By Gemma Lougheed - 14th June 2005
The European Commission is confident that Europe’s leaders can seal a deal on the EU’s budget.
Speaking on the eve of a make-or-break Brussels summit, EU executive chief José Manuel Barroso has a message of hope.
“I remain confident. I believe an agreement is within our grasp,” he said.
Barroso is appealing for the EU’s deeply divided 25 member states to overcome differences about how much and where to spend a €1 trillion budget for 2007 to 2013.
"I appeal to all governments, each must contribute to find a solution," he said.
"We're convinced it's better to have less than a perfect agreement than to have no agreement at all."
Barroso also suggested that that Europe’s leaders could revisit budget issues in 2008.
"We need to dissipate this doubt and give confidence to our citizens in the European project. If we don't achieve this, the union will be involved in permanent crisis and paralysis with the negative political and economic consequences this is likely to have," he said.
The commission president stressed that agreement would help the EU overcome setbacks over ‘no’ votes in France and the Netherlands on the EU constitution.
"This is not the time for playing the national card. This is a historic rendezvous that we cannot miss," Barroso said.
“Everyone is going to have to budge. Everyone is going to have to compromise. This is not a winners/losers summit. Everyone has got to give so that everyone leaves the conference chambers as a winner.”
“It is not acceptable for the cost of enlargement not to be equitably spread across all member states. This is really key to a future solution.”
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