EU budget and access to European financing

Language

French

Prerequisites

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Main themes

- History of the EU budget.
- Process and decision leading to the EU budget.
- Content of the EU budget (spending and revenue).
- Current debates on the budget.
- Foreseeable evolutions.
- Sectorial policies and EU budget.
- Functioning of EU structural funds.
- Keys to understand the Budgetary Policy.
- Current debates on the Budget.
- Foreseeable EU budget evolutions.
- Sectoral policies (CAP, cohesion') and EU budget.
- Financing the EU budget (own resources and correction mechanisms)
- Functioning of EU structural funds.

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	The course aims at providing the students with tools to analyze and understand the EU budget. It should help the students understanding the main issues related to the various aspects of the budget. Ultimately, the students should be able to develop a personal view on current EU Budget debates based on arguments examined in the course. The course aims at providing the students a better understanding of the main issues of a EU budget reform. Ultimately, the students should be able to develop a personal view on current EU Budget debates based on arguments discussed in the course. The course also provides the students with tools and information as to how EU financing can be obtained for projects.

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Content

The course presents first the history of the EU budget. It proceeds with the budgetary procedure and the budget structure. The specific content of the EU budget -on the spending and the revenue sides - is then examined in some details. The focus of this first part is the analysis of the main issues at stake in the current budget. Among those issues are the EU financing, solidarity instruments, energy and climate policies, CAP and cohesion policies. Lastly, the course examines possible avenues for a reform of the EU budget in the context of the EU Budget Review and the preparation of the multiannual financial framework post-2013.
The first part (7h) is organised as a seminar. Students prepare and present to the group short notes on the main EU policies and related budgetary challenges. During a simulation of a Council working group discussion, they defend the position of one Member State on key issues such as CAP, cohesion or future EU financing.
The second part (8h) aims at detailing the functioning of the structural funds, framework programmes for research and funds related to EU external action. It examines concretely of to obtain these types of financing.

Evaluation methods

Written or oral examination.

Faculty or entity

EURO