Austria not promoting use of veto right on EU budget

Austria is not promoting the use of the right of veto when adopting the European Union's next multiannual financial framework, visiting Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann said on Wednesday at a joint press conference with his Romanian counterpart Victor Ponta. Faymann voiced interest in reaching a result based on consensus, adding that Austria is representing two conditions in this context, namely, on the one hand, in its capacity of a net contributor to the EU budget: if other countries get an allowance, of course Austria should get the same allowance in this sense. The second position is that of a country that has a great interest in supporting the farmers in the mountain areas: as mountain areas prevail in Austria and there are many peasants that must be backed in their moves. However, Faymann stressed that no matter what happened, "we do not promote the right of veto, this isn't what interests us, but we are interested in getting a result based on consensus." The Austrian chancellor said, in his meeting with Romania's President Traian Basescu, that there is no guarantee a solution to the EU budget will be found in January and it is a tough mission for European Council President Herman Van Rompuy to find a common solution among very different arguments. He voiced hope the EU budget cut would not target the agricultural, but the bureaucracy chapter. Faymann's visit took place in the context of negotiations on the next EU multiannual financial framework for 2014-2020.