The EU institutions have preliminarily agreed on the shape of the European budget for 2021

The EU institutions have preliminarily agreed on the shape of the European budget for 2021

On Monday, the European Commission recalled the importance of the political agreement on the EU budget for 2021, which was negotiated by the negotiators of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU on Friday. The informal political agreement covers the first year of the next seven-year EU budget period (2021-2027). The interinstitutional agreement means that the EU's commitments in 2021 will be at the level of EUR 164 billion and payments at EUR 166 billion. According to the European Commission, the budget thus established, if adopted, will enable the Union to mobilize significant public resources to continue its response to the new coronavirus pandemic, help kick-start a sustainable recovery from the corona crisis, protect and help create jobs. The European Parliament's negotiators are talking about the success because they have managed to increase the budget lines for the programs that they consider to be key to promoting growth and employment. Compared to the European Commission's original proposal, the Digital Europe program should receive EUR 25.7 million more and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) "increase" by EUR 60.3 million. MEPs have also strengthened the LIFE program - by € 42 million - which they see as a complementary effort in the fight against climate change. The European Commission also sees the APA as a potential investment for the future to make Europe greener, more digital and more resilient. However, in order for Friday's agreement to become an adopted budget with practical results, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU must agree on the adoption of an overall multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027, which is currently being blocked by Hungary and Poland.