BRUSSELS, February 20. /TASS/. The European Commission's plans to expand its staff by 2,500 employees under the seven-year EU budget framework for 2028-2034 have drawn sharp criticism from nine EU member states, Politico reports.
In a letter addressed to Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin, EU ministers described the European Commission's request for an additional €1.4 billion to hire new staff and strengthen administrative capacity as inappropriate.
"We expect the Commission to present ambitious, quantified proposals as a direct input for ongoing negotiations on the next MFF (Multiannual Financial Framework - TASS), including on an EU administrative system that reflects the challenges of our times," says the letter, signed by ministers from Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands.
In this regard, "the proposed increase [from the Commission] of 2,500 posts as well as the overall significant increase of heading 4 (administration) runs counter to the stated objectives of efficiency, restraint and reform, and risks undermining the credibility of the broader MFF proposal," the letter authors point out.
"The European Commission’s credibility in asking Member States for budgetary discipline very much depends on adhering to its own principles," the appeal states.