ABSTRACT
In Berlin, a provisional framework was designed for a European Union (EU) with 21 members, which encompasses additional "own resources" out of the accession of six new members. The framework defines the overall disbursements of the enlargement for the years from 2002-2006, expressed in maximum commitments in the areas: agriculture, structural activities, internal policies, and administration. Austria's share in the entire household of the EU-15 amounted to 2.38 percent. In the enlarged Union, this percentage rate has become smaller. According to the Austrian Ministry of Finance, Austria contributed after the enlargement of 2004 2.2 percent to the EU household. Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schroder found a common language only in Brussels, immediately prior to the decisive European Council, which was devoted to fasten a final financial package with which the Union could enter the final rounds of the accession talks. In agriculture, the Presidency showed readiness for concessions, as long as these were feasible without substantial financial consequences.
