S&D MEP Jens Geier, the lead negotiator for the Parliament on the 2017 budget, said: “The EU is
facing an unprecedented number of different challenges. If we are serious about getting to grips
with these then we need a well-funded EU budget. Firstly, we need more money to deal with the
largest movement of refugees since the Second World War. We are calling for an extra €530m to
help tackle the root causes of the crisis. This includes an extra €300m for humanitarian aid, €60m
for the Development Cooperation Instrument and €67.7m to support Palestinian refugees and the
UNRWA.”
“This is one area where we were deeply concerned by the original proposal by the Commission. We
are calling for the cuts to Horizon 2020, which funds research and innovation, and the Connecting
Europe Facility, which funds cross-border infrastructure, to be reversed (an offset of €1.2bn). We are
also calling for an increase in funding for programs designed to boost jobs and employment,
including an extra €1m for EURES, which links national jobseeker’s offices.”... (link)