mr president this house will yet again be accused of being out of touch with reality if it votes for a budget increase for the period twenty fourteen twenty twenty
the reason given for this increase is the funding of the twenty twenty strategy the one it is said will take us out of the crisis
let us recall what happened with the lisbon strategy it was an epic failure
taxpayers money was wasted and we should not repeat this mistake
the european court of auditors reports a significant percentage of irregularities affecting different policy areas averaging two point eight of the budget year after year and we continue to flow funds to these regions
projects have seen costs grow by up to three times their original estimates others suffer delays while being superseded by better technology
such is the case with galileo which has gone from a eur seven point seven billion budget to a eur twenty-two point six billion budget
more than forty of the budget continues to be invested in the common agricultural policy while only four point seven of the workforce in europe is engaged in this
the common fisheries policy deemed a failure by commissioner damanaki requires taxpayers to send eur one billion to brussels every year
the european external action service costs an extra five hundred million each year and has not yet demonstrated its
all these examples should certainly justify not a budget increase but a budget reduction
i would like to think that the uk government will take a stand will say enough is enough and call for a reduction
however it seems its coalition meps here favour a freeze
taxpayers in the uk will not be thanking them
