José Manuel Barroso, President of the EC, received Martin Schulz, President of the EP. They gave a joint press conference on the draft budget 2013 that the EC adopted on the same day. It was a budget that supported growth and jobs while recognising the pressure on national budgets. It showed responsibility because it freezed future expenditure at the level of inflation. It also moved the investment to areas that could best help to create growth and jobs. Finally this draft budget also limited increase of administrative expenditure to 1.2%, well below inflation (also through cutting EC staff levels).José Manuel Barroso further explained that at the same time, the budget showed solidarity because it respected the legal obligations of the EU. He highlighted that Member States and private beneficiaries were submitting their bills to the EU and that it was normal in the last year of a programming period. Europe owed this to its citizens to allow them to complete their EU-funded research work, their infrastructure projects, their training classes and to implement their business plans as envisaged. The President of the EC called on Member States to show responsibility in the discussion and to avoid any kind of myths or prejudices.Martin Schulz then participated in the weekly meeting of the College of the Barroso II Commission. José Manuel Barroso underlined he highly appreciated this first meeting, stressing the special existing partnership between the EC and the EP. He announced that such meetings would from now on take place on regular basis.