Top 3 spending areas (2013 figures)

Budget

The annual EU budget is €150,9 bn (2013 figures) – a large sum in absolute terms, but only 1% of the annual wealth generated by the EU countries.

Most of the money is spent on improving the life of the EU's citizens and communities – with a large part going to less well-off regions and groups in society, and into generating jobs and growth across the EU.

Who decides how the money is spent?

Deciding how much the EU will spend – and what on – is a democratic process. Every year:

· the European Commission proposes a budget for the following year, covering each policy and programme

· elected representatives in the European Parliament and EU Council decide on the spending plans.

Follow-up

· Once the money has been used, the Commission must report back to the Parliament on how it was spent.

· The expenditure is also subject to scrutiny by the European Court of Auditor

What's the money spent on?

In Europe

Some of the main uses are:

· training people in new skills and stimulating businesses to innovate and create jobs

· helping preserve the environment and improve quality of life through rural and regional development

· building hard infrastructure: roads, railways, bridges, power and gas transmission lines that connect the farthest corners of the EU

· supporting cultural diversity and educational exchanges

· providing emergency assistance when there are floods or earthquakes.

Abroad

As a major global player, the EU has certain obligations to the outside world: promoting economic and social development, keeping the peace and helping victims of disasters and conflict.

It is particularly active in 3 groups of countries:

· parts of the developing world with which certain EU countries have strong historic ties, especially Africa and the Caribbean and Pacific regions

· emerging economies along the EU's eastern borders and around the Mediterranean

· potential EU member countries.

Top 3 spending areas (2013 figures)

· 46.8% goes on making the EU more competitive and boosting development in its poorer countries/regions ("cohesion").

· 29.1% is spent on market-related expenditure and direct aids. No longer linked to excessive production, this aid instead secures supplies of safe food at reasonable prices and ensures farmers enjoy a fair income, also in return for preserving the environment.

· 10.7% is allocated to rural development, environment and fisheries.

R&D - pooling resources across the EU

Generally, the EU is responsible for spending money only where it makes sense for member countries to pool resources. Scientific research programmes are a good example of this.

EU research funding promotes integrated research projects involving scientists working in different EU countries. This approach shares the fruits of national research EU-wide, as well as creating economies of scale and effort.

The many fields that benefit include biotechnology, information technologies, nanotechnology and space research.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-24