Kostas Arvanitis named the caller fund EU dangerous for citizens, farmers, workers and pensioners.
Kostas Arvanitisvice-chairman European Left Party and caput of delegation SYRIZA-PS successful the European Parliament, sharply criticized the draught caller EU Multiannual Financial Plan 2028–2034saying that it is unsafe for mean European citizens, farmers, workers, youth and pensioners.
The crushed for the statement was the draught of a caller Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF, EU Multiannual Financial Framework), presented European Commission. As she said herself European Commissionwe are talking astir a fund of astir 2 trillion euros for the play 2028–2034or connected mean astir 1.26% EU gross nationalist income.
According to Reutersthe task provides for a crisp rising defence and space spending – up to 131 cardinal eurosCreation European Competitiveness Foundation connected 451 cardinal eurosas well arsenic a caller architecture for financing agriculture and determination development. And it is precisely this “new architecture” that has already managed to frighten those who suspect that under the word “architecture” Brussels sometimes hides the demolition of an aged location on with its residents.
What Kostas Arvanitis said
Kostas Arvanitis named the task European Commission not conscionable insufficient, but “dangerous for mean European citizens, workers, farmers, youth and pensioners”. According to him, contempt the standard of the budget, Brussels is really cementing the rejection of the thought social Europe and a instrumentality to a exemplary where weapons, information and inequality are the top priorities.
Arvanitis placed governmental work connected the right-wing enactment EU and president European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. In his assessment, the projected fund does not mean the modernization of the European project, but its displacement towards “Fortress Europe” and Europe for a constrictive ellipse of strong players.
He spoke retired particularly harshly against the imaginable weakening Κοινή Αγροτική Πολιτική (CAP, EU Common Agricultural Policy) and its transportation with Cohesion Funds. According to Arvanitis, this is not a technical accounting shakeup, but a nonstop stroke to farmers and agrarian areas.
Controversy implicit KAP and Cohesion Funds
Arvanitis’s main ailment is that KAP And Cohesion funds whitethorn suffer their erstwhile autonomy and predictability. He argues that farmers person relied connected stable European support for decades, but the caller exemplary turns it into a acceptable of argumentation packages with little wide goals and much uncertain funding.
This is not conscionable a Greek alarm. Reuters antecedently reported that members of the European Parliament had already challenged the draught fund precisely due to the fact that of the risks for cultivation support and determination assistance, demanding the instrumentality of abstracted and protected backing to them.
The contented for farmers is an highly applicable one: if wealth for agriculture is absorbed into broader nationalist plans, support whitethorn go little assured. And when a husbandman is offered “flexibility” alternatively of a wide scheme, helium usually hears: tomorrow you will get less, but with a beauteous presentation.
More powerfulness to nationalist governments
Arvanitis is particularly acrophobic that the organisation of funds successful the caller exemplary will beryllium much babelike connected nationalist governments. He sees this not arsenic a technical detail, but arsenic a governmental determination that weakens communal European argumentation and transfers much powerfulness to furniture ministers, including those pursuing anti-social oregon authoritarian policies.
In the Greek context, Arvanitis straight recalls the scandals surrounding ΟΠΕΚΕΠΕ (Greek Organization for Payments and Control of Public Assistance, Guidance and Guarantees), hinting that such schemes and abuses under the caller exemplary whitethorn person not lone a national, but besides a European seal.
The occupation is so broader than enactment criticism. If Brussels transfers much funds done nationalist plans, it indispensable simultaneously guarantee strict controls implicit transparency, conflicts of interest, the organisation of subsidies and the extortion of extremity recipients. Otherwise, the thought of “flexibility” rapidly turns into a bully aged nationalist buffet astatine European expense.
Defense alternatively of κοινωνικά Europe
Arvanitis besides criticizes crisp increases successful backing for subject spending, information and technology programs. According to him, funds for κοινωνικά transfers, nationalist services, poorness alleviation, education, probe and greenish transformation are being pushed backmost successful favour of geopolitical priorities.
Formally European Commission explains the caller fund with the request to hole the EU for a “new era”: the war successful Ukraine, contention with USA And Chinamigration, technology dependence and information necessitate a antithetic outgo structure. Reuters wrote that the task includes a large summation successful spending connected defense, migration and borderline management, arsenic well arsenic caller EU ain revenues.
But this is where the governmental disagreement lies. For supporters of strengthening EU As a geopolitical player, such a fund seems inevitable. For the left, husbandman organizations and some of the regions, this is simply a awesome that κοινωνικά Europe is giving way to a Europe of weapons, borders and concern competition.
What auditors and task critics say
European Court of Auditors successful its reappraisal of the draught budget, it besides indicates that the projected exemplary contains galore changes and whitethorn pb to caller risks successful the absorption of funds. According to European Court of Auditorsthe projected backing is astir 2 trillion euros astatine existent prices, oregon astir 1.8 trillion euros successful 2025 prices, which is noticeably higher than the existent framework.
At the aforesaid time, critics constituent retired that the summation successful the magnitude itself does not solve the organisation problem. If the fund structure changes so that traditional recipients person little protection, then a grounds magnitude does not warrant κοινωνικά sustainability. The fund whitethorn beryllium large, but for a peculiar farmer, portion oregon household, what is important is not the wide weight of the document, but whether the support will scope it.
Therefore, the contention surrounding the caller MFR has already gone beyond accounting. This is simply a statement astir what Europe will beryllium similar aft 2028: a κοινωνικά union, a defence bloc, a technological task oregon an progressively costly instrumentality of compromise, where each caller situation is paid for by cutting backmost connected aged promises.
Why is this important for Greece
For Greece the contented is peculiarly sensitive. Agriculture, determination programmes, infrastructure, land territories and κοινωνικά support person traditionally depended connected European funding. Any alteration successful predictability KAP And Cohesion Funds whitethorn deed regions where there are fewer alternate sources of development.
Greek farmers already look rising costs, costly energy, water problems, clime risks and bureaucracy. If much uncertain European support is added to this, the governmental outgo will beryllium high. And yes, then someone successful Brussels will again wonder why farmers are blocking roads with tractors. The enigma of the century, similar an archaeological puzzle.
That is why Arvanitis’ statement indispensable beryllium understood not lone arsenic enactment disapproval SYRIZA. It reflects a broader fear: that under the banner of geopolitical empowerment EU will start redeeming connected those who already consciousness near down – agrarian areas, small businesses, young people, pensioners and mediocre households.
Editorial comment
Criticism Kostas Arvanitis whitethorn beryllium politically charged, but the contented helium raises is real. The caller EU fund is not conscionable a table of expenses. It is simply a prime betwixt a prosperous Europe that tries to support radical and regions, and a Europe that is progressively rebuilt to preparations for war with Russia.
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