Abstract
This chapter reflects on the use made by the European Parliament (EP) of its budgetary prerogatives granted by the successive treaties and developed in the interinstitutional agreements over the last decades. Through the emergence of interinstitutional cooperation and soft law to solve conflicts, the EP managed to support evolving legislation and to obtain new competences. The chapter explores how the EP has battled for maintaining the balance of powers between the two arms of the budgetary authority but also sometimes between its legislative and budgetary branches. It concludes that the power game to consolidate a fully fledged part of the budgetary authority continues and faces new challenges in the aftermath of Lisbon.
Anne Vitrey de Gardebosc, Former Director for Budgetary Affairs, European Parliament.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
For a more detailed account, see De Feo (2017a)
- 2.
Initially, the NCE amounted to approximately 3% of the budget, including staff salaries and rents.
- 3.
French acronym ‘Montant Estimé Nécessaire’ (MEN).
- 4.
This point refers to the ‘reverse point’ described notably by G. Benedetto (2017).
- 5.
For the adoption of international fisheries agreements, Parliament’s consent is required.
- 6.
The scope of this EU assistance was broadened by the establishment of the ACE (Action communautaire pour l’Environnement) financial instrument from 1984 to 1987 and ACE II until July 1991.
- 7.
1996 budget by Rapporteur Florenz (Parliament’s resolution of 5 April 1995 on the guidelines for the 1996 budget).
- 8.
Following the proposal of the general rapporteur for the budget, L. J. Brinkhorst.
- 9.
Although lower than the amount initially proposed by the Commission (€3.8 billion), the €3.1 billion available under the AMIF for 2014–2020 still represent an increase from the €2.1 billion for 2007–2013 (D’Alfonso, AMIF, 2015, 6).
- 10.
Reste à liquider (RAL): the sum of outstanding commitments not yet translated into payments.
References
Benedetto, G. (2017). Power, Money and Reversion Points: The European Union Annual Budgets Since 2010. Journal of European Public Policy, 24(5), 633–652.
Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 608/2014 of 26 May 2014 Laying Down Implementing Measures for the System of Own Resources of the European Union, OJ L 168, 7.6.2014, 29.
Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No. 1311/2013 of 2 December 2013 Laying Down the Multiannual Financial Framework for the Years 2014–2020, OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, 884.
D’Alfonso, A. (2015). Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). EPRS Briefing.
De Feo, A. (2017a). The European Budget: Motor or Brake of European Integration? A Walk Through 40 Years of Budgetary Decisions. In S. Becker, M. W. Bauer, & A. De Feo (Eds.), The New Politics of the European Union Budget (pp. 33–81). Nomos: Baden-Baden.
De Feo, A. (2017b). EU Budget Politics perspective Looking forward. In S. Becker, M. W. Bauer, & A. De Feo (Eds.), The New Politics of the European Union Budget (pp. 281–293). Nomos: Baden-Baden.
Decision 2003/429 EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2003 on the Adjustment of the Financial Perspective for Enlargement, OJ L 147, 14.6.2003, 25.
European Commission. (2014). European Union Public Finance (5th ed.). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
European Commission, Agenda 2000: For a Stronger and Wider Union, 15.07.1997, COM (97) 2000 final.
European Commission, Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the functioning of the Interinstitutional Agreement on budgetary discipline and sound financial management, COM/2010/0185 final.
European Commission. The LIFE Programme. Retrieved on 29 October 2017, from http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/about/index.htm#history.
European Court of Justice. (1986). Case 34/86, Council of the European Union vs European Parliament (Budget).
European Court of Justice. (1995). Case 41/95, Council of the European Union vs European Parliament (Budget).
European Parliament. (1996). Resolution on the Guidelines for the 1997 Budget Procedure – Section III – Commission, A4-0076/1996.
European Parliament. (2014). Resolution of 15 April 2014 on Negotiations on the MFF 2014-2020: Lessons to be Learned and the Way Forward, P7_TA (2014) O378.
Haug, J., Lamassoure, A., & Verhofstadt, G. (eds.) (2011). Europe for Growth: Towards a Radical Change in Financing the EU. Centre For European Policy Studies & Notre Europe.
Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 Between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on Budgetary Discipline and Sound Financial Management, OJ C 139, 14.6.2006, 1.
Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 Between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on Budgetary Discipline, on Cooperation in Budgetary Matters and on Sound Financial Management, OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, 1.
Interinstitutional Agreement of 29 October 1993 on Budgetary Discipline and Improvement of the Budgetary Procedure, OJ C 331, 7.12.1993, 1.
Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 Between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on Budgetary Discipline and Improvement of the Budgetary Procedure, OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, 1.
Interinstitutional Agreement on Budgetary Discipline and Improvement of the Budgetary Procedure, Signed by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on 29 June 1988, OJ L 185, 15.7.1988, 33.
Joint Declaration of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission of 30 June 1982 on Various Measures to Improve the Budgetary Procedure, OJ C194, 28. 7. 1982, 1.
Jorgensen, E., et al. (2015). The SAGE Handbook of European Foreign Policy. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd.
Le Cacheux, J. (2005). Budget européen: le poison du juste retour, Notre Europe, série Etudes et recherches no. 41.
Monti, M. (2016). Future Financing of the EU. Final report and Recommendations of the High Level Group on Own Resources.
Raube, K. (2012). The European External Action Service and EP. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, 7(1), 65.
Report on negotiations on the MFF 2014-2020: lessons to be learned and the way forward (2014/2005(INI)), 2014, A7-0254/2014.
Zangl, P. (1989). The Interinstitutional Agreement on Budgetary Discipline and Improvement of the Budgetary Procedure. Common Market Law Review, 26(4), 675–685.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Vitrey de Gardebosc, A., Mesdag, F. (2019). The European Parliament’s Contribution to the EU Budget: A Power Game. In: Costa, O. (eds) The European Parliament in Times of EU Crisis. European Administrative Governance. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97391-3_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97391-3_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-97390-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-97391-3
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)