Business community calls for a political agreement on the EU budget before the European elections

On 5 November, the European Parliament will vote on its interim report on the multiannual financial framework (MFF), also the Council must speed-up its work. Director General Markus J. Beyrer said: “All parties must work towards reaching a political agreement on MFF post-2020 before the European Parliament’s elections in May 2019. Failing to agree on the proposal by then can bring important consequences – a late agreement points to serious delays in the start of programmes in 2021, and a lost year of investment from the EU budget. Unfortunately, we have already faced this situation in the past. In the moment when all EU’s major competitors are putting forward aggressive strategies in terms of investment, we cannot risk delays in powerful investment incentives from the EU. All relevant decision-makers must understand the risks at stake during the negotiations.”