Calling for a freeze of the 2012 EU Budget ahead of today’s vote on the European Parliament’s position for the forthcoming negotiations on it, Sarah Ludford MEP, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat delegation in the European Parliament, said:

“In times of financial crises and austerity measures at national level in many states including our own, we have to look for savings and exercise spending restraint at the EU level too.”

“This is why Lib Dem MEPs continue to support a freeze of the annual EU budgets.”

“Lib Dem MEPs are at the same time pushing hard to scrap wasteful expenditure, such as the second seat of the European Parliament in Strasbourg which alone would save £160m a year.”