Old and New EU policies in the Budget of the EU27 and Beyond. A Summary of Survey Results from 2008

The enlargement of the EU in 2004 and 2007 has led to a significant increase in population and territory, but also a huge increase in differences regarding economic structure and development levels. Despite the traditions of the EU in dealing with such differences, the scope of the latest enlargements is a challenge for existing EU policies. In addition, potential additional tensions stemming from further enlargements would be added to the present unsolved debates on the EU budget. After presenting the current situation and the main challenges regarding the expenditure side of the EU budget, it summarises the results of a recent survey on the perception of experts and decision-makers from different member states regarding EU budget expenditure. This is followed by a summary of the main findings of the same survey regarding preferences for the future; the paper is completed by the conclusions.