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Author: Matteo
Placidini
If we
should prepare a list of the most critical issues Europe is currently living, we should certainly put on the first position unemployment and the refugee crisis. We could say that the EU is tackling these
problems on two different fronts: the first one is internal, namely the
economic crisis, and hits particularly young citizens and small-medium
enterprises. The second one is external, since European countries must cope
with a huge number of migrants coming from outside their borders.
This context requires a quick response and Europe
needs a change of gear of its policies on these topics and, consequently, more significant
investments.
Indeed, the
EP must have taken in strong consideration these two issues in the last plenary
session. As a matter of fact, the EU budget for 2016, approved on 25 November
2015, provides relevant changes.
Concerning
the refugee crisis, the European budget has more than doubled, increasing from
658 million Euros in 2015 to 1,6 billion Euros in 2016. Furthermore, an
amendment invites the member states to invest 2,3 billion Euros
to finance the Africa Trust Fund and the Syria Trust Fund, two important
instruments to tackle the problem at its origin.
