Ministers held an exchange of views, at an informal meeting ("conclave") held on 22 May, on a revised version of the "negotiating box" submitted by the Presidency in order to help prepare the financial framework laid down for the budget of the European Union during the period 2007-2013.
For the first time, the document includes indications of the amounts per category of expenditure, and the outline of a proposal concerning the EU's own resources. It also makes adjustments to the section concerning the cohesion policy in order to take into account the positions expressed by delegations. The Presidency's intention is for the European Council to reach agreement on the new financial framework at its meeting on 16 and 17 June 2005. To do so, it intends to adjust the negotiating box one last time in the light of bilateral talks which it will hold between 30 May and 9 June.