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EU LEADERS HAVE agreed to hold further talks on producing a budget for the next seven years and plug a shortfall in this year’s budget following discussions chaired by the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste in Brussels yesterday.
As part of the Ireland’s EU presidency, Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore held what was described as a “productive meeting” on the s0-called multi-annual financial framework (MFF) with European Parliament president Martin Schulz and European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso.
“They agreed on the vital importance of reaching agreement on the multi-annual financial framework (MFF) for 2014-2020,” a statement said, referring to the seven year budget for the EU which has been the subject of much debate and dispute in recent months.
Leaders agreed to the ‘bottom lines’ of the €960 billion budget in February following lengthy discussions where there had been much disagreement about how much the EU should spend with countries like Britain looking for, and ultimately succeeding in, ensuring a budget reduction of €30 billion.
But the budget – which proposed the first ever fall in the EU’s spending – was rejected by MEPs in the European Parliament in March after they demanded that negotiations on the MFF be linked to the budget for this year, which is underfunded by €11 billion.
MEPs wanted a guarantee that the shortfall in this year’s budget will be filled before talks on the seven-year plan begin.
Leaders agreed that negotiations on both this year’s budget and the seven year MFF will “be taken forward in parallel” with the statement adding: “The Irish Presidency’s aim remains to reach agreement on both during our Presidency of the Council of the EU.”
Negotiations on the MFF will continue with a “trilogue discussion” in Brussels next Monday.
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The body language in the photo above is very telling!
Looks like Enda got a wedgie :-)
No the Irish people got a 5 year wedgie.
Barroso, confident, powerful.
Edna, frightened beggar.
Could they be any more useless?
Meetings about meetings, handy number if you can get it!
they will keep having “talks”till the last minute so that they can have a few more jollys,staying in 4 star hotels and eating in the best resturants at our expense,while we sit at home struggling to put food on the table….
Like the rest of the PR BS – it is meant to give the idea that these guys work hard – for the common people ,– —-not for the people who run the planet .
He has an ( am in over my head look )
End-it Kenny just looks lost. You can nearly here the little voice in his head saying ‘I haven’t a clue what’s going on here, do you?’
Stop talking, start acting.
Pushing it out til ireland no longer have the presidency more like it. Enough talking and more action please Mr Kenny.
Hugh I think the headline should read…
“EU Budget: EU Leaders ask the question “Right lads, whens the next piss up?”
More talks on the talks, that they talked about, when they were talking about having talks…..but it was all-talk, cos they knew well, what they were going to talk about in the first place! Poor Enda doesn’t know what their talking about, because Irish Politicians……. ‘nod & wink’!
Enough talk !
More talks on the talks ,uh?
Barroso, Von Rompuy, Baroness Ashton… none of them elected by anyone. Handpicked technocrats who know what’s best for us. I lost faith in the EU when I saw the rejected EU Constitution being railroaded through under the guise of the “Lisbon Treaty”. Something was gone very wrong with the European dream.
The food must have been quite good!
More talks about talks at taxpayers expense, no austerity there, agree with Brian another p… up
They will surely throw in a few all night session talks to hike up their expenses and to show us minnions how much they care about us,groan.
Nice picture of Larry, Curly and Moe.
Throwing insults at them is useless – they could not care less . Its time – as some have said for action . The first action being to throw these guys out of office – now .
They represent those who opress us – that is their first and only concern .
Further talks = extra junkets for the boys !
Talks about talks. Chamberlain would be at home there.
have your say