Romano prodi, president of the European Commission, may not be the most articulate of men, but he has a wonderful range of facial expressions. Discuss the size of the European Union budget with him, and his face crumples into a picture of exaggerated despair. For if, like Mr Prodi, you harbour a not-so-secret ambition that the commission should one day turn into a genuine European government, the ceiling on its budget of 1.27% of the EU'S GDP is pathetically inadequate (and, at present, the budget is well below the ceiling). How can the Union turn itself into a superstate on less than EUD120 billion ($150 billion) a year? Even worse, from Mr Prodi's point of view, is the attitude of many EU member governments. Far from boosting the commission's spending power, they are intent on cutting it back. The six biggest net contributors to the budget-Germany, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Austria—recently signed a letter demanding a budget of just 1% of GDP. On February loth the commission will fire back, by issuing its own proposals for the next budgetary period, covering the years 2007 to 2013. It will suggest a budget equivalent to 1.24% of GDP. The difference may sound trifling. But add the seven years together and factor in growth and inflation, and the commission is actually proposing to spend the serious sum of over a trillion euros, some EUD250 billion more than the tight-wads would like.
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