§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the effect of the EU Summit Agreement in Berlin on the net UK contribution to the EU budget. [79572]
§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the cost to the United Kingdom for each of the years from 1999–2000 to 2007–08 of the agreement on the United Kingdom's EU budget rebate reached at the Berlin summit on 25 March; and if he will make a statement. [79582]
§ Mr. ChopeTo ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will express in (i) sterling and (ii) euros the level of the United Kingdom's(a) net contribution to the EU budget and (b) EU budget rebate against which he has calculated gains and losses in describing the outcome of the Berlin summit; [79561]
717W(2) if the United Kingdom will continue to be the second largest net contributor to the EU budget over the planning period on which the Berlin summit reached agreement. [79562]
§ The Prime MinisterI refer the right hon. and hon. Members to my statement to the House on 29 March 1999,Official Report, columns 732–47.
§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Prime Minister what structural budget reforms in the European Union were achieved at the Berlin summit; and if he will make a statement. [79581]
§ The Prime MinisterFollowing agreement at the Berlin European Council on 26 March, it was agreed that for the Structural Funds the budget for 2000–06 will be 213 billion euro (1999 prices). This is an 11 per cent. reduction on the Commission's original proposal, and is in line with the UK's objective of stabilising the overall EU budget.