Activites

• 1999/02/12 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Budget 1999/105
  • OJ L 039 12.02.1999, p. 0001
• 1998/12/17 Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading
  • T4-0749/1998 summary

    In the context of its second reading, the European Parliament approved the Community's 1999 Budget. The Parliament's Rapporteurs were Ms. Dürkhop-Dührkop (PES, E) and Mr. Viola (EPP, I). The Parliament adopted the 1999 budget at 85 558 million Euros in commitment appropriations and 96 929 million Euros in payment appropriations, which represents 1.10% of GNP. The Parliament welcomed the joint declaration of the Commission, Council and Parliament of 8 December on flexibility in the new inter-institutional agreement. It also welcomed the acceptance of Council of majority voting for the proposed instrument and the concept of co-decision for the mobilisation of the facility. It called for its committee responsible to implement this guideline in the negotiations for the revision of the inter-institutional agreement and financial perspective.�

• 1998/12/15 Debate in Parliament
• 1998/12/14 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 2nd reading
• #2150
• 1998/12/08 Council Meeting
  • 2150
• 1998/12/08 Vote in committee, 2nd reading
  • A4-0500/1998
• #2138
• 1998/11/24 Council Meeting
• 1998/11/24 Council amended draft budget published
  • 13403/1998 summary

    On 24 November 1998, the Council held its second reading of the draft budget of the Communities for 1999 ('other sections'). In the case of administrative expenditure, the Council did not alter any of Parliament's measures relating to its own section of the budget. Nor did it alter those of the Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors, the Economic and Social Committee or the Committee of the Regions. However, it altered Part A of the section relating to the Commission. It reinstated its draft budget as proposed at first reading, except as regards the amendments relating to lines A-7030 and A-7033 on commitology meetings. As regards the increase of EUR 50 m in the appropriations on line A-7000 (auxiliary staff) following the reduction in expenditure on research, meetings of experts, information and publications ('technical assistance office' expenditure), the Council reinstated the amount it had proposed at first reading. The Council did not accept Parliament's proposal concerning payment of arrears of pension contributions.�

• #2136
• 1998/11/23 Council Meeting
  • 2136
• 1998/10/22 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T4-0614/1998 summary

    Adopting the report by Mrs Barbara Dührkop Dührkop (PES, E), Parliament gave its opinion at first reading on the 1999 draft budget which amounts to more than EUR 98 629 bn in commitment appropriations and EUR 89 565 bn in payment appropriations (an increase of 6% and 2.8% over 1998). This is a rigorous budget with a limited increase in EU expenditure in line with a limited increase in national budget expenditure. It is also a strategic budget which will act as a 'safety belt' if in the spring of 1999 the Council and Parliament do not reach an interinstitutional agreement on the financial perspectives 2000 to 2006. In order to protect itself against this possibility, Parliament proposes the creation of four strategic reserves: (1) structural actions: +2.3 bn in payment appropriations; (2) internal policies: +EUR 800 m in payment appropriations, to include funding of networks; (3) external actions: +EUR 500 m in payment appropriations (humanitarian aid, initiatives in connection with enlargement, MEDA, TACIS and PHARE programmes); (4) Administrative expenditure: EUR 200 m in commitment and payment appropriations. In the event of disagreement on the financial perspectives, the budget will be drawn up pursuant to Article 203 of the Treaty which provides with regard to non-compulsory expenditure a maximum rate of increase calculated on the basis of Community GNP, the average variation in the budgets of the Member States and the trend of the cost of living during the preceding financial year. In this event, it is Parliament's interests to set the ceiling of expenditure as high as possible as this amount will provide the basis for calculating subsequent budgets. With regard to the ECHO programme (humanitarian aid), Parliament has released appropriations which it was planning to place in the reserve (EUR 330 m). The two conditions imposed by Parliament (availability of the Anti-Fraud Unit report and commitment by the Commission to give any relevant information to the appropriate courts) have been met. With regard to budget priorities, these are employment, the Europe of Knowledge, protecting the environment and increasing the EU's external activities. These priorities take concrete form as follows: - agricultural expenditure: appropriations of EUR 40.45 bn are provided for, pending the Commission's amending letter; - structural actions: reduction of EUR 500 m in payment appropriations and creation of a reserve of EUR 1.5 bn in commitment appropriations for countries with a low implementation rate; within the overall amount (EUR 4.25 bn in commitment appropriations), increased support for the RECHAR (coal), RESIDER (steel) and REGIS II (most remote regions) programmes and for the Northern Ireland peace initiative (EUR 100 m); - internal policies: an increase of EUR 99 m for the Leonardo programme and a smaller increase for Socrates, launch of pilot and preparatory activities for the Connect programme (innovation and support for the 'Europe of Knowledge') and increased support for action to promote employment, the environment and public information; with regard to research (60% of appropriations under this heading), Parliament undertakes to reach a compromise with the Council to enable the programme to start at the beginning of 1999; - external actions: the amount is EUR 5 bn in commitment appropriations and 4 bn in payment appropriations; Parliament has placed in a reserve fund approximately 130 m from the TACIS programme and 30 m for reconstruction in former Yugoslavia. With regard to the administrative budget, Parliament does not propose any additional increase in staff. Due to limited appropriations, tasks will be reallocated. �

• 1998/10/20 Debate in Parliament
• 1998/10/19 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A4-0360/1998
• 1998/09/09 Council draft budget published
  • 10544/1998 summary

    OBJECTIVE: presentation of the 'other sections' of the budget for 1999 as drawn up by the Council. SUBSTANCE: The Council set the total administrative appropriations for all the institutions (including the European Parliament and the Ombudsman) at EUR 4422 m, an increase of EUR 69 m or + 1.58% in relation to the allocations for 1998. The basic principle underlying the draft budget was that it should be subject to the same degree of discipline as that which the Member States were imposing on themselves. The application of this principle resulted in only a limited increase in overall expenditure and a refusal to create jobs except where certain requirements associated with enlargement or the implementation of the Amsterdam Treaty were concerned. More specifically, the Council granted the Commission 110 additional posts in connection with the last enlargement. It also agreed that 71 posts should be created at the Council to integrate the 'Schengen' secretariat and 22 posts (including 17 temporary) for the CFSP Policy Planning and Early Warning Unit (UPP). It also accepted the creation of 10 translator posts in the budget of the Court of Justice. The Council carried out a limited regrading/transformation of certain posts at the Council, Commission, Official Publications Office and other Community institutions.�

• 1998/09/09 Formal reconsultation of Parliament
• 1998/05/30 Commission preliminary draft budget published
  • SEC(1998)0800 summary

    OBJECTIVE: To submit the preliminary draft budget of the Communities for the 1999 financial year - other sections. SUBSTANCE: There is a ceiling of EUR 4435 m on administrative and human resources expenditure in the projected budget for 1999 - a very slight increase on the 1998 budget (1.88%). As regards human resources, the Commission asks only for the last batch of 110 posts for officials in connection with the last enlargement. The PDB stresses the extreme strictness with which the Commission has made its choices regarding staffing, making every effort to link resources to the degree of political priority of the operations for which the staff have been requested. In this connection the main priorities for allocating resources are the impact of the accession negotiations, consolidation of the internal market, restructuring of the external relations DGs, WTO dispute settlement, strengthening of DG XXIV and development of 'third-pillar' activities following the Amsterdam Treaty (communitisation of Schengen). Operating appropriations are increased by a moderate amount (+1.3%) on 1998, the absolute figure being EUR 2407 m excluding pensions. Pensions for all the institutions increase by 6.7%. Operating expenditure (buildings etc) has been reduced by 2% thanks to the renegotiation of leases, investment in 1997 and the reduction of voice telephony tariffs.¿

• #2095
• 1998/05/19 Council Meeting
  • 2095
• 1998/04/02 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T4-0202/1998
• 1998/04/01 Debate in Parliament
• 1998/03/18 Preparatory budgetary report tabled for plenary
  • A4-0103/1998
• 1998/03/18 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading

Documents

• Preparatory budgetary report tabled for plenary: A4-0103/1998
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0202/1998
• Debate in Council: 2095
• Commission preliminary draft budget published: SEC(1998)0800
• Council draft budget published: 10544/1998
• Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading: A4-0360/1998
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0614/1998
• Debate in Council: 2136
• Council amended draft budget published: 13403/1998
• Debate in Council: 2150
• Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 2nd reading: A4-0500/1998
• Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading: T4-0749/1998
• : Budget 1999/105
• : OJ L 039 12.02.1999, p. 0001

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)