Poland looking for 100 bln euro from 2014 – 20 EU budget

Donald Tusk in parliament, Friday: photo - PAP/Pawel Supernak

“We are the country that has made the greatest and most effective use of funds from the budget, which ends in 2013,” Donald Tusk told MPs Friday morning.

EU 'structural' and 'cohesion' funds have been important to Poland's better than average economic growth over the past few years and Warsaw hopes to maintain levels of funding in the next phase of budget spending.

Poland is currently the biggest net recipient of EU funds.

Other prime ministers in the 27 nation bloc, such as the UK's David Cameron are under pressure from their own parliaments to cut the amount given to the EU as governments make austerity cuts in national spending.

Britain - one of the net spenders in the EU - is calling for a freeze in budget levels – which would rise only with inflation – but Germany is now supporting a small rise in spending.

"As I have said, I've always wanted at best at cut, at worst a freeze. I'll be in there fighting for Europe's taxpayers, particularly British taxpayers,” PM Cameron said before a meeting with German chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday.

We are net contributors to the budget, we have a rebate and we are keeping that rebate but over and above rebate that I also want to see a good budget outcome for the UK."

The European Commission wants a five percent rise in spending in real terms. (pg)

source: PAp/Reuters