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A French MEP begins a hunger strike to pressure Merkel and Macron on the European Budget

Pierre Larrouturou he is a french politician, MEP, left-wing, framed in the social democratic family. A regular voice on economic and social issues that for almost two decades has tried to influence public debate. He tried the usual channels, first collecting signatures and campaigning. Later through the traditional parties, but neither. And in the end he achieved platform and speaker thanks to a new formation ‘Nouvelle Don “, Nuevo Cast, founded a few years ago. But aware that it was not enough, and since his new ecological and social crusade, he has now found a powerful way to attract attention: a hunger strike taking advantage of his position as negotiator of Parliament.

Typically, these gestures are made in countries with significant democratic deficiencies, or are carried out by those who need to attract the attention of politicians. But not an ‘insider’. Larrouturou announced it today, from his Twitter account, and also for something completely unexpected: the European Budget for the coming years.

Last July the heads of State and Government of the 27 reached an agreement to create a recovery plan with a Fund of up to 750,000 million euros for the purposes of the pandemic, but they also closed after two years. The long discussion of the EU Budget for the period 2021-2027, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework. However, the agreement of the prime ministers and presidents is not enough. It must be approved by the European Parliament, and ideally before the end of the year, because the current Budget expires on December 31st. They can be extended, but it is not like those in a country. It does not work the same, the same programs are not maintained and, furthermore, the United Kingdom will not be in the next financial framework. That is why there is a rush.

The negotiations have been stalled for a few months. For issues such as the rule of law in Hungary or Poland, but also because the Euro-chamber is pressing for the Budget to be more ambitious. It has always been done and governments know that despite reaching an agreement among themselves they will have to raise the bar a bit. Since July things have stopped. The Parliament asks for at least 13,000 million euros more, and the Council (which Germany is temporarily chairing this semester) assures that they are actually demanding 39 billion more, an amount for them completely unaffordable.

While everything is standing still and internal wars are raining down, one and the other feel that the end is near. The capitals put pressure on the institutions, and the parent parties squeeze their deputies and their groups to raise their hands. And that is why the French deputy believes that it takes a coup to attract attention.

It is obscene to hear that there is no money for health, weather and jobs, when the financial markets have never been so good, “he wrote on his Twitter account.” To put pressure on Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron I start a hunger strike. “

Pressure

Larrouturou is very involved in the negotiation. He is the ‘rapporteur’ of the house for the 2021 Budget, to oversee expenses and income for that calendar year. He is the main negotiator of the European Parliament in the so-called Trilogues, the fight with the Commission and the Council. The Frenchman is one of those who pressures for the EU to have more of its own resources, contributions that come from European taxes, so that the Budget is not built almost entirely of those direct contributions to the capitals that are negotiated every seven years.

This time, in addition, the deputies pressed a lot for their own resources to increase with taxes on plastics, financial transactions or tolls for carbon emissions, because it would be the ideal way, they argue, to pay the interest on emissions debt of the Recovery Fund. But the States are very little partisan, and in recent weeks there have been many public reproaches, attacks and skirmishes, with calls for attention not seen before, even on social networks between spokespersons or ambassadors. Today is one more step to generate media attention and some prominence.

The financial transaction tax is the fundamental tool for long-term financing “, he reiterated today in a debate before announcing his drastic measure.” I am going to stay in Parliament day and night to denounce this scandal. People are not aware of it, but we are going into a situation where there will be hardly any money for the climate. Health, nothing serious for employment, “he denounced.” I am fed up with the double talk of Macron or Merkel saying that they want a more ambitious budget but they do not agree to negotiate this idea. […] My goal is a tax that generates 50,000 million euros a year “and materializes in one or two years.” The only solution is to increase the EU’s own resources with a real tax on financial transactions that would allow financing the recovery plan, while paying for health and the weather “, insists Larrouturou.

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