The conference is organized by the Polish EU Council Presidency, the European Parliament and the European Commission.
During two days, 27 governments of the EU Member States, representatives of the European Institutions and all national parliaments, will debate the financing of European growth and competitiveness by 2020.
For Maria da Graça Carvalho this conference represents a "unique opportunity to generate the dialogue with representatives of the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission and of Europe's national parliaments, on the substance and the details of the next financial framework".Ms. Carvalho adds that "It is also a good opportunity to open the debate between all political forces of Europe, on the future of the EU budget and, further, on the financing of policies which are necessary for bringing back European competitiveness as stipulated in the Europe 2020 Strategy project".
The future scope and impact of EU policies will largely depend on the shape of the next MFF, the details of which are now under discussion, on the basis of the European Commission's proposals submitted in June. This conference would aim to explore how the Commission's proposals resonate with other EU institutions and with the Member States. It would also promote a common reflection on the type of added value which the EU can provide and the way in which the Union's policies should be funded in the future - taking account of the current and foreseeable state of public finances across Europe and potential synergies between national budgets and the EU's own budget.
Today´s session will be opened by European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and European Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso.
The first session, which will be open and broadcast to outside viewers, is entitled 'The Big Issues in the Next MFF'. It will be devoted to identifying the key questions in the MFF process and to highlighting and assessing the specific impact of the EU budget on activities directly affecting EU citizens.
Three panels composed of Members of national parliaments and representatives of the European Institutions will then look in detail at the main dossiers of the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020: the future of own resources; priorities as regards future spending, and the European budget's added value.
Conference ProgrammeEuropean Commission's Proposal of 29 June on the next Financial Framework 2014-2020