Annex II
The Chancellor's on camera remarks at the ECOFIN
Council of 14 May 2013
"...I think there is disillusionment amongst
the peoples of Europe at the way that European Union institutions
operate. I think they want us to practice what we preach, and
at home we are telling our citizens that there are tough budgets,
difficult decisions to be made and savings have to be found, and
yet here we are being asked to support a substantial increase
in a budget which we are already supposed to have agreed, and
I don't think that's acceptable and I think it flows from poor
financial management at a European level and frankly we should
be asking the European Commission to go back and find savings
and do better. So I, on behalf of the United Kingdom, will be
voting against this budget proposal. I know that Britain is not
alone in this. I know that the Netherlands and Finland and Sweden
and Denmark are also very concerned...I think we collectively
as countries like our concerns reflected in the minutes...I would
just end by saying thankfully the new MFF which the leaders have
negotiated means that we can bring down the costs of Europe and
indeed start to practice what we preach, and that might be one
way to start to restore trust in European institutions."
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