Madam President, we in the European People's Party also support what Mr Colom I Naval has just said about the willingness that we have shown, as other groups have, today to take difficult decisions so as to be able to find a large majority in favour of consensus here in Parliament on the budget's first reading.

We know that we shall have to stick with that throughout the budgetary procedure, but it will ease our position in the House if the Council takes upon itself to ensure that Member States ratify the increase in own resources as soon as possible - that is for all 12 Member States - so that we can find ourselves, if possible, with a resource base by the end of the second reading where the President can then sign in the budget of 1.21%. Obviously, that will be the most satisfactory position for us all, so we do not have any doubts about the free running of European policies during 1995, most particularly in the matter of the Structural Funds, but also in the matter of international fishery agreements and controlled thermonuclear fusion.

We would urge the Council to get a move on in terms of the ratification of own resources and also to respond clearly and concisely to the amendments we have tabled in this part of the process so that we can then come, at the end of the budgetary process, to a conclusion with which we can all agree.