An opinion piece in the WSJ criticises the EU's 2011 draft budget which proposes a total budget increase of 5.8 percent.

The article criticises an op-ed published earlier this week by EU Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn in the WSJ which made the case for austerity measures in member states, saying:

"Still, it would behoove Mr. Rehn's cohorts to recall his wise words, and to remember that the EU's own means are tied to the economic output of its half-billion citizens, which shrank 4.2% last year and is only set to grow 1% this year and 1.7% in 2011. By Mr. Rehn's sound logic, that should make a 5.8% spending increase, or anything close to it, out of the question. Unless the EU is exempt from its own rules".

Meanwhile, Daniel Hannan notes on his Telegraph blog: "other budgets face cuts, but our contributions to the EU have risen to £2 million an hour".
WSJ: leader Telegraph blogs: Hannan

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