Janusz Lewandowski

Polish commissioner for budget affairs in Brussels Janusz Lewandowski will have less influence than believed over the draft 2014.20120 EU budget, with European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso assuming control, shows an internal document seen by Polish Radio.

The document shows that Lewandowski will merely be part of the team which prepares the project and confirms that the budget after 2013 is so important to the EU that Barroso will be taking full control in drafting the proposal.

The drafting of the report comes at a time when all 27 nations are making public spending cuts to address ballooning deficits in the wake of the finance crisis. Poland, however, will be trying to maintain structural fund levels, which contribute significantly to GDP growth.

The EC will present its proposals on future cohesion policy for 2014-2020  - which seeks to close the gap between richer and poorer EU nations - in June this year.

Commissioner Lewandowski wrote in a letter addressed 3 February to EU departments including the European parliament that “The European institutions cannot ignore the broader economic and budgetary context and must undertake all possible efforts to make the best use of their administrative resources.”

Lewandowski said that the increase in the budget for 2012 should be kept to “a percentage less than one percent”. (pg)