How many True Finns will the European Commission create?

That means ignoring the call of Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland for an EU budgetary restraint till 2020 and strongly opposing to any above inflation increase.

The stance of these countries has forged division in the EU and they face strong opposition of Poland and other net recipients in the south and east of the Union.

The Commission’s proposal met almost immediately opposition from some of the 27 member states with Britain, a large net contributor to the budget and a country which is enforcing strict spending cuts domestically, saying the increase was unacceptable. ‘We want the best deal for the UK taxpayer and a 4.9% increase of the EU budget is not acceptable’, said a British government official. ‘We will be working closely with other memberstates to drive the hardest possible bargain’.

The UK finds Dutch Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager on its side: ‘How can we explain to our citizens who are tightening their belts that the European budget simply keeps on growing. We have to work hard towards a substantially lower European budget than proposed by the commission’.

The expectation is that an above-inflation spending rise in 2012 will fuel growing public opposition to the EU in parts of Europe, adding to the resentment felt at the hundreds of billions of euros in taxpayer funds being used to bail out Eurozone countries as Greece, Ireland and probably Portugal. Eurosceptic parties are seeking to use rising anti-EU sentiment to their advantage, in France, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands (Wilders’ party PVV) and recently in Finland the True Finn’s party. Dutch MP Han ten Broeke, EU spokesman for the governing VVD party, asked the rhetorical question: "How many True Finns will the Commission create?"

The Commission has to do a lot better to convince member states that ‘Brussels’ really needs the budget increase. Critics as the Think Tank ‘Open Europe’, which revealed this week how EU aid money is being wasted in Africa, don't make it easier for them. But of course, the Commission will find a majority in the European Parliament to share their ever spending mood. The Socialist spokesman Farm said ‘There is a strong temptation in some EU capitals to cut EU spending because of the need to cut national deficits. This approach is counterproductive’. And EPP group vice-president Marinescu welcomed the ‘emphasis on growth and cohesion in the EU’s budget’. Isn’t there an old saying: it is easy to spend other people’s money?

British Conservative MEP Callanan, speaking for the ECR Group, stated the Commission should be more respectful of member states’ attempts to reduce their national debt. ‘The EU needs to do less, do it better, and cost less. Every other public sector organisation is tightening its belt and the EU must do the same’.

Anyhow, Commissioner Lewandowski has set the scene for a fresh budget battle.