EU budget negotiation talks begin

The meeting will be chaired by Secretary of State at the Foreign Ministry Mikołaj Dowgielewicz, with the participation of EU Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski.

Poland is hosting the meeting as it currently holds the six-month rotating European Council presidency.

Minister Dowgielewicz said that the Sopot talks are just the start of discussions on the new EU budget.

He said that the Polish presidency wants to "set the tone for discussion" on the budget, though the details of what will be tough negotiations, will be hamered out over a period lasting over a year.

The basis for the discussions will be the document released in June by the European Commission which proposes a total budget for the seven year period of 972.2 billion euros - an increase of five percent.

The plan invisages an outlay of 376 billion euros for the so-called Cohension Policy which gives aid to poorer EU nations, of which Poland would be the biggest beneficary, as it is at present.

Poland would receive 80 billion euros for development projects from new EU budget.

Nations such as the UK and Germany, however, will oppose a growth in the EU budget at a time when they feel forced to impliment austerity measures domestically and at a time when debt-crippled countries such as Greece will be receiving bailouts, which will add to costs for the Euro Zone as a whole. (pg)