General Affairs Council to prepare EU leaders' meeting on MFF
Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb will attend the General Affairs Council (GAC) in Brussels on 19–20 November. The meeting will make preparations for the extraordinary European Council. The meeting of the EU Heads of State or Government is to reach agreement on the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2014–2020.
The GAC meeting will open this evening with a dinner, attended by the Member States' ministers and President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy.
Discussions in Tuesday's meeting will be based on the draft European Council conclusions. The next version of the conclusions will be issued prior to the European Council meeting on Thursday.
Finland's main objective in the MFF negotiations is to ensure that the overall level of the framework remain moderate. Finland supports a total level of commitment appropriations representing approximately 1% of EU GNI. This is approximately EUR 130 billion less than proposed by the Commission. The EUR 80 billion cut to the Commission's proposal put forward in the current version of the draft conclusions is therefore underestimated.
Finland's other key priorities as regards agriculture, for example, is to safeguard rural development funding. The main objective is to maintain the relative share of appropriations over the next framework period or to keep the amount in euros as close to the current level as possible.
As regards cohesion policy, Finland will seek ways to safeguard the position of North and East Finland. Special financial support granted for sparsely populated areas is important for Finland.
Finland's objective is that the focus of funding be shifted to areas that are key to growth and competitiveness. The funding allocated to research, development and innovation, and especially the Horizon 2020 programme, will be important in these efforts. Finland's objective is that RDI funding be increased from the current level, however the increase should be more moderate than proposed by the Commission.
The GAC meeting will also discuss the cohesion policy legislative package, the Commission's annual work programme for 2013, and follow-up measures to the October European Council and preparations for the next meetings.
Inquiries: Satu Keskinen, Counsellor, Adviser to the Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade, Prime Minister’s Office, tel. +358 9 1602 2451 or +358 40 508 6722 and Mari-Kaisa Brander, Press Attaché, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 40 131 3388 or [email protected]