EU Parliament Press Director Duch to EuroFora:Financial Perspectives 2013-2020+ECOFIN/Oct-Dec.Summit

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/-  EU Parliament's Spokesman, its experienced Press Director Jaume Duch, replying to an "EuroFora" question today, clearly highlighted the way that MEPs intend to tackle, during a crucial July - December period, the particularly important, but also usually thorny issue of EU's next MultiAnnual Financial Perspectives for 2013 - 2020, which notoriously imply also several Political and Strategic choices, as well as Economic, and generally contribute to Shape EU's forseeable Future.

This will be just one, among several other, also important Decisions that the June EU Brussels' Summit has practically referred for Final Decisions during the forthcoming ECOFIN and/or EU Summits of October and December 2012, all of which must pass also from EU Parliament, Duch added, in reply to another "EuroFora" Decision on the Semester which has is just starting (See Infra).
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- "EuroFora" observed that last week's EU Brussels Summit had just confirmed the ambition to adopt EU's MultiAnnual Financial Perspectives until December 2012, (i.e. during the incoming Cyprus' EU rotating Presidency ; See also Cyprus' Finance Minister Shiarlis' replies to "EuroFora" question on this matter, at another Newstory), and asked Duch how EU Parliament intends to follow that issue, and according to which Timetable ?

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- "On the Financial Perspectives, i think that there is a Strong Political Will in EU Parliament to respect the Time Deadlines, i.e. to try to finish on December (2012), so that the Financial Perspectives can start at the beginning of 2013", he firmly replied to "EuroFora" from the outset.

- "Because, Otherwise, we (EU) shall tart the Year 2013 without a MultiAnnual Framework" for EU Budgets, Duch warned.

+ "But the Political Will is Not Enough", he observed carefully.

- Because "it's Necessary, Moreover, that the EU Institutions (i.e. Council of Ministers, Commission and Parliament) agree" between them, EU Parliament's Spokesman pointed out.

- In fact, EU's "Financial Perspectives is an issue on which EU Parliament has the Last Word, (since) it's EU Parliament which must, at the End of the Process, with the Procedure of "Avis Conforme", say "Yes" or "No", he explained.

- But, "until Now, we have Discussed a lot on the (EU's) Financial Perspectives, but without any Numbers at the Table" of inter-institutional negotiations, Duch critically observed.

=> - "So that, now, we must Wait to See which are those Numbers". I.e., the "EU Parliament must see, Soon enough, if EU Council and the Governments (of EU Member States) have understood the EU Commission's and EU Parliament's Message, (given through earlier Decisions and official Statements, etc), he reminded :

- "According to that" (EU Commission + EU Parliament's) "message", "in Times of Crisis, EU Parliament's Budget, which is an Investments' Budget, canNot be Cut. On the Contrary. Because it's a Budget which Funds several EU Policies in EU Member States".

+ Moreover, "If one wants for (EU) Lisbon Treaty to be really Applied, and not only remain a (purely) Theoretical text, but also something which concerns the Every Day Practice, sufficient Funds must exist for the Policies which were created at that moment", EU Parliament's Spokesman warned for the Treaty which was signed on June 2007 and entered into force since December 2009.

>>> "So, (EU Parliament) will see what are the positions of the (EU Member States') Governments, and, from that point on, it will be Easier to determine IF, and HOW it (EU's MultiAnnual Financial Perspectives' Framework) will be Concluded on December" 2012, Jaume Duch warned all involved soberly.
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+ Meanwhile, it's also on several other Financial/Economic issues related to the latest EU Brusssels' Summit's deliberations that EU Parliament is due to have to pronounce itself during the incoming Cyprus' EU Presidency's semester of July - December 2012, the Spokesman of EU's MEPs replied to another, related "EuroFora" question, where we observed that, in fact, "several important issues have been postponed by the June EU Summit for Decisions expected to be taken, possibly by the October and/or December 2012 forthcoming EU Summits" :

- "It's clear that EU Parliament will Debate this week (during this July Plenary session in Strasbourg) on what has been decided (by EU Brussels' Summit last Friday), or has been Recommended to be decided", he carefully distinguished :

- "Because, sometimes, EU Council recommends, but Afterwards, it must be Decided by the Competent Bodies, f.ex. ECOFIN, which has to take the Right Decisions from a Legal point of view", Duch pointed out, obviously indicating also the imminent, July 10 and 11 ECOFIN meetings.

- Therefore, "it's  not excluded that there will be also Other Debates" in EU Parliament, "in due course, while some (Draft) Resolutions are already at the Table", he added. "At any case, all (EU) Decisions must pass, at one moment or another, also by EU Parliament", its Spokesman warned, as a matter of principle.
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