On 24 July the Council expressed its position on the EU budget for 2013. The Council agreed on €132.70 billion in payments (money that should be paid out in 2013) and €149.78 billion in commitments (promises to spend money, which do not necessarily have to be paid out in 2013, but can be spread over several financial years). The increase in payments should not be higher than 2.79% compared to the budget of 2012. The largest increase in payments can be seen in Heading 1, namely in cohesion policy. Expenditures on the area of freedom, security and justice should rise by more than 5% as well.

However, compared to Commission’s proposal, the position negotiated by the Council proposes lower amounts in both payments and commitments. The process of budget implementation will now proceed to its final stage, with Cyprian presidency holding final negotiations between member states. Final decision should be made in October this year.

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