...
Nov 19th, 2012 - 06:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Oh! I've got an idea!
Save money by sacking all the bureaucrats that nobody elected...
ah.. minor problem... Belgian & Luxembourg would suffer 90% unemployment....
ah, fugem...
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“”“”The EU has gone from a daft idea to a total disaster in the last 20 years but it seems nobody is prepared to point out that fact for fear of taking the blame should it lead to it's demise.“”“”
That's not entirely true, parts of it work very well: such as keeping thousands of unelected bureaucrats employed employing more unelected bureaucrats to keep the other unelected bureaucrats in jobs.
oh, and subsidising French farming and Spanish fishing (mostly in UK waters...maybe that's why they keep popping up in Gibraltar waters?)
Even by the standard of EU budget meetings, this has precious little chance of reaching an agreement.
Nov 19th, 2012 - 06:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Ultimately it will be a case of “he who pays the piper” that gets their own way, something the Polish government seems to have completely forgotten.
The difference this time round, several other net contributor countries are prepared to veto if their red lines are crossed.
Of particular interest is the Danish demand no less, for a rebate, which if successful could collapse the CAP by itself, if not, the rush of other countries wanting one would.
@3 Idlehands
Not sure it’s quite as straight forward as that, I seem to recall an “inflation rate increase only” being involved somewhere.
However if not, then it could be the trigger for a British referendum.
Then the net recipient countries would have the fun of drawing up a new EU budget with the net contributor nations, less the money from the second biggest contributor.
They think their hard done by now, austerity anyone, or rather austerity for everyone still in the EU.
United Northern Europe, United Southern Europe, done.
Nov 19th, 2012 - 07:23 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Sod em,
Nov 19th, 2012 - 07:44 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The sooner we get out the better,
And Cameron will be forced to give us that bloody referendum he promised,
And sod the ECHR trying to tell us to give criminals the vote,
Cameron has a lot to do
So the sooner he keeps saying NO the better.
.
8 briton
Nov 19th, 2012 - 08:33 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I've been saying this for years!!
Get us out of europe!! It's too old, too corrupt and too full of Commie pinko, leftyist cry baby- do gooders.
There is no place for a non-corrupt nation like the UK, in such a fetid, stinking toilet like Brussels.
If Came-moron is brave enough, and has ANY political sense, will will give us a referendum and then act on the outcome. In the current climate, only a fool would vote to keep us in Europe.
Yep, @9 ALL the Euro-affiliated states need to have that referendum. That way some ppl (Spain, Greece can say no to austerity (& new loans), & others can say no to paying for them.
Nov 19th, 2012 - 09:44 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I will admit that I was never convinced that it was a good idea to join the European Common Market . However the situation is now ridiculous . All countries are cutting expenditure but those who run Europe want an expenditure increase of 7 and 5 percent over the next five years . They are mad .
Nov 19th, 2012 - 09:47 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Austerity isn't working
Nov 20th, 2012 - 12:03 am - Link - Report abuse 0Well noone is going to give them more free money, so countries in austerity (N Europe is in GROWTH)may have to SAY NO to LOANS and return to their own currency they can devalue.
Nov 20th, 2012 - 12:32 am - Link - Report abuse 09 toooldtodieyoung “Get us out of europe!!”
Nov 20th, 2012 - 04:49 am - Link - Report abuse 0The grouping UK should be part of is EFTA, brought into being in 1960.
Nov 20th, 2012 - 08:59 am - Link - Report abuse 0Free Trade but not political or monitory union.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Free_Trade_Association
@12 British_Kirchnerist “”“Austerity isn't working”“””
Nov 20th, 2012 - 07:01 pm - Link - Report abuse 0/random platitude
9
Nov 21st, 2012 - 12:40 pm - Link - Report abuse 0yes i agree,
the sooner we get out the better.
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