Authors Iain Begg | Gabriel Glöckler | Anke Hassel ... - The Europaeum

unanimity. The need to obtain the consent of the European Parliament
opens of course an avenue for the Parliament to influence future financial
perspectives.
Slowly, change must surely come
The conclusion must be that, in spite of the European Union having a
budget and a medium-term financial perspective which do not reflect the
key challenges of the future, the diversity of interests in the Union will
mean that reform remains a slow process. However as pressure grows for
the European Union to tackle more effectively those problems crucial for
its future well-being – climate change, sustainability, energy security,
migration and relations with its neighbours – change will have to come,
even though it will be delayed by the fiscal problems arising from the
current deep financial and economic crises. With the size of the budget
remaining largely in the hands of the net contributors, these changes can
only come about with a gradual reduction in agricultural spending and
perhaps a reorientation of the cohesion funds.
76
After the crisis: A new socio-economic settlement for the EU