Official negotiations between the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament regarding the overall EU budget for 2014 to 2020 are finally scheduled to start on Monday 13 May, to try to reach agreement on the budget before the end of the Irish presidency on 30 June. These Multiannual Financial Framework negotiations will continue on the basis of the EUR 960 billion budget agreed at the European Council meeting in February 2013. The negotiations are looking to agree final budgets for the next generation of EU programmes due to be launched in 2014.