Brussels Confronts ‘EU Budget Myths’

By

Just days before unveiling long-awaited proposals for the EU’s budget until 2020, the European Commission has published a collection of facts on how Europe is financed, in a move apparently aimed at countering stereotypes conveyed by the Eurosceptic British press that it is over-sized and unaccountable.

The paper, entitled ‘The Budget explained’, refutes six “myths”: that the EU “costs too much”, that the Union’s financing is decided in an “undemocratic” manner, that it is “riddled with fraud,” that the majority of spending goes on funding its bureaucratic apparatus, that it is “constantly on the rise” and that it is “enormous”.

EU spokespeople tweeted over the weekend to draw attention to the document, which is apparently part of a new communication strategy to refute seriously inaccurate portrayals of what the EU is doing.

“To find out about the EU budget – how it works and what it is spent on – we usually rely on media reports or independent websites. Among many informative and factual reports, one may sometimes find stories based on twisted facts, inaccurate figures or downright lies. These stories are often taken up by others and start a life of their own, which puts at risk the quality of the public debate on the EU finances,” the Commission explains in its initiative.

For each “myth”, the Commission cites media outlets or Wikipedia carrying what it deems to be the wrong message. Several media sources are quoted, including the Times, the Telegraph, the Mail Online and the Daily Express.

In response to assertions made in the Eurosceptic press that the EU “costs too much,” the Commission writes:

“Simply not true. A Tax Freedom Day comparison is telling. When you calculate how many days in a year you have to work to pay the total of your yearly taxes, the national tax burden means that people work until well into spring and summer until they have paid their contribution. By contrast, to cover his or her contribution to the EU budget, the average European would have to pay only four days, until 4 January.”

Part of the Commission paper refutes a recent study by Open Europe, a Eurosceptic think-tank, revealing ‘100 examples of EU fraud and waste’. The survey received considerable media attention and was quoted widely across Europe and the world.

“While Open Europe claims to illustrate ‘how off-target the EU budget is’, their list is but a collection of caricature stories, most of which is based solely on unverified press clippings collected over a couple of years,” the Commission writes.

The EU executive’s effort would appear to signal its nervousness about the budget battles which lie ahead. According to information received by EurActiv, Commission President José Manuel Barroso had instructed all commissioners to provide examples of the greater added value of money spent at EU level, compared to similar investment in a national framework.

Not all commissioners were happy with the assignment, EurActiv was told

Original article

EurActiv

EurActiv publishes free, independent policy news and facilitates open policy debates in 12 languages.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *