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Understanding the EU Budget

On 29th June 2011, the European Commission put forward a proposal for the next Multi-annual Financial Framework 2014-2020.

To understand the EU budgetary system better and what is at stake in the next one the Robert Schuman Foundation has created a special page on which it presents all of the articles it has published on this issue.

Fondation Robert Schuman

The State of the Union. Schuman Report on Europe

An Outlook on the European budget: From Financial Solidarity to Budgetary Solidarity ?
The State of the Union 2011
Alain Lamassoure, MEP, Chair of the European Parliament’s Budgets Committee
Order the book

Are we moving towards a European tax? Europe in search of a real budget
The State of the Union 2010
Alain Lamassoure, MEP, Chair of the European Parliament’s Budgets Committee
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The CAP Health Check : a critical analysis
State of the Union 2009
Nicolas-Jean Bréhon, Teacher of Public Finance at the University of Paris I Sorbonne
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Europe’s other crisis : the common budget
The State of the Union 2008
Alain Lamassoure, MEP, Member of the Budgets Committee at the European Parliament
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Fondation Robert Schuman

European Issues

The CAP in quest of legitimacy
Daniele Bianchi, Nicolas-Jean Brehon
EI n°209 - 20/06/2011
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The Crisis over the 2011 Budget : the clash of the intransigeant
Nicolas-Jean Brehon, Lecturer at the IHEDREA, the institute for Rural Legal Studies and Agricultural Economics
EI n°187 - 29/11/2010
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Budgetary Crisis: how can we protect the future of Europe?
Alain Lamassoure, MEP, Member of the Budgets Committee at the European Parliament
EI n°181 - 04/10/2010
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The European Budget: a negotiation for the next financial framework for the European Union - what will the choices be?
Nicolas-Jean Brehon, Lecturer at the IHEDREA, the institute for Rural Legal Studies and Agricultural Economics
EI n°170 - 171 - 31/05/2010
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Fondation Robert Schuman

Our publications

The time for European Agriculture to make a choice: why should we believe in the CAP?
Note n°44 - November 2008 - Nicolas-Jean Brehon
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The budget of the European Union
Note n°28 - April 2005 - Alexandre Muller
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Fondation Robert Schuman

Other article

“Europe has to finance itself with its own resources”
Alain Lamassoure, MEP, Member of the European Parliament's Budgets Committee.
La Tribune, 7th July 2011
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Europe Live

Iceland
Membership
On 27th July the first intergovernmental conference on Iceland’s membership of the EU was held in Brussels. Although Iceland abides by nearly ¾ of... French artists and amateurs in Rome in the 18th century
Culture
An exhibition is being held in Caen, organised by the town's fine arts museum together with the fine arts museum of Canada until 23rd April. It is... Brussels
Constitutional Court
The Constitutional Court in Brussels delivered a decision on 29th July that suspends the Flemish decision imposing Dutch speaking inspectors on... The French Foreign Minister, Alain Juppé, at the European Parliament
Parliament
On 15th February the French Foreign and European Minister, Alain Juppé, spoke to the members of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.... Joachim Gauck - next President?
Germany
On 19th February German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed with the leaders of two other government parties and the leaders of the two biggest... UK
Retirement
On 29th July the British government announced a project to abolish the automatic age of retirement of 65 within one year's time. This project aims to... France
Nuclear
After a meeting at the Elysée on 27th July with the Nuclear Policy Council which aimed to look into the report written by former EDF chair,... France
Unemployment
The Employment, Solidarity and the Civil Service Ministry has just published the latest unemployment figures for June 2010. The number of category A... The Permanent Atlas of the European Union : the first continuously updated atlas!
Front page!
One week after the publication of the "Permanent Atlas of the European Union" co-written by Jean-Dominique Giuliani and Pascale Joannin, who are... Kosovo
Council
French General Xavier Bout de Marnhac is the new director of the Police and Justice Mission in Kosovo (Eulex). The decision was taken on 27th July by... Is Germany still a EU-ropean power?
Studies/Reports
The Foundation for International Relations and External Dialogue has published a study "Is Germany still a EU-ropean power?" Author, Susanne Gratuis,... The President of the Italian Council, Mario Monti at the European Parliament
Parliament
The President of the Italian Council, Mario Monti, spoke to MEPs during the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on 15th... David Cameron speaks out against Scotland's independence
UK
On 16th February British Prime Minister, David Cameron, gave a speech in Edinburgh in which he spoke of his "wish" and "hope" that Scotland would... France
Growth
In a report published on 30th July the IMF announced its growth forecasts for France: it is reckoning on growth of 1.6% in 2011 and 1.8% in 2012. It... Franco-German work group at the Bundestag and the National Assembly
France
The Franco-German work group on economic and financial policy issues in Europe at the Bundestag and the National Assembly met on 13th February in... UK
Turkey
Visiting Turkey on 27th July British Prime Minister David Cameron said that he would fight for Turkey to be able to join the European Union. He... The EU's International Role?
Studies/Reports
The El Cano Institute published a study on 13th February by Vaira Vike Freiberga, former President of the Republic of Latvia entitled : "The Economic... Spain
Unemployment
The Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) announced on 30th July that the unemployment rate in the second semester had reached 20.09%... Energy Council
Council
On 14th February the 27 Energy Ministers discussed transeuropean energy infrastructures and notably regional groups and regulation measures. Moreover... Alert Mechanism against Macro-Economic Imbalances
Commission
On 14th February the European Commission published its first warning report on macro-economic imbalances in the EU. France and the UK come... Interim Government
Belgium
Outgoing Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt succeeded in reaching agreement on 19th December to form an interim government until 23rd March next... Presentation of a White Paper on Pensions
Commission
On 16th February the European Commission presented a white paper on "adequate, safe and viable" pensions. The ageing population and budgetary... Yayoi Kusama at the Tate Modern Gallery
Culture
The Tate Modern Gallery of London is showing Yayoi Kusama's work until 5th June 2012. His work reflects a fascination for mental illness. The... Marc Chagall in Madrid
Culture
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Caja Madrid Foundation are presenting 169 works of art by the Russian painter Marc Chagall until 20thy May... External Service
Council
On 26th July European Foreign Ministers launched Union’s new diplomatic service which should enable it to speak with one voice on the international... Turner, Monet and Twombly in Stuttgart
Culture
The Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart is showing nearly 70 works of art by Briton William Turner (1775-1851), Frenchman Claude Monet (1840-1926) and... A rise in Trade with China
Eurostat
In a press release on 13th February Eurostat indicated that trade between the EU and China rose sharply over the first ten months of 2011. Exports... Treaty ratified
Italia
Italian deputies have voted at the unanimity on july, 31th the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, just one week after the positive vote from the... German President, Christian Wulff, resigns
Germany
German President Christian Wulff resigned on 17th February after the announcement by the Hannover Court that it was launching an inquiry into... Commission
Loans
The European Commission paid the second part of its loan to Latvia to a total of 1.2 billion euros on 27th July together with the first payment of... Georgia
Council
European Foreign Ministers decided on 26th July to extend the surveillance mission in Georgia (EUMM) by one year until September 2011. The EUMM... The European Investment Bank lent 61 billion euros in 2011
Financial Crisis
The new president of the European Investment Bank 'EIB', Werner Hoyer presented the establishment's annual results on 16th February. It recorded a... Paris appointed best student city in the world
France
The city of Paris came first in the world's first ranking of best student cities established by the British organisation QS (Quacquarelli Symonds... Germany
Turkey
In an interview in the Bild Zeitung published on 27th July Guido Westerwelle, the German Foreign Minister said that Turkey was not ready to enter the... Agreement of the Eurozone for the payment of the aid to Greece
Financial Crisis
In the morning of 21st February the 17 euro zone Finance Ministers came to a compromise over the aid to be given to Greece. The agreement includes,... Spain: adoption of a further austerity measure
Financial Crisis
On 17th February the Spanish government approved a further austerity measure as part of its goal to reduce the public deficit by bringing down... 14th EU-China Summit
Council
On 14th February the 14th EU-China Summit took place in Beijing. On this occasion political leaders on both sides said they were pleased with the way... Ireland: measures in support of employment
Financial Crisis
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny announced on 13th February that there would be a series of measures that would aim to create 100,000 jobs by 2016... Employment, Social Affairs, Healthcare and Consumer Council
Council
On 17th February the 27 Employment and Social Affairs Ministers studied various ways to provide women with a better representation in the managerial... Iran
Council
European Foreign Ministers decided on 26th July to step up sanctions against Iran whose nuclear programme represents “a serious cause for... Italy in recession
Financial Crisis
Acoording to data published 15th February by the Italian Statistics Institute, Isat, the Italian GDP contracted by 0.7% in the fourth quarter in... French growth at 1.7% in 2011
Financial Crisis
According to data published on 15th February by the National Statistics Institute and Economic Studies (INSEE), the French GDP rose by 0.2% in the... France
Andorra
The President of the Republic of France, Nicolas Sarkozy visited Andorra rapidly on 28th July; the heads of the French State are joint princes of... Referendum in Latvia
Elections
A great majority of Latvians (74.80%) voted against the adoption of Russian as a second national language. One quarter of the electorate only... Reform of Defence
Italy
On 14th February the Italian Council of Ministers approved a plan to reform defence as suggested by the minister responsible for this portfolio,... William Copley
Culture
Until 10th June the Frieder Burda Museum in Baden Baden is showing more than 80 pieces of work by American artist William N Copley (1919-1996), a... Elections
Moldova
Together the four main opposition parties won the early general elections in Moldova with 50.7% of the vote and 53 MPs ahead of the Communist Party... The European internal electricity market
Studies/Reports
The Wissenschaft und Politik Stiftung (German Insitute for International and Security Affairs - SWP) has published a study by Thomas Sattich entitled... Monitoring Hungary
Parliament
On 16th February MEPs decided to maintain pressure on Hungary. In a resolution adopted 315 votes against 263 they reminded Hungary of its duty to... Eurostat
Population
According to data released by the European statistics office, Eurostat, published on 27th July the EU’s population has risen above the 500 million... Europe in Crisis!
Front page!
The European Week organised by the European Parliament and the Institute for Political Studies in Strasbourg is taking place in the Robert Schuman... Growth down in the fourth quarter but up over 2011
Eurostat
According to a Eurostat estimate on 15th February the euro zone's GDP and that of the EU declined by 0.3 points in the fourth quarter of 2011 in... Franco-British Summit
France
On 17th February during the Franco-British Summit, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron signed an agreement on... Single euro payment area
Parliament
MEPs adopted a draft regulation on 14th February at first reading which establishes the rules and common standards for transfers and payments in... Council
General Affairs and External Relations
On 27th July the 27 Foreign Ministers called on the Commission to issue an opinion on the request for EU membership on the part of Iceland. They... The General Assembly adopts a resolution on Syria
UN
On 16th February the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution 137 votes in support, 12 against and 17 abstentions in which it firmly condemns "the... Reform of the Banking Sector
Spain
The Spanish MPs voted in support of the reform of the banking sector on 16th February, which demands that the latter provides an extra 52 billion... Appointment
NATO
The Chief of Staff of the French Army, Stéphane Abrial was appointed "Supreme Allied Commander for the Transformation" of NATO on 29th July. This... Unemployment reaches record levels in the UK
Financial Crisis
According to data published on 15th February by the British Statistics office, the unemployment rate lay at 8.4% of the working population, which... Corruption on the increase?
Eurobarometer
According to a study published by Eurobarometer on 15th February corruption is still of major concern in Europe. 8% of those interviewed say that... Recession in the Czech Republic
Financial Crisis
The Czech Republic entered recession in the fourth quarter of 2011 after two consecutive months of GDP contraction, according to an initial estimate... Carbon Tax
Eurobarometer
An survey undertaken by Eurobarometer and published on 29th July shows that Europeans do not support the idea of a special tax on products that are... ITER
Agreement
At an extraordinary meeting at Cadarache on 27th and 28th July the seven project partners of the Iter project (European Community of Atomic... EU-USA Agreement on Organic Products
Commission
On 15th February the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Dacian Ciolos, and his American counterpart, Kathleen Merrigan signed letters... The Latvians say "no" to the Russian language
Latvia
On 18th February during a referendum nearly 75% of the electorate voted against the opportunity to establish Russian as the country's second official... 7.7 billion euros deficit in the euro zone's external trade balance
Eurostat
According to a Eurostat estimate published on 15th February the external trade deficit in 2011 totalled 7.7 billion euros in the euro zone and 152.8... EU-Morocco Agreement on agriculture and fisheries
Parliament
MEPs gave the greenlight on 16th February on the liberalisation of trade between Morocco and the EU with regard to agricultural and fisheries... The European Court of Justice rejects the global filtering of the social networks
Court of Justice
In a dispute between the Belgian company of authors/composers, Sabam, with the Belgian social network, Netlog, Sabam has been demanding that Netlog... Death Penalty in Belarus
Parliament
In a resolution adopted on 16th February on the occasion of the plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs condemned the use of... How should the German economy be prepared for the challenges of the future?
Germany
On 14th February the OECD published a study on the German economic situation. After the 2008-2009 crisis Germany experienced rapid recovery: its GDP...

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