Petr Ježek

The European Parliament yesterday voted on its position for the 2015 Budget for the European Union. I was pleased that the Budget remained at a much lower level than 2013 and believe that it is only right that the EU's budget reflects the difficult economic climate that we find ourselves in. That is why I voted in favour of a budget which is over €5bn lower than that of 2013.

I believe it is important to ensure that the EU continues to fund concrete projects which could promote jobs and growth. The European Parliament's reading of the budget restores cuts made by the Council on key programmes such as Horizon 2020 and the Connecting Europe Facility.

One of my key priorities in the budget for 2015 is that sufficient means are allocated to cover Humanitarian aid. That is why I tabled an amendment with a number of ALDE colleagues which increased the funds available to address crises in the developing world. I particularly see the need for further EU action in South Sudan, where a malnutrition crisis looks dangerously like becoming a famine. 50,000 children may die by the end of the year, and UNICEF estimates that over 1million children under the age of 5 will suffer from malnourishment in 2014. The situation in the region is made worse by the on-going conflict, which is making the task for aid workers even more difficult. The EU must act, and I hope that when the 2015 Budget is finalised by the European Parliament and the Council the final figures will reflect the amendment that we tabled on Emergency Aid.

I was pleased to see that a pilot project on proactive publication of EU documents, led by my colleague Sophie In't Veld and tabled by myself and other ALDE colleagues, was also approved in today's vote. To my mind, it is imperative that the EU strives towards greater transparency in order to maintain the trust of our citizens.

The EU budget can be a tool to help stimulate jobs and growth, but we must ensure that the resources are used efficiently.

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