Europe deserves better than such horsetrading

A riddle to start: that is there in common between the school of nursing of Mantes, the association of rehabilitation the heart of the staging in Paris, and the company Lisi Aerospace of Ouen - alms Two things: these achievements have all been cofinanced by Europe and our fellow citizens, even those who use them or work ignore in their overwhelming majority.

Well all the problem of the European budget: it is, even though it weighs a little more 125 billion EUR per year and that it helps finance many useful policies and projects that, without it, would probably never saw the day. Worse, he is the victim of received ideas, often mediated by two categories of people, those who find that Europe is never enough and those who believe that Europe is a drilled basket.

At a time where I am about, for the Government to ask Parliament to vote again the levy on revenues for the benefit of the European Union, I find it helpful to say what he really is the European budget. First, remember that it is essentially devoted to investment and solidarity: administrative expenditure of institutions account for 6 of the total. Few public communities can boast of such an outcome. The solidarity fund, or "structural funds", represent them, 36 of the budget. They can help thousands of projects each year in member countries, including France.

On the French contribution, it should be the year next to EUR 18.7 billion. It is more than this year. Between 2007 and 2013, we should reach a little more than 19 billion per year in constant euros. The increase is real, but reasonable. It is primarily the consequence, that we assume, of the agreement reached in December 2005, between twenty-five, and then in May with the European Parliament. Contrary to what is sometimes said, this agreement shows that Europe is investing in its future. Research spending will increase by approximately 40 over the previous budget. Europe will invest heavily in its new Member States: 158 billion over seven years, or more than 3 annual points of GDP for the countries concerned. Therefore we will help the modernization of our new partners and their economic catch-up, best antidote against social dumping. The case of the Spain shows that this policy of solidarity is a success for all. I am pleased that our country has been able to play an active role to allow one agreement between all Member States of the Union on this historic work.

What are also often ignored, is that thousands of projects are co-financed each year by Europe in France, today the second beneficiary of EU funds behind the Spain, with returns up to EUR 13.6 billion in 2005. Not only we have the common agricultural policy essential for the maintenance of the diversity of our rural territories and our food independence and the development of bio-fuels tomorrow as recently recalled by the President of the Republic, but Europe also co-finances the conversion of areas facing difficulties or training with the structural funds policy. It should also mention major projects in transport, as the TGV, which will soon be Strasbourg 2 h 20 de Paris. And one must add the European Investment Bank loans to local communities, which have reached 4.6 billion EUR in 2005 in France.

If we wanted to make a purely accounting calculation on the "net cost" of Europe for the France that is what it pays less what it is then it must be said that we will reach in the period 2007-2013 amount total of about 109 euros per year and per French: it is less than the price in second class round-trip Paris-Lyon. But this reasoning is not good: it must take into account all other earnings. Economic gains first from the existence of a large European market, increasing our exports and develops activity and hence employment; also, political gains without price, with the roots of peace and democracy across the continent.

Of course, everything is not perfect in the European budget, far from it. We must seek ways to better adapt it to today's world, for example by strengthening the investment for the future (research, networks, energy, education) or with term of a resource truly European to close these recurrent battles which funds what and for how much. Europe deserves better than such horse-trading.

But be lucid Europe does not require to be unfair with her. This is why I would like to stop thinking by asking only cost the Union, and that one looks also at what it brings us. At the request of Dominique de Villepin, Nicolas Sarkozy, Christian Estrosi and I are working on that our fellow citizens are better informed on European aid. From January 1, 2007, whenever a project construction of a road, renovation of a ward, training and insertion saw partly thanks to European funding, a system information report: display of support for all projects and specific in each region Web site. How can the French appreciate the merits of Europe if anyone told them and do their shows how it helps every day

The French have right to the truth about Europe. Then, just as we do not hesitate to talk about the problems we encounter, also have the courage and the honesty to tell them what works!