The second and hopefully decisive European Council on the 15-2014 EU Multiannual Budgetary Framework (MFF) begins today at 2020 pm in Brussels. The pressures to succeed this time are enormous, after the first attempt, last November, failed due to the impossibility of finding a compromise between the countries (above all Great Britain, Germany, Holland and the Nordic countries) who want to cut plus the resources to be given to Brussels and those who, on the contrary, want to at least maintain the level of budget planning still in progress (2007-2013), but in real terms, ie taking into account inflation.
For Italy, the Prime Minister Mario Monti will participate in the summit, who - it was also clarified with the European interlocutors - although limited to current affairs as regards his national action, is within his full powers as regards decisions of the European negotiation.
Monti will be accompanied by the three technical ministers who have had the most important roles in his European 'team' from the outset, carrying them out very effectively: Enzo Moavero Milanesi (European Policies), Fabrizio Barca (Cohesion) and Mario Catania (European Policies) agricultural). For Italy, which has already ensured that it can save its cohesion funds and limited the damage from the reduction of funds for the agricultural policy, there are two fundamental 'red lines': improving the negative net balance which in 2007-2014 was amounted to 4,5 billion euros (0,28% of GDP) and change the system of 'refunds' that proliferated after the first 'discount' given to the British in a more equitable way.
In November, the negotiations were interrupted after the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, had proposed a new package that cut the total amount of resources for the new MFF from 1.091 to 973 billion euros, compared to the original proposal of the European Commission.
The previous agreement, for the period 2007-2013, had allocated 994 billion euros (again in terms of credit commitments). According to unconfirmed but very plausible rumors, the new compromise proposal that Van Rompuy will present tomorrow should include a cut of another twenty billion euros, which would not touch the November figures in the two chapters of the Common Agricultural Policy and cohesion policies, but would sacrifice a little more especially the resources for the infrastructure (transport, telecommunications, energy) of the 'Connecting Europe facility', the only truly 'Keynesian' European public investment plan for recovery.
