S&D Euro MPs today in Strasbourg urged EU governments to resolve the EU budget crisis which involves €25 billion of accumulated unpaid bills since 2010.
French socialist Isabelle Thomas, S&D Group vice-president responsible for the budget, said:
"For several years now, the Council has been a defaulter. In an absurd process, member states have underestimated the amount of bills, put off payments and ignored the commitments they have taken towards the citizens we represent.
"This payment crisis is neither minor nor a one off. It is the symptom of a sick Europe and an outdated budgetary process. The EU needs to have its own resources at its disposal and not be dependent on blackmailing member states.
"This crisis in payments and the results of the European elections demonstrate an imperative need to change the direction of Europe and its methodology over the next five years.
"I am pleased that the current Italian presidency has acknowledged there is an issue with the national contributions member states make to the EU budget being taken out of their budget deficits. We believe this would give more room for manoeuvre for member states on investment."
S&D Group spokeswoman on the budget, Spanish MEP Eider Gardiazábal added:
"Behind all these unpaid bills there are local authorities, small companies, businesses that need to be paid, and there are universities, researchers who have participated in various European programmes and they expect to be paid as promised.
"There are Erasmus students who need scholarship money because otherwise they will have to go back home. There are NGO humanitarian aid programmes which will have to be stopped for 400 refugee families who currently have no money for food.
"This situation is untenable. We need to go back to sound budgetary management. It is a question of credibility for the EU. Our partners must be able to trust that we will meet our international commitments".
