Several EU member states have criticised the European Commission's draft spending hikes for the 2008 budget, ahead of the first debate on the budget proposal to be held by finance ministers on Tuesday (7 May).
Four countries - Germany, France, the UK and the Netherlands - have expressed uneasiness over Lithuanian commissioner Dalia Grybauskaite's plan to spend €121.6 billion next year (5.3% more than in 2007), according to Dutch press agency ANP.
The critics argue that by putting ...
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