15. Underlines that the main purpose of EU budgetary spending is to create European added value (EAV) by pooling resources, acting as a catalyst and offering economies of scale, positive transboundary and spill-over effects thus contributing to the achievement of agreed common policy targets more effectively or faster and reducing national expenditure; recalls that, as a principle, any duplication of spending and overlapping of allocated funds in various budget lines must be avoided and that EU spending must always aim at creating greater value than the aggregated individual spending of Member States; considers that the multi-annual fi ...[+++]nancial framework, rightly used, constitutes a very important instrument for long-term planning of the European project by taking into account the European perspective and added value of the Union;

15. Underlines that the main purpose of EU budgetary spending is to create European added value (EAV) by pooling resources, acting as a catalyst and offering economies of scale, positive transboundary and spill-over effects thus contributing to the achievement of agreed common policy targets more effectively or faster and reducing national expenditure; recalls that, as a principle, any duplication of spending and overlapping of allocated funds in various budget lines must be avoided and that EU spending must always aim at creating greater value than the aggregated individual spending of Member States; considers that the multi-annual fi ...[+++]nancial framework, rightly used, constitutes a very important instrument for long-term planning of the European project by taking into account the European perspective and added value of the Union;

32. Emphasises the need to apply the principles of good governance in budgetary spending by improving free access to public information, consulting stakeholders in the budgetary procedure and establishing a reporting mechanism, thereby assuming accountability for the money spent; recalls that non-transparent budget spending leads to social exclusion and conflict, and questions the legitimacy of some national campaigns;

32. Emphasises the need to apply the principles of good governance in budgetary spending by improving free access to public information, consulting stakeholders in the budgetary procedure and establishing a reporting mechanism, thereby assuming accountability for the money spent; recalls that non-transparent budget spending leads to social exclusion and conflict, and questions the legitimacy of some national campaigns;

31. Emphasises the need to apply the principles of good governance in budgetary spending by improving free access to public information, consulting stakeholders in the budgetary procedure and establishing a reporting mechanism, thereby assuming accountability for the money spent; recalls that non-transparent budget spending leads to social exclusion and conflict, and questions the legitimacy of some national campaigns;

·ICT RD increase: Double public investment to €11 billion (Baseline: ICT government budget appropriations or outlays on RD (ICT GBAORD) was 5,7 billion nominal euros in 2007).