Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Keith Vaz (Labour). It was answered on Tuesday, 6 April 2010 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

EU Budget (Reform)

Question: Will the Minister reassure the House that, in any discussions on the reform of the budget, we will not lose sight of the goals that were set by the Lisbon agenda at the European Council in 2000?

Answer: My right hon. Friend is absolutely right that we need to ensure that Europe is competitive, and able to compete for new jobs and to be part of future economic models, rather than relying on its historical system of budgetary expenditure. That is why we have supported reform of the common agricultural policy for a long time, and I personally believe it is morally offensive that Europe should overpay so that other parts of the world are not able even to compete on a fair basis.

Secondary information