The European Commission decided to reduces 2013 draft EU budget by €25.1 million compared with its proposal presented in April 2012. The reason follows the usual autumn update of EU funding needs in agriculture, and reflects the international fisheries negotiations.

The European Commission agreed to decrease by €25.1 million its draft budget for 2013 presented in April 2012. The first proposal amounted to €150,9 billion in commitments, a 2% increase on last year, in line with the current inflation rate. Payments represented €137,9 billion which amounts to an increase of 6,8%. The planned needs for agricultural expenditure now amount to €44.1 billion.

The European Parliament will vote on the draft budget in plenary session on 23 October. This will be followed by three weeks of negotiations between MEPs and the Council, with the European Commission acting as a broker.

The Council adopted its position on Budget 2013 in July setting the commitments even below inflation (1.27%) and limiting the increase in payments to 2.79%, €5.2 billion less than the Commission's proposal.