MEPs support CAP with EU budget vote

EU funding for agriculture has survived another hurdle, with a large majority of European Parliamentarians voting for agriculture and regional policy funding to remain at current levels, and the EU’s seven-year budget to be boosted by 5% — despite huge fiscal challenges and austerity programmes for many member states.

However, the Parliament is opposed by EU paymasters such as Britain, France, the Netherlands, Finland and Germany, who have signalled their intention to freeze EU spending.

The MEPs’ call for a bigger EU budget marked the beginning in earnest of negotiations over future EU spending limits.