(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The European Commission Monday retabled the EU budget for 2013, worth 137.8 billion euro, a week after negotiations collapsed between the Council, which represents the 27 EU governments, and the European Parliament.
The Council had rejected to accept an increase of 9 billion euro in next year's EU budget.
The previous budget proposal, however, was nearly the same, worth 137.9 euro.
"There isn't that much difference from our original proposal. It is 99 percent the same," EU budget spokesman Patrizio Fiorilli told journalists.
He cited two main reasons for the similarity between the two proposals.
"The way we draft our proposals for the budget is based on member states estimates for next year and those member states estimates have not changed," he explained.
The second reason, he said, is that the failure of the negotiations between the Council and the Parliament, "was not on figures, it was more about procedures." "We are working with the Council and the Parliament to narrow down the differences," he added.
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