EU Budget 2007-13: Open Letter to EU Permanent Representatives

We are writing, on behalf of the ten leading environmental organisations active at EU level, with regard to the financial perspective 2007-2013, in advance of a possible political agreement at the European Council in December.

The outcome of negotiations will have a major impact on Europe’s citizens, economy and environment. For too long, major EU spending programmes, such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), have failed to deliver public benefits in return for payments from the public purse. The debate on the next financial perspective presents a crucial opportunity to reverse this trend by ensuring that funds are clearly linked to the achievement of the EU’s sustainable development objectives.

Our organisations are deeply concerned about the negotiating box presented by the UK Presidency on 5 December, which proposes to cut the budget for rural development from EUR 89bn to EUR 66 bn compared to the original proposal from the Commission, and provides no clarification about the future of the environment budget line (LIFE+).