On 28 October 2015, the MEPs meeting in plenary session adopted several amendments to the position of the Council of the EU for the draft EU budget for 2016.
In its resolution passed by 434 votes to 185, with 80 abstentions, the Parliament added extra funds for handling the unprecedented flow of refugees inside and outside the EU. It also allocated resources to help fund the creation of jobs for young people, enhance the EU’s competitiveness and settle its unpaid bills. The MEPs also reversed all the cuts, including those on migration lines, made by EU ministers.
'I have taken note of the differences between the budget as decided by the Council and the amendments passed by the European Parliament', declared Pierre Gramegna, Minister of Finances and President of the Ecofin Council, following the vote by MEPs. The previous day, speaking in a plenary debate on the draft EU budget for 2016, he had already stated the position of the European Parliament on the EU budget for 2016 to be 'maximalist and ambitious in the extreme'.
'That's why, in accordance with Article 314(4)(c) TFEU, I agree to the convening of the Conciliation Committee by the President of the European Parliament', added the Minister.
A 3-week conciliation procedure will commence on 29 October 2015 with a view to reaching an agreement between the Parliament and the Council on the draft EU budget for 2016. The Conciliation Committee will meet for the first time on 9 November. 'The Luxembourg Presidency, together with the European Parliament and the Commission, will do everything possible to ensure that an agreement is reached by the end of the week of November 13', concluded Pierre Gramegna.