European parliament hosts today in its plenary session in Strasbourg a debate about EU budget for 2010. The main challenges are to find an agreement about recovery plan and to help restructure dairy sector.

Around €2.4 billion in spending to tackle Europe's stagnant economy will be debated by MEPs. This Economic Recovery Plan forms part of the EU budget for 2010. The Budget Committee particularly want it spent on energy infrastructure, offshore wind energy and for carbon capture and storage to cut CO2 emissions. Also part of the budget will be €300 million that MEPs have secured to help the embattled dairy sector.

The €2.4 billion recovery plan will come from unspent EU money and fresh funds from Member States. The proposed budget for the Union for next year is €141 billion in commitments and €123 billion in payments.

The €300 million euro for the dairy sector has been steered through Parliament by Hungarian MEP László Surján. A €300 million dairy fund to tackle the milk crisis is one of Parliament's key demands in the budget 2010 negotiations, backed by a very large majority in a vote on 17 September.  

The idea of the fund is to help restructure the dairy sector, in connection with the Commission's phasing out of milk quotas. The fund would include measures such as supporting less-favoured areas, promoting sales and finding alternative sources of income.

The Parliament will vote on the budget on Thursday.