Press Release from Liz Lynne MEP
Posted on Wednesday 20th October 2010 00:00 by Keith
West Midlands, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire
www.lizlynne.org.uk 55 Ely Street, Stratford upon Avon CV37 6LN 01789 266354
Brussels Office: 0032 2284 7521 Mobile: 0776 445 2725 Email: press@lizlynne.org.uk
Release time: 20/10/2010 Embargo: none
EU budget must be cut too – Liz Lynne
The European Union’s budget should share the pain of spending cuts, says local Lib Dem MEP Liz Lynne. She accused Labour MEPs who today voted to increase the EU budget as ‘living in cloud cuckoo land.” The European Parliament at Strasbourg voted on proposals for the EU budget for 2011 just as the Chancellor announced the Comprehensive Spending Review to reduce the UK budget by 6 per cent each year for four years. Liz Lynne and her Lib Dem colleagues voted for a budget freeze and against proposals to increase spending. By contrast, Labour MEPs voted against a freeze at 2010 levels and in favour of a £1.5 million
increase for trade unions. Liz Lynne said: “The Chancellor announced very deep and painful cuts in public spending in Britain, to rebalance the economy. Many other EU governments are making similar cuts.
“The EU budget process should start on the basis that we need to rein back spending here too. Liberal Democrat MEPs voted for a standstill budget and for many other amendments to
reduce individual budget lines and also voted against the budget statement as a whole. We want the Parliament to set an example and cut its internal budget. I was very disappointed to see Labour MEPs vote against a freeze at 2010 levels. Labour also supported more EU funding for trade unions, more money for the EU earth observation programme and more money for information centres on EU citizenship. Just as at Westminster, Labour seems to be living in cloud cuckoo land. We have all got to tighten our belts and live within our means.”
