Nav 8-1: Debunking budget myths

Length	Browsing: 30 minutes Reporting: 30 minutes
Goal	To critically evaluate claims about the EU budget. To learn to work with EU budget data.
Introduction	Chapter 8 has given us an overview of the revenues and expenditures of the EU. The EU budget is often criticized for being too large and/or inefficient. In order to counter such claims, the European Commission has created a website on which it tries to debunk ‘EU budget myths’. In this exercise, you will evaluate some of these myths and the argument(s) the Commission has presented against them.
Steps	Go to the European Commission’s website on budget myths. It has been discontinued but you can find an archived version, which discusses the constellation in 2013. Choose two ‘myths’ and read the counterarguments presented by the Commission.
Questions	For each of the two myths, answer the following questions: Are the claims made by the Commission (still) supported by the figures in Chapter 8? What (implicit or explicit) normative position does the Commission take in debunking the myth? In conclusion: Do you agree with the arguments of the Commission?
Links	EU budget ‘Myths and Facts’ website

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