The group, chaired by Mario Monti, a former prime minister of Italy and European commissioner, was launched at the end of February after months of delay, and Monti is now setting up its secretariat.

But the member states continue to insist that they should have four representatives, most probably finance ministers – two for the net contributors to the EU budget and two for its net recipients.

The original agreement was that each institution would have three representatives. The European Commission and the European Parliament have already named their representatives and are in no mood to re-open the procedure just to accommodate national governments.

Monti is hoping to hold the first working meeting of the high-level group on own resources in mid-April, before the current Parliament goes into recess ahead of elections in May. A delay into the next parliamentary term would be politically sensitive. Monti discussed the issue with Greek officials, representing the member states, in Brussels last week (14 March).

The creation of the working group was among the most high-profile demands made by MEPs as a condition for approving the 2014-20 budget last year. The Parliament, which yesterday (19 March) discussed the lessons to be drawn from the long, difficult negotiations that led to the adoption of the long-term budget, is hoping that direct revenue for the EU – for example from a tax on financial transactions – would ease some of the political considerations that impose pressures on the budget.

The Parliament’s group members are Alain Lamassoure of France for the centre-right European People’s Party, Ivailo Kalfin of Bulgaria for the centre-left Socialists and Democrats, and Guy Verhofstadt, a Belgian who represents the Liberal MEPs.

The European Commission’s members are Janusz Lewandowski, the European commissioner for budget, Maroš Šefc?ovic?, the commissioner for inter- institutional relations and administration, and Algirdas Šemeta, the commissioner for taxation.