EU seeks €9bn extra from states

The European Commission requested an extra €9bn yesterday to fill a shortfall in the European Union’s 2012 budget.

The demand is likely to anger those EU governments calling for restraint from Brussels to reflect the austerity being imposed at home. It could also complicate talks on EU spending for next year and beyond. Yesterday, MEPs backed inflation-busting rises in EU spending for the next eight years.

Most MEPs backed a call by the commission for a 6.8% rise in EU spending next year and an overall increase of at least 5% in the EU’s long-term 2014-2020 budget.