Brussels – The latest proposal for the European budget has raised numerous questions. This marks the first proposal from the European Commission (EC), and the European Parliament (EP) will take it into consideration, as the budget’s final form will be negotiated over the next two years. In a Thursday interview with TASR, MEP Lucia Yar (RE/PS), the sole Slovak MEP on the EP Committee on Budgets and its vice-chair, commented on this matter.
Yar highlighted her support for elements of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) proposal that benefit citizens, such as prioritizing defense at the European level and increasing the budget for this sector. She also advocated for expanding the Erasmus+ program to enable students to study abroad with enhanced scholarships.
Starting Thursday, negotiations between the European Parliament and the EU Council (member states) commenced on the long-term budget proposal for 2028 to 2034. Yar emphasized that Slovak MEPs from the centrist Renew Europe (RE) group would wield significantly more influence throughout the process compared to the non-attached MEPs from Smer-SD and Hlas-SD.
“As the vice-chair of the budget committee, I am committed to advocating for increased EU funds for Slovak regions, addressing payment discrepancies for farmers in comparison to those in Western countries, and securing essential funding for security,” she stated. She also underscored her political group’s ambition to push for a substantially larger seven-year budget than the two trillion euros proposed by the EU executive on Wednesday.
“We are experiencing geopolitical shifts, and Europe faces pressures from various fronts – Russia, China, and the USA. A strong Europe with a robust budget is essential to navigate these challenges,” she concluded. (July 17)
“As the vice-chair of the budget committee, I also want to fight for more EU funds for Slovak regions, for equalizing payment differences for farmers compared to Western countries, but also for key funding for security.” Lucia Yar
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