No European budget to fund border walls

The Committee on Budgets (BUDG) of the European Parliament voted this morning on its budgetary guidelines for the 2024 budget of the European Union. On the occasion of this vote, in addition to priorities such as Erasmus+, SMEs and competitiveness, the LIFE programme, the European industrial strategy and the Sovereignty Fund, freedom of the media and disinformation, decentralized agencies and the European Public Prosecutor's Office, Renew Europe has passed an amendment opposing any use of the European Union budget to finance walls at the borders of the European Union.

Widely supported by the S&D, Greens and The Left groups, this amendment however divided the EPP, thus calling into question the strategy of rapprochement with the extreme right instigated recently by Manfred Weber.

No, walls are not an effective response to migratory flows. There is no simplistic solution contrary to what the right and the extreme right want us to believe.

Fabienne KELLER (Agir, France), Renew Europe shadow raporteure in BUDG, insists:

"No, the walls are not an effective response to migratory flows. There is no simplistic solution contrary to what the right and the extreme right want us to believe. There need a European response of solidarity, this is what the European budget must finance."

Valerie HAYER (Renaissance, France), Renew Europe coordinator in BUDG, adds :

"Brick by brick, MEPs are destroying the project of EPP leader Manfred Weber. There will be no funding for any wall or fence whatsoever from the budget European Union. It is now a matter of principle, and a majority position."