2012 budget talks a test of EU credibility – Ministers

2012 budget talks a test of EU credibility – Ministers
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Talks between European Union lawmakers and governments on the size of the EU’s budget in 2012 will be a test of the bloc’s credibility and decisiveness in the midst of an economic crisis, ministers involved in the talks said Friday. Negotiations on EU spending next year must be seen in the context of tax rises and public spending cuts being implemented by governments fighting to contain Europe’s debt crisis, ministers said in Brussels at the start of talks expected to last late into the night. …