of the European Union are more favourable for Estonia than before.
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet participated in the European Union Foreign Ministers Conclave, where the EU’s financial perspective for the years 2007-2013 was discussed.
The Luxembourg Presidency had prepared a revised negotiating box for yesterday’s talks, the amendments proposals of which this time are according to Foreign Minister Paet more favourable for Estonia than before. "A fair solution has been reached in the computing of the structural aid ceiling, because now individual economic growth indicators are taken into consideration instead of using the former growth indicator of 4.14%. This indicator was a result of grouping the new member countries and was considerably lower than Estonia’s estimated economic growth." Foreign Minister Paet acknowledged. The Foreign Minister welcomed the attempt by the Presidency to find a solution for the question of own resources. According to Paet, the Presidency considers a new approach for Great Britain’s rebate or such payback to be important. This would, after the year 2013, ensure a so-called clean budget from which no rebates will be made.
The Luxembourg Presidency’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn expressed hope that all these recent changes will contribute to finding a compromise and reaching a political agreement at the European Council in June.
Estonia’s Foreign Minister acknowledged the Presidency’s attempts to find a balance between the positions of 25 Member States. According to Paet’s assessment, "it is important to reach an agreement in June in order to ensure the political and economic development of the European Union. The Presidency has done significant work in that name and the revised negotiating box is clearly better than the former one. Thus, the probability of reaching an agreement in June has considerably grown".
The financial perspective will be under discussion also at the next Foreign Ministers Conclave as well as at the Finance Ministers meeting in June and also at bilateral meetings of the Presidency with Member States.
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