WIREDGOV

Budgets Committee MEPs voted on Wednesday in favour of cutting the Parliament's administrative budget by almost €10 million compared to the Commission's June draft budget. The outcome is a real-terms reduction in the EP budget.

Assuming 1.7% average inflation in 2014 and including extra costs due to the end of the legislature and Croatia's EU accession would have substantially increased the budget in real terms. Instead, thanks to cuts made by the committee throughout the budget - inter alia to visits by parliamentary delegations - the increase will be only 1.9% compared to this year.

The MEP responsible for administrative budgets, Ms Monika Hohlmeier (EPP, DE), welcomed the outcome of the vote: "We have achieved a real-terms cut in Parliament's budget. This is a remarkable outcome, given that the extra costs due to the departure of MEPs is already estimated at 2.1% and the additional costs of Croatia's accession amount to +0.17%", she said.

The voting on next year's overall EU budget will continue on Thursday, when the committee votes its stance on payments for the various EU policies. Parliament as a whole will vote its position on the 2014 budget on 23 October in Strasbourg. If conciliation talks between the Council and Parliament produce an agreement, it will be put to a plenary vote at the November session.