Baroness Ashton has demanded an extra £23 million to run the European Union's foreign service as part of an austerity-busting increase in the Brussels budget for next year.
Baroness Ashton has demanded an extra £23 million to run the European Union's foreign service as part of an austerity-busting increase in the Brussels budget for next year.
The cost of the European diplomatic corps will rise for the second time in its two years of existence despite Lady Ashton's promise that it would be "budget neutral" when she was appointed EU foreign minister in 2009.
Her 5.7% increase takes the annual bill for European diplomats and embassies to £422 million, at a cost to British taxpayers of £52 million in EU contributions at time when the Foreign Office is implementing deep cuts.
Two weeks ago the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee warned that cuts of almost £40 million to the Foreign Office would lead to a "diminution of the UK's influence and soft power", leaving it with a budget smaller than that of Kent County Council.
Richard Ottaway, the committee chairman, said Lady Ashton's increase for an EU diplomatic corps was "out of the question" at a time when Britain's own foreign service was being cut back.
Lady Ashton's above-inflation increase was buried within an EU demand for an extra £7.2 billion in cash from national treasuries next year, a 6.8% increase that was attacked as "out of control" by the government.
The European Commission's 2013 budget announced yesterday (Wednesday) will mean that British taxpayers will have to pay an additional pounds 890 million to the EU at a time of painful cuts to public services.
Despite huge public sector job losses across Europe, figures produced yesterday by the commission showed that the EU civil service has been reduced by just six from a total of more than 40,000 over the last year, without any redundancies.
Mark Hoban, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, said: "It is unacceptable for the commission to propose an inflation-busting budget increase when governments across Europe are making difficult decisions on public spending."
An identical increase for Lady Ashton's European External Action Service (EEAS) last year was described as "ludicrous" by David Lidington, the Europe minister.
Lady Ashton was not present in Brussels for the commission meeting that agreed the EU budget increase because she was travelling to Brunei for talks with Asian ministers on Thursday.
But her office insisted that she had made "tough choices" despite the rise.
"We are making savings wherever possible," said a spokesman. "At the same time, we have a mission, given by the member states, to build the EEAS and are responding to world events and circumstances beyond our control."
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}