BUDGET OF THE EUROPEAN UNION FOR 2020-2021
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Of course. Anyone can speak at any point, don't worry about my approval.
Edward Firoux
Council Speaker and Councillor for Inquista -
Very well, Director Hildalgo may you give, the Council, your opinion on the budget set out for your Agency.
Francis Plessis
EU Councilor for Leagio -
The budget that would be set for the European Aviation Agency is acceptable, but i think that we should receive additional funding to do our job at a rating that is better than 'acceptable.' We need additional funding to investigate anyways that would put a plane at risk of crashing or falling. Airplanes are rather tricky to perfect in building. One design mistake or action could result in disaster. Furthermore, we would also use the funding to find new safety measures and equipment that should be installed within an airplane. Under my tenure, I intend to discover safety measures that would ensure the safety of the plane, the passengers, and the crew. So, i ask the Council to increase the budget of the European Aviation Agency to around another €210,000,000.
Director Samuel Hidalgo
Director of the European Aviation Agency -
Elon Musk enters the room and gets a seat then stands up again and talks
Thank you Mr. Speaker. I have been notified that the 2020 European Budget has been released by the Premier Commissioner Eilidh Whiteford. And I have brought here my calculations on what I feel would be best for the ESA.
I have here a spreadsheet that would explain my calculations/estimations for the ESA's expenditures.
ESA Estimated Budget Breakdown 2020
First of all, the main project we have here is the spaceport, which we estimated to be worth 2.34 Billion Euros. This doesn't fit in the current budget, so we divided it to three years so that it would be paid in full in its completion. And with the help of the Reitzmic Government, they have agreed to fund half of the costs and construct the project for us. The entire spaceport would be complete with all facilities including the launch pad and the control center.
The spaceport does not include the visitor complex worth 100 Million Euros and would be finished by next year. This would help generate income for the ESA to help fund more projects.
Administration would have 100 Thousand Euros as fund and 300 Thousand Euros would be reserved for emergency funds. Therefore, there would be a total surplus of 3.6 Million Euros. The surplus would be reserved in addition to next year's budget.
On my first calculations, I have estimated that the costs for the spaceport would be much higher. Something like 5-6 Billion Euros, which if you calculate to the solution I found would give a deficit of more than 500 Million Euros. So, I tried to find some solution to lessen the costs. The launch pad I envision would be universal and may be used for all types of rockets, but it may not support very large rockets.
It would look like this:
Then Coun. van Allen stands up to speak
Well, thank you Director Musk, I have seen that you really did some good maths. And I have noticed in this spreadsheet you gave that you and the ESA are planning to build a second launch platform worth 250 Million Euros. May I know how this launch platform would probably look like?
Then Elon stands up again to answer to the question
Hon. van Allen, this second launch platform would be for medium to small rockets. This second platform can't support very large rockets at the size of the Falcon Heavy.
It would look like this:
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Mr. Speaker, would it be acceptable for you or the Primer Commissioner to explain a bit to the Council on purpose of the Future Initiative Allotment for the budget and how the money on that sector would be used? Because i will admit that i am a bit confused on the purpose of it.
Francis Plessis
EU Councilor for Leagio -
"Mr. Musk I must say I'm hearing all this talk about paying for launch sites and complexes, etc. etc. yet my office has not yet received the report your office is suppose to conduct about the feasibilitity of a regional spaceport. Being quite frank, I do not understand why we are paying hundreds of millions of Euros for a regional spaceport when the ESA could very easily work with individual member-states such as Fremet or Reitzmag on mission by mission basis'.
Your office is commissioned by the act I effectively wrote to produce this report, and I'm about to propose a rider to this budget so no money can be outright spent on a spaceport before this report is produced. I've yet to hear anything as required by the European Space Exploration Act, such as --- well honestly let me just quote the act outright.
"Whereas, the report complied by the ESA shall focus on the potential impact to the local area of proposed sites, total end cost, safety to local residents, and long term feasibility of the project."
So I'm seeing a lot of talk about cost, but not the long-term feasibility of the project. Do we even need a regional spaceport, when if a member-state needs to launch something the member-state could either go directly to another nation or work with the ESA to establish working relationships with other states to get launch site access. It's not even been a year with the ESA, and yet your office already wants to spend hundreds of millions of Euros on a vanity project that regionally we might not need due to national offices.
This is all before we mention the outright national favortism being displayed here, how can the Kingdom of Reitzmag even be considered to be allowed to spend case on a EU project to such an unprecendented degree. It seems more like the ESA bankrolling a new reitzmag spaceport than Reitzmag helping out the ESA. This has to be dropped. I don't care whether the ESA won't be able to afford a spaceport it has yet to prove we need, this seems like an outright conflict of interest Director Musk. Especially considering your home nation. This probably also means that the spaceport would be in Reitzmag, if I had to guess, which would be an ineffecient launch site compared to better possible locations.
Leagio with its vast desert would be fairly good as its near the equator, same with the Duxburian Union where a coastal launch site is more plausible. This sites would also likely be far less controvestial over time if I had to take a guess given recent regional history. Before you mention the lack of registration with the ESA, if thats an issue then why are we spending so much on a spaceport then for only a select number of member states.
I'd like the Director to produce a report first before we even consider outlying a ten year budget plan for a project we probably don't need. I take issue with your budget as is. The administration costs seems to only pay for your salary, without regard to what I imagine to be an army of adminstrators needed to run the ESA, especially if you want a space complex. Nor does it provide any funds for the first listed job of the ESA.
" Whereas, the ESA shall work to invest and research in new technologies and sciences that relate to the civilian use of space. The ESA shall work with national agencies in member states to cross-harmonize regulations."
I don't see any money budgeted at all for this, as well as the more regulatory processes the ESA should be conducting. This ESA budget is a sham, much like the Reitzmic moon landings.
How about this Director Musk, produce your report and maybe outline an actual set of missions, and work towards needing to say we need a space port before we spend billions on a spaceport that might not be used to its full potential. I'd rather you ask for money for some space probe mission, or some regional space station and use readily avaiable national partners before we commit to a wholesale regional space infrastructure.
I will make additional notes on the rest of the European Budget shortly Mr. Speaker."
Carita Falk
Councillor for the Archrepublic of Vayinaod
Mother of the ESA -
Thank you Hon. Falk, I will do so and complete this task as soon as possible.
Elon Musk
Director, European Space Administration -
First of all I would like to thank the Premier Commissioner Eilidh Whiteford and Cllr. Firoux for releasing the budget for 2020 and 2021. I'm focusing, if it's not a problem, on the European Seed Trust, which is the European organization I lead and I want to explain what we do every year to preserve and also to get new samples in order to have a better seed bank and working together with lots of Institutions.
Despite being one of the most underated agencies in the whole Europe, the European Seed Trust does much more than anyone could imagine. We work along the different member states seed banks to protect our environment and to study the seeds, the plants and getmore and more seeds in order to help someone to reforest if a part of their country has suffered a fire or a natural disaster.
The budget we are receiving is a great amount, I expected even much less but this is a good amount to continue doing our labor and try to doing it much better than last year. Thank you very much.
César González
European Seed Trust Director -
Although the Director of the European Aviation Agency mentioned a good point, i think that the Council should meet somewhere in the middle as the funds from the budget surplus could be used for other programs. If the Speaker has no problem with this, then i would like to propose some amendments to the budget that relate not only to the EAA but other programs within the European Union. The following programs that i think should have increased funding is not only the EAA but also the European Health Organization and the European Health Insurance Program. So, I propose two amendments to this legislation.
Amendment 1
European Aviation Agency: €780,000,000
European Health Organization (including European Biotechnology Advisory Board): €732,823,400Amendment 2:
European Health Insurance Card Program: €53,518,000Francis Plessis
EU Councilor for Leagio -
Debate is now over. It is time to vote on amendments. There are two amendments, both proposed by Councillor Plessis:
Amendment I
European Aviation Agency: €780,000,000
European Health Organization (including European Biotechnology Advisory Board): €732,823,400Amendment II
European Health Insurance Card Program: €53,518,000Voting on amendments begins NOW and will last until 20:00 on August 18th, 2020.
I vote FOR both amendments.
Edward Firoux
Council Speaker and Councillor for Inquista -
I vote FOR both amendments.
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On behalf of the Kingdom of Spain, I vote FOR both amendments.
Donald D. Tusk
Councillor for Spain -
I vote AGAINST both amendments, since no justification was given as to why those specific amounts are needed.
Wesley Greene
Councillor of the Duxburian Union -
On behalf of the Realm of Great Ruthund, I vote AGAINST both Amendments. The Ruthenish government is opposed any further expansion both the European Budget and its responsibilities.
Helhuan Zihuruthstukur
EU Councillor, Ruthund -
On behalf of the Republic of Nofoaga, I vote FOR both amendments.
Mrs. Azaya Dubecq
EU Councilor for the Republic of Nofoaga -
On behalf of the United Kingdoms of Mennrimiak i vote AGANIST both amendments, The Mennrimian State is not going to support a budget with no justification, and we think there are most important things to focus on to.
Adam Karlssen
Councillor of Mennrimiak -
On behalf of the Empire of Inimicus, I vote AGAINST Amendment I and FOR Amendment II.
Sir Augustus Barrington
Empire of Inimicus -
On behalf of the Commonwealth of Leagio, I vote FOR both amendments.
Francis Plessis
EU Councilor for Leagio -
On behalf of the Kingdom of Montenbourg, I vote FOR both amendments.
Emma Granger
Councillor for Montenbourg -
Icholasen votes AGAINST both amendments.
Duchess Poppy Carlton-Romanov, Councillor for the United Dominions of Icholasen
OOC: Here are the OOC justifications for the spending. This was posted on the discord, but I realise some people may not have seen it.
The Kingdom of Spain
