The European Union should demand more money from its member states to fund its policies regarding war and climate change, MEPs have claimed.
Members of the European Parliament’s Budgets Committee voted 26 to 9 in favour of demanding a 10 per cent hike in the EU budget for 2028-2034 when compared to existing plans published last year by the Commission.
Citing “worsening climate and biodiversity crises”, as well as the increase in “large-scale warfare in Europe”, the tax hike would come on top of the 64 per cent increase already included in the Commission’s budget for 2021-2027.
It also excludes any repayments required to fund existing EU debt.
“Through a moderate 10% increase, we ensure adequate resources for new priorities such as defence and competitiveness, while fully preserving key policies like agriculture and cohesion,” Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureşan — one of the key figures behind the proposed changes — said.
According to the body, programs that should benefit from the cash injection include those focused on war, climate change, and non-EU humanitarian efforts.
MEPs want an extra €25 billion to be provided to the Horizon Europe program, which focuses on tackling climate change, as well as achieving “the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals”.
Another €24 billion should be made available to the Global Europe project, a major mechanism through which the EU provides cash to non-European countries.
According to the Commission, Sub-Saharan Africa is currently set to receive the lion’s share of the already allocated cash, with €29.18 billion already cornered for such countries before the Parliament’s increase is taken into account.
Parliamentarians also want another €2 billion for the new AgoraEU programme, which is also focused on encouraging diversity across the union.
The expanded budget must now be adjudicated by the entire European Parliament, with all 720 MEPs set to be given a vote on the proposal next week.