THE BUDGET OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Abstract

The development of the European Union as an economic community of states has resulted in the need for the development of its budget - a generator of development of the states of this community. The European Union budget is characterized by a complex process of adoption, starting from the Commission as the authorized proposer of the budget, through the Council and the European Parliament as the institutions that approve it, to the Court of Auditors, which monitors its legality. Confirmation of the lawful and high-quality execution of the European Union budget is the discharge of the European Parliament. The European Union budget is made up of contributions from the Member States themselves through a certain percentage of value added tax, gross national income, customs duties and a number of other financial resources, such as agricultural levies. Regarding budget expenditures, they are divided into mandatory and optional, and focus on a number of policies identified by the European Union institutions as strategic. In addition to the annual budget, the European Union bases its economic development on a multi-annual financial framework that sets out a long-term perspective for the development of strategic policies and guidelines for the adoption of annual budgets. Policies in which the European Union invests significant funds through its budget are mainly policies of sustainable growth and development, safety of European citizens, foreign policy aspect of the European Union as a guarantor of regional and global security, but a certain part of budget funds is directed to the internal expenditure of the administration. Although the EU budget is subject to strong internal and external scrutiny and allows for the general development of this community, many criticize by requiring its reform for making it more flexible and accessible to citizens who need to benefit from it more directly and effectively.