BETA


2012/2092(BUD) 2013 general budget: all sections

Progress: Procedure lapsed or withdrawn

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead BUDE
Former Responsible Committee BUDG LA VIA Giovanni (icon: PPE PPE), VAUGHAN Derek (icon: S&D S&D)
Former Committee Opinion AFCO GUERRERO SALOM Enrique (icon: S&D S&D) Ashley FOX (icon: ECR ECR), Morten MESSERSCHMIDT (icon: ECR ECR), Algirdas SAUDARGAS (icon: PPE PPE)
Former Committee Opinion DEVE MITCHELL Gay (icon: PPE PPE) Bart STAES (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE)
Former Committee Opinion CULT LØKKEGAARD Morten (icon: ALDE ALDE) Ivo BELET (icon: PPE PPE), Cătălin Sorin IVAN (icon: S&D S&D), Helga TRÜPEL (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), Marie-Christine VERGIAT (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL)
Former Committee Opinion AFET JÄÄTTEENMÄKI Anneli (icon: ALDE ALDE)
Former Committee Opinion PECH RIVELLINI Crescenzio (icon: PPE PPE)
Former Committee Opinion AGRI DE LANGE Esther (icon: PPE PPE) Richard ASHWORTH (icon: ECR ECR), Ulrike RODUST (icon: S&D S&D)
Former Committee Opinion ENVI HAUG Jutta (icon: S&D S&D)
Former Committee Opinion EMPL BOULLAND Philippe (icon: PPE PPE) Jean LAMBERT (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE)
Former Committee Opinion ITRE BÜTIKOFER Reinhard (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE) Jens ROHDE (icon: ALDE ALDE), Algirdas SAUDARGAS (icon: PPE PPE)
Former Committee Opinion JURI
Former Committee Opinion ECON FOX Ashley (icon: ECR ECR) Olle LUDVIGSSON (icon: S&D S&D)
Former Committee Opinion CONT
Former Committee Opinion LIBE IACOLINO Salvatore (icon: PPE PPE) Marie-Christine VERGIAT (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL)
Former Committee Opinion INTA ŠŤASTNÝ Peter (icon: PPE PPE)
Former Committee Opinion IMCO Wim van de CAMP (icon: PPE PPE), Matteo SALVINI (icon: ENF ENF)
Former Committee Opinion TRAN MEISSNER Gesine (icon: ALDE ALDE) Jaromír KOHLÍČEK (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL)
Former Committee Opinion REGI STAVRAKAKIS Georgios (icon: S&D S&D)
Former Committee Opinion PETI SALAVRAKOS Nikolaos (icon: EFD EFD)
Former Committee Opinion FEMM
Lead committee dossier:

Events

2012/11/13
   EP/CSL - Agreement not reached in budgetary conciliation
2012/11/13
   CSL - Council Meeting
2012/11/09
   CSL - Debate in Council
Details

Blockage on the 2113 Budget negotiations

The two branches of the budgetary authority, meeting within the Conciliation Committee, could not yet reach agreement on the 2013 EU budget and other related items.

Key sticking points: despite a certain convergence of views on elements of the package, divergent views persisted in particular as to the extent by which the 2012 EU budget needs to be increased in order to bridge the gap between the payments jointly agreed last year and actual implementation.

Budget benchmarks:

· in its draft budget, the Commission proposed for 2013 an amount of EUR 150.93 billion in commitments and EUR 137.92 billion in payments, leading to an increase by respectively 2.05% and 6.85% compared to 2012;

· in its position adopted on 24 July, the Council agreed to limit the EU budget for next year to EUR 132.70 billion in payments (corresponding to 0.99% of the EU's Gross National Income (GNI). This represents an increase of 2.79% compared to 2012, which is well above inflation and reflects the fact that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework. As regards commitments, the Council's position amounts to EUR 149.78 billion, representing an increase of 1.27%;

· in its position adopted on 23 October, the European Parliament requested an amount of EUR 151.15 billion in commitments (+2.20%) and EUR 137.90 billion in payments (+6.82%).

Blockage in conciliation: while the Council and the European Parliament shared the same priority for focusing the EU 2013 budget on growth and jobs-enhancing measures, the Council wished to ensure that the current budgetary constraints of all Member States concerned are also taken into account.

Divergent views persisted notably on the extent by which the 2012 EU budget needs to be increased in order to bridge the gap between the payments jointly agreed last year and actual implementation (draft amending budget no 6 for 2012 aimed at increasing this year's budget by EUR 9.0 billion in payment appropriations in order to close the gap between the amount agreed last year and the actual implementation) and on the question whether the Commission proposal exploited all possibilities for redeployment.

However, the Conciliation Committee reached agreement on the mobilisation , as soon as possible, of the EU’s Solidarity Fund in favour of Italy for an amount of EUR 670 million as proposed by the Commission in amending budget no 5 for 2012 , which will be finalised in the overall agreement.

Next steps: the Cypriot Presidency will continue its efforts for finding a compromise. The 21-day-conciliation-period provided for by the Lisbon Treaty expires on 13 November 2012 . If an agreement can be reached by then, the Council and the European Parliament have 14 days to formally approve the agreement, following the finalisation of the text. If conciliation fails, the Commission has to present a new draft budget for 2013 .

In line with Article 315 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, should the budget not be adopted at the beginning of 2013, a sum equivalent to not more than one twelfth of the budget appropriations for 2012 or of the draft budget proposed by the Commission, whichever is smaller, may be spent each month for any chapter of the budget.

2012/10/23
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2012/10/23
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 492 to 123 votes, with 82 abstentions, a resolution on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 (all Sections).

Parliament stresses that the priorities expressed in the opinions given by its specialised committees, as well as those which emerged on the occasion of the meetings with the Rapporteurs specialising in budgetary matters, have as far as possible been taken into account in this resolution.

Noting the Amending Letter No 1 to the Draft General Budget 2012 , Parliament sets the overall level of appropriations for 2013 at:

EUR 151 151 840 000 for commitment appropriations and EUR 137 898 015 000 for payment appropriations.

Parliament’s resolution may be summarised as follows:

Section III – Commission :

Parliament recalls that its priorities for the 2013 budget, as detailed in its resolution of 4 July 2012 have been taken into account: they consist in: support for sustainable growth, competitiveness and employment, particularly for SMEs and youth . It welcomes the fact that the Commission's draft budget (DB) reflects Parliament's priorities and is aware of the severe difficulties arising from the state of the national economies and of the need for a responsible and realistic reading.

Parliament cannot accept, however, the approach according to which the EU budget is made the source for possible savings with the same proportion and logic applied to the national budgets , given the substantial difference in nature, objectives and structure. It considers that decreasing EU resources will surely result in a lack of investment and liquidity in the Member States.

In Parliament’s view, the EU budget is to be seen as a complementary instrument of support for Member States' economies , capable of concentrating initiatives and investment in areas strategic for growth and the creation of jobs as well as and of bringing about a leverage effect in sectors overcoming national boundaries. Such a role is legitimised by the same Member States, who, together with Parliament, are responsible for the decisions from which most of the EU law stems.

Recalling that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), Parliament deplores the decision of the Council to proceed again this year with the usual approach of horizontal cuts to the DB , aimed at artificially reducing the level of the EU's resources for 2013 by an overall total of EUR 1 155 million (-0.8%) in commitment appropriations (CA) and EUR 5 228 million (-3.8%) in payment appropriations (PA).

Parliament is also surprised that the Council has not taken into account the latest Commission's forecasts for programme implementation, based on estimates of the same Member States. It warns about the severe risk of shortages of payments, in particular under Headings 1a, 1b and 2 , entailing a risk that sufficient funds are not made available to enable the EU to honour its debts.

Reductions damaging for growth: underlining that the current procedures for assessing the real needs for payment appropriations for Member States take place in total obscurity, Parliament has examined the Council’s cuts, noting that Headings 1a and 1b are particularly affected as regards payments (-EUR 1.9 billion and -EUR 1.6 billion respectively as compared to the DB), i.e. the headings under which most of the programmes and initiatives responsible for delivery of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are concentrated. It underlines that these cuts are fully at odds with the conclusions of the June 2012 European Council , which identified the EU budget as "a catalyst for growth and jobs across Europe" and decided to concentrate resources, including EUR 55 billion coming from the Structural Funds, on growth-enhancing measures. Parliament considers that that decision, taken at the highest political level of the EU, needs to be translated into a sufficient level of payments for 2013 in favour of programmes and actions underpinning this priority.

Parliament also rejects the Council's argument that these cuts correspond to under-implemented or low-performing programmes, (e.g. the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Heading 1a and the Competitiveness and Employment objective under Heading 1b), since such criteria completely disregard the multiannual character of the EU's policies, and of cohesion policy in particular, characterised by a rising profile of payments towards the end of the MFF.

Furthermore, the substantial reduction in the level of payments as compared to commitments set by the Council would logically result in a further increase of the RAL by EUR 4.1 billion, especially considering that the largest shares of the RAL relate to cohesion policy (65.6%) and to R&D sector (10.5%).

Restoring at the level of DB payment appropriations to enable the main EU programmes to function: Parliament doubts that the increase in payments by 6.8 % proposed in the DB will be sufficient to cover reimbursements of payment claims awaited by Member States under the various headings – and in particular for Headings 1a and 1b – in the absence of an amending budget covering payment needs for 2012. It will therefore reject any attempt to reduce the level of payment appropriations as compared to the DB proposal . From experience, Parliament does not deem the declaration of payments proposed by the Council in its reading as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will eventually be made available for all headings. It therefore takes the general approach, therefore, of restoring, at the level of DB payments cut by Council in all headings and increasing payment appropriations over DB on a selected number of lines characterised by high levels of implementation within each heading, in particular Headings 1a and 4, to cover the real needs of the corresponding programmes, as identified by the Commission. It calls on the European Parliament to mandate its delegation for the Budget 2013 conciliation not to accept any level of payments both for the Amending budget 6/2012 and the Budget 2013 that does not fully cover the payment needs for 2012 and 2013, as estimated by the Commission. It recalls that Council completely disregarded Parliament's priorities that it expressed in the trilogue and that Parliament's reading is based instead upon the latest figures and relevant benchmarks.

More Europe and not less Europe: Parliament underlines that the answer to the crisis must be ‘more Europe and not less Europe’ in order to restart investment, boost the creation of jobs and help rebuild confidence in the economy. It cannot, therefore, accept Council's decision to reduce commitment appropriations further down to 1.27% compared to budget 2012. It even intends to increase commitment appropriations above the DB on a few selected budget lines directly related to the delivery of the Europe 2020 priorities and in line with traditional Parliament's priorities;

As far as each of the budgetary headings is concerned, Parliament’s views are as follows:

Heading 1a: Parliament regrets that Heading 1a bears practically the totality of the Council's cuts in commitments (-2.9% compared to DB in Heading 1) and is the most affected as regards decreases in payments (-EUR 1.9 billion or -14% compared to the DB ). It has decided to reverse almost all cuts by Council. It introduces the following amendments to the budget:

increase commitment and payment appropriations in favour of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and CIP Intelligent Energy Europe; partly compensate decreases to ITER by setting commitments above DB on a selected number of operational FP7 lines directly underpinning the Europe 2020 strategy and characterised by excellent levels of implementation and strong absorption capacity; finance this partial offset above the available margin through the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 50 million; increase appropriations for Lifelong Learning and Erasmus Mundus programmes which, against modest financial envelopes, provide great returns in terms of effective implementation and positive image of the Union vis-à-vis its citizens; maintain the level of commitments and payments proposed in the DB for projects of common interest in the Trans-European transport network; restore DB payments for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF).

Heading 1b: once again, Parliament strongly regrets the substantial cuts in payments (-EUR 1.6 billion or -3.3% as compared to the DB) by the Council affecting the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective (-12.9%), the European Territorial Cooperation objective (-18.7%) and the Cohesion Fund (-4.7%). According to Parliament, such cuts would definitely hamper the correct execution of projects during the last year of the programming period, with dramatic consequences, especially for the Member States which are already under social, economical and financial constraints, thereby substantially increasing the RAL.

Recalling the doubts expressed in its mandate for the trilogue as to whether the level of payments proposed in the DB will be sufficient to reimburse the totality of the expected payment claims in the absence of an amending budget this year, Parliament rejects the cuts introduced by the Council on Heading 1b, which would lead to a much more serious shortage in payments than already expected and would also lead to a strong increase in the level of RAL by the end of next year. It does not consider the Council's declaration asking the Commission to submit a draft amending budget in case of insufficient payments under Heading 1b as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will be made available in 2013, given that similar commitments have been already undertaken and disregarded by the Council in the past two years. In this context, Parliament asks the Council Presidency to make a public statement and explain the discrepancy between the Council's reading on payments and the actual needs of Member States , as expressed in their estimates. In sum, Parliament decides to restore the DB in commitments and in payments for all budget lines cut by Council under this heading. It urges the Council to agree on Draft amending budget 6/2012 with the aim to compensate the shortage of payment appropriations this year and to avoid blocking the execution of running projects at the end of the programming period.

Parliament also decides to increase commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for the technical assistance to the Baltic Sea Strategy.

Heading 2: Parliament considers that the Commission’s estimates of budgetary needs are more realistic than the Council’s forecast figures, and restores, therefore, Council's cuts under this Heading to a level of EUR 60 307.51 million, which is 0.6% above the 2012 budget. In an amendment adopted in Plenary, Parliament calls on the Commission to increase its efforts to define clear priorities under this Heading that favour sustainable farming systems which preserve biodiversity, protect water resources and soil fertility, respect animal welfare and support employment. It rejects the increase of the so-called negative expenditure line (clearance of accounts) as this appears to be set artificially high compared to Heading 2 appropriations and partly restores the Commission's proposal.

Parliament also makes the following budgetary adjustments:

granting an adequate level for producer groups for preliminary recognition; increase in the Union's contribution to the crisis fund within operational funds for producer organisations; increased support for the school milk programme and the continued support for programme concerning school fruit; maintaining the budget allocation dedicated to the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons in the with Members welcoming the effort made by the Commission in finding a political and legal solution to continue with the programme in 2013; continued support on a commensurate level for the LIFE+ programme, maintaining financing of the CFP at the proposed DB levels, in view of its upcoming reform.

Parliament supports the sharp reduction of some budget lines on refunds, and in some cases even to zero, as this instrument is politically controversial.

Heading 3a: Parliament rejects the cuts performed by the Council in payment appropriations in the following areas:

European Return Fund (-EUR 18 million), European Refugee Fund (-EUR 1.8 million), European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals (-EUR 3.2 million) and Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (-EUR 1 million).

It decides, therefore, to restore the level of the DB on the corresponding lines. It also increases the payment appropriations of the DAPHNE programme above the level of the DB, emphasising the positive role of the programme.

Parliament also rejects the Council's unilateral decision to change the legal basis of the proposal on the "Schengen evaluation mechanism" from the ordinary legislative procedure to Article 70 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It supports the Conference of Presidents' decision to block cooperation with the Council on the 2013 budget as regards internal security aspects and confirms it will place in the reserve some budgetary lines in Title 18 which relate to internal security (in commitment and payment appropriations) until a satisfactory outcome is achieved on the Schengen governance package.

Heading 4: Parliament highlights that cut in payments brought by the Council to Heading 4 (-EUR 1 billion or -14.1% as compared to DB) represent approximately 20% of the overall cuts across all headings. It considers that such a massive reduction would impede the Union to respect the commitments to which it has committed itself on the world scene . It decides, therefore, to restore the level of both commitment and payment appropriations in most budget lines to the levels proposed in the DB.

It considers, however, that some decreases compared to the DB can be accepted in some budget lines, such as

macro-Financial Assistance, membership of international organisations in the field of customs and tax and cooperation with Greenland.

It proposes a small increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for budget lines in the areas of geographical development cooperation, as well as for the Electoral Observation Mission and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Pointing out that increased funding for Palestine and UNRWA is crucial for ensuring that UNRWA is given the necessary resources it needs to provide the essential services for which it has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and to safeguard the safety and livelihood of refugees, Parliament increases the relevant funding. It also increases appropriations for the support to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot Community.

Heading 5: taking note of the Council's position decreasing the Commission's proposal on Heading 5 by EUR 146 million overall, despite the institutions' efforts towards budget consolidation of administrative expenditure, Parliament welcomes the efforts of the institutions, including the Commission, which complied with and even overstepped their commitment to restrict their administrative budgets to an increase below the expected inflation rate.

For all the institutions, apart from the Council, as well as for the European Schools, Parliament decides to restore (or in the case of the Court of Justice, add) in reserve the amounts corresponding to the 1.7% 2011 salary adjustment for budget year 2013, pending the Court's ruling. This is sound budgeting, given the likelihood of a ruling in favour of the Commission. Parliament warns the Council that, in this event, the budgetary authority will need to accommodate the retroactive effect of such ruling for years 2011 and 2012, including late interest. Parliament also undoes other cuts brought by the Council on specific items of administrative expenditure, notably, within the Commission, on ICT equipment and services and some offices.

While restoring or maintaining the Commission's and, in part, other institutions' requests for posts on the basis of a case-by-case approach, Parliament calls for an in-depth impact assessment to be carried out on the planned staff reductions by 2018, taking full account of, inter alia, the Union's legal obligations and the institutions' new competences.

Parliament notes with concern that staff cuts were made within the Commission and asks the Commission to include in its annual staff screening report an assessment of the impact. It also sets a number of reserves on some budget lines with a view to obtaining specific information. Lastly, deploring the cuts made by the Council on the administrative and research support lines, Parliament considers underlines that these would be likely to affect the swiftness and quality of budgetary implementation of the multi-annual programmes to which they are related. It decides therefore to restore the DB for those lines.

Agencies: Parliament endorses, as a general rule, the Commission's estimates of agencies' budgetary and staff needs and notes that the Commission had already considerably reduced the agencies' initial requests. Parliament considers that any further cuts as proposed by the Council would endanger the proper functioning of the agencies and would not allow them to fulfil the tasks they have been assigned. They decide to increase the 2013 budget appropriations for the three financial supervision agencies. Aware that certain agencies (such as Europol, EASA, ACER) have to implement additional tasks in 2013 which might not be reflected in the allocated budget or establishment plan for 2013, Parliament requests the Commission, in case of necessity, to propose timely an Amending Budget for the relevant agency. It also expects the Commission to present a new financial statement when a legislative procedure has been finalised by Parliament and the Council extending the mandate of an agency.

Other sections

Parliament is generally concerned by the Council's position of a nominal freeze across all EU institutions, believing that each institution should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the needs and specific situation of each institution. It welcomes efforts made by the institutions to find additional savings and restrict their budgets bearing in mind the costs of the enlargement to Croatia.

European Parliament: concerning its own budget, Parliament points out that the level of its 2013 budget is 1.9% above the 2012 budget including the costs for Croatian accession but that due to the current inflation rate of 1.9%, there is a real decrease of the operating budget, despite recently added competences, new posts and actions, the financing of Croatia's accession and the costs for preparing the 2014 elections. Parliament’s budget is thus set at EUR 1 750 463 939 for 2013.

Parliament approves the following adjustments to the estimates:

reduction in the appropriations in the contingency reserve, internalisation of the security service in a budget-neutral manner, pursuit of the internalisation of ICT activities adjustment in the appropriations for the European Parliamentary Association; reduction of appropriations for the House of European History by EUR 5.3 million.

Other specific demands are made in regard to the internal organisation of Parliament’s work, travel and ICT and translation expenditures.

The question of Parliament’s seat: Parliament

Parliament believes that, like every directly elected parliament, the European Parliament should have the right to decide on its own seat and working place arrangements. It declares, therefore, that Parliament's seat and places of work for Members and officials should be decided upon by Parliament itself. It urges the two arms of the budgetary authority (the Council and Parliament), in order to make financial savings and to promote a more sustainable climate- and environmentally-friendly solution, to raise the issue of a single seat and Parliament's working places for Members and officials in the upcoming negotiations on the next MFF for 2014-2020 . It urges the Member States to revise the issue of Parliament's seat and working places in the next revision of the Treaty by amending Protocol 6. Furthermore, it calls on the Council to start elaborating a road-map with the Parliament towards a single seat and a more efficient use of Parliament's working places, taking into account specific up-to-date figures detailing the cost of each place of work and working conditions for staff, as well as economic, societal and environmental factors – to be presented in a report by 30 June 2013.

Other institutions: lastly, Parliament makes a series of recommendations on the other institutions and bodies of the EU calling generally for the restoration of certain appropriations allocated to each in order to enable them to carry out their tasks and meet the needs of enlargement to Croatia.

Documents
2012/10/23
   EP/CSL - Start of budgetary conciliation (Parliament and Council)
2012/10/22
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2012/10/22
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2012/10/19
   EC - Document attached to the procedure
Details

PURPOSE: presentation of Amending Letter No 1 to the Draft General Budget 2013 (DB 2013).

CONTENT: this Amending Letter No 1 to the Draft General Budget 2013 relates to:

the line by line updating of the estimated needs for agricultural expenditure. In addition to changing market factors, the AL also incorporates the impact of legislative decisions adopted in the agricultural sector since the DB 2013 was drawn up, revised estimates of needs for some direct payments, as well as any proposals, which are expected to have a significant effect during the coming budget year; an update of the situation for International Fisheries Agreements.

The budgetary impact of these adjustments is a reduction in commitment and payment appropriations of EUR 25.1 million compared to the Draft Budget 2013.

2012/10/12
   EP - Budgetary report tabled for plenary
Details

The Committee on Budgets adopted the joint report on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 by Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT) – (section III – Commission) and Derek VAUGHAN (S&D, UK) (other Sections).

Members stress that the priorities expressed in the opinions given by its specialised committees , as well as those which emerged on the occasion of the meetings with the Rapporteurs specialising in budgetary matters, have as far as possible been taken into account in the present draft resolution.

Section III – Commission: the committee recalls that Parliament’s priorities for the 2013 budget, as detailed in its resolution of 4 July 2012 on the mandate for the trilogue, consist in: support for sustainable growth, competitiveness and employment, particularly for SMEs and youth . It points out that the Commission's draft budget (DB) reflects Parliament's priorities and is aware of the severe difficulties arising from the state of the national economies and of the need for a responsible and realistic reading. Members cannot accept, however, the approach according to which the EU budget is made the source for possible savings with the same proportion and logic applied to the national budgets , given the substantial difference in nature, objectives and structure. They highlight that decreasing EU resources will surely result in a lack of investment and liquidity in the Member States.

Members underline that the EU budget is to be seen as a complementary instrument of support for Member States' economies , capable of concentrating initiatives and investment in areas strategic for growth and the creation of jobs as well as and of bringing about a leverage effect in sectors overcoming national boundaries. Such a role is legitimised by the same Member States, who, together with Parliament, are responsible for the decisions from which most of the EU law stems.

Recalling that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), Members deplore the decision of the Council to proceed again this year with the usual approach of horizontal cuts to the DB , aimed at artificially reducing the level of the EU's resources for 2013 by an overall total of EUR 1 155 million (-0.8%) in commitment appropriations (CA) and EUR 5 228 million (-3.8%) in payment appropriations (PA).

They are surprised that the Council has not taken into account latest Commission's forecasts for programmes' implementation, based on estimates of the same Member States. The report warns about the s evere risk of shortages of payments, in particular under Headings 1a, 1b and 2 , entailing a risk that sufficient funds are not made available to enable the EU to honour its debts.

Reductions damaging for growth: Members underline that the current procedures for assessing the real needs for payment appropriations for Member States take place in total obscurity. The committee has examined the Council’s cuts, noting that Headings 1a and 1b are particularly affected as regards payments (-EUR 1.9 billion and -EUR 1.6 billion respectively as compared to the DB), i.e. the headings under which most of the programmes and initiatives responsible for delivery of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are concentrated. It underlines that these cuts are fully at odds with the conclusions of the June 2012 European Council , which identified the EU budget as "a catalyst for growth and jobs across Europe" and decided to concentrate resources, including EUR 55 billion coming from the Structural Funds, on growth-enhancing measures. Members consider that that decision, taken at the highest political level of the EU, needs to be translated into a sufficient level of payments for 2013 in favour of programmes and actions underpinning this priority. They also reject the Council's argument that these cuts correspond to under-implemented or low-performing programmes, (e.g. the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Heading 1a and the Competitiveness and Employment objective under Heading 1b), since such criteria completely disregard the multiannual character of the EU's policies, and of cohesion policy in particular, characterised by a rising profile of payments towards the end of the MFF.

Furthermore, the substantial reduction in the level of payments as compared to commitments set by the Council would logically result in a further increase of the RAL by EUR 4.1 billion, especially considering that the largest shares of the RAL relate to cohesion policy (65.6%) and to R&D sector (10.5%).

Restoring at the level of DB payment appropriations to enable the main EU programmes to function: due to recent experience, the committee does not deem the declaration of payments proposed by the Council in its reading as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will eventually be made available for all headings. The Budgets Committee takes the general approach, therefore, of restoring, at the level of DB payments cut by Council in all headings and increasing payment appropriations over DB on a selected number of lines characterised by high levels of implementation within each heading, in particular Headings 1a and 4, to cover the real needs of the corresponding programmes, as identified by the Commission. It calls on the European Parliament to mandate its delegation for the Budget 2013 conciliation not to accept any level of payments both for the Amending budget 6/2012 and the Budget 2013 that does not fully cover the payment needs for 2012 and 2013, as estimated by the Commission. Members recall that Council completely disregarded Parliament's priorities, as expressed in Parliament's mandate for the trilogue but that Parliament's reading is based instead upon benchmarks arising from that mandate.

More Europe and not less Europe: the report underlines that the answer to the crisis must be ‘more Europe and not less Europe’ in order to restart investment, boost the creation of jobs and help rebuild confidence in the economy. Members cannot, therefore, accept Council's decision to reduce commitment appropriations further down to 1.27% compared to budget 2012. They set the overall level of appropriations for 2013 to:

EUR 151 151.84 million in commitment appropriations and EUR 137 898.15 million in payment appropriations.

With regard to each of the budget headings, Members make the following points:

Heading 1a: they deplore that Heading 1a bears practically the totality of the Council's cuts in commitments (-2.9% compared to DB in Heading 1) and is the most affected as regards decreases in payments (-EUR 1.9 billion or -14% compared to DB ). They decide to undo almost all cuts by Council and to reinforce above DB in commitment and payment appropriations only a selected number of lines directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy.

Members make the following amendments to the budget:

increase commitment and payment appropriations in favour of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and CIP Intelligent Energy Europe; partly compensate decreases to ITER by setting commitments above DB on a selected number of operational FP7 lines directly underpinning the Europe 2020 strategy and characterised by excellent levels of implementation and strong absorption capacity; finance this partial offset above the available margin through the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 50 million; increase appropriations for Lifelong Learning and Erasmus Mundus programmes which, against modest financial envelopes, provide great returns in terms of effective implementation and positive image of the Union vis-à-vis its citizens; the level of commitments and payments proposed in the DB for projects of common interest in the Trans-European transport network; restore DB payments for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF).

Heading 1b: Members strongly deplore the substantial cuts in payments (-EUR 1.6 billion or -3.3% as compared to the DB) by the Council affecting the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective (-12.9%), the European Territorial Cooperation objective (-18.7%) and the Cohesion Fund (-4.7%). Recalling the doubts expressed in its mandate for the trilogue as to whether the level of payments proposed in the DB will be sufficient to reimburse the totality of the expected payment claims in the absence of an amending budget this year, the committee rejects the cuts introduced by the Council on Heading 1b, which would lead to a much more serious shortage in payments than already expected and would also lead to a strong increase in the level of RAL by the end of next year. It does not consider the Council's declaration asking the Commission to submit a draft amending budget in case of insufficient payments under Heading 1b as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will be made available in 2013, given that similar commitments have been already undertaken and disregarded by the Council in the past two years. Members ask the Council Presidency to make a public statement and explain the discrepancy between the Council's reading on payments and the actual needs of Member States , as expressed in their estimates.

In sum, the committee decides to restore the DB in commitments and in payments for all budget lines cut by Council under this heading. It urges the Council to agree on Draft amending budget 6/2012 presented by the Commission with the aim to compensate the shortage of payment appropriations this year and to avoid blocking the execution of running projects at the end of the programming period.

Heading 2: Members consider that the Commission’s estimates of budgetary needs are more realistic than the Council’s forecast figures, and restore, therefore, Council's cuts under this Heading to a level of EUR 60 307.51 million, which is 0.6% above the 2012 budget. They reject the increase of the so-called negative expenditure line (clearance of accounts) as this appears to be set artificially high compared to Heading 2 appropriations and partly restores the Commission's proposal, allowing a more realistic approach.

They also make the following adjustments to the budget:

granting an adequate level for producer groups for preliminary recognition; increase in the Union's contribution to the crisis fund within operational funds for producer organisations; increased support for the school milk programme and the continued support for programme concerning school fruit; maintaining the budget allocation dedicated to the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons in the with Members welcoming the effort made by the Commission in finding a political and legal solution to continue with the programme in 2013; continued support on a commensurate level for the LIFE+ programme, maintaining financing of the CFP at the proposed DB levels, in view of its upcoming reform.

Members state they support the sharp reduction of some budget lines on refunds, and in some cases even to zero, as this instrument is politically controversial.

Heading 3a: Members reject the cuts performed by the Council in payment appropriations in the following areas:

European Return Fund (-EUR 18 million), European Refugee Fund (-EUR 1.8 million), European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals (-EUR 3.2 million) and Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (-EUR 1 million).

They decide, therefore, to restore the level of the DB on the corresponding lines. They also increase the payment appropriations of the DAPHNE programme above the level of the DB, emphasising the positive role of the programme.

Members also reject the Council's unilateral decision to change the legal basis of the proposal on the "Schengen evaluation mechanism" from the ordinary legislative procedure to Article 70 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. They support the Conference of Presidents' decision to block cooperation with the Council on the 2013 budget as regards internal security aspects and endorse, therefore, the position taken by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs to put into the reserve some budgetary lines in Title 18 which relate to internal security (in commitment and payment appropriations) until a satisfactory outcome is achieved on the Schengen governance package.

Heading 3b: emphasising the need to encourage cross-cultural communication and EU citizenship within the next generation, the committee has decided to increase funding for the Youth in Action programme compared to DB. It also reinforces appropriations for the European Year of Citizens 2013 together with the latter’s communication activities.

Heading 4: Members highlight that cut in payments brought by the Council to Heading 4 (-EUR 1 billion or -14.1% as compared to DB) represent approximately 20% of the overall cuts across all headings. They consider that such a massive reduction would impede the Union to respect the commitments to which it has committed itself on the world scene and they decide to restore the level of both commitment and payment appropriations in most budget lines to the levels proposed in the DB.

Members consider, however, that some decreases compared to the DB can be accepted in some budget lines, such as

macro-Financial Assistance, membership of international organisations in the field of customs and tax and cooperation with Greenland.

They propose a small increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for budget lines in the areas of geographical development cooperation, as well as for the Electoral Observation Mission and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Pointing out that increased funding for Palestine and UNRWA is crucial for ensuring that UNRWA is given the necessary resources it needs to provide the essential services for which it has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and to safeguard the safety and livelihood of refugees, the committee increases the relevant funding. It also increases appropriations for the support to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot Community.

Heading 5: taking note of the Council's position decreasing the Commission's proposal on Heading 5 by EUR 146 million overall, despite the institutions' efforts towards budget consolidation of administrative expenditure, Members welcome the efforts of most institutions, including Parliament and the Commission, which complied with and even overstepped their commitment to restrict their administrative budgets to an increase below the expected inflation rate.

For all the institutions, apart from the Council, as well as for the European Schools, they decide to restore (or in the case of the Court of Justice, add) in reserve the amounts corresponding to the 1.7% 2011 salary adjustment for budget year 2013, pending the Court's ruling. This is sound budgeting, given the likelihood of a ruling in favour of the Commission. The committee warns the Council that, in this event, the budgetary authority will need to accommodate the retroactive effect of such ruling for years 2011 and 2012, including late interest.

It also undoes other cuts brought by the Council on specific items of administrative expenditure, notably, within the Commission, on ICT equipment and services and some offices.

While restoring or maintaining the Commission's and, partly, other institutions' requests for posts on the basis of a case-by-case approach, Members call for an in-depth impact assessment to be carried out on the planned staff reductions by 2018, taking full account of, inter alia, the Union's legal obligations and the institutions' new competences.

They note with concern that staff cuts were made within the Commission and ask the Commission to include in its annual staff screening report an assessment of the impact. They also set a number of reserves on some budget lines with a view to obtaining specific information.

Agencies: Members endorse, as a general rule, the Commission's estimates of agencies' budgetary and staff needs and notes that the Commission had already considerably reduced the agencies' initial requests. They consider that any further cuts as proposed by the Council would endanger the proper functioning of the agencies and would not allow them to fulfil the tasks they have been assigned. They decide to increase the 2013 budget appropriations for the three financial supervision agencies.

Members are aware that certain agencies (such as Europol, EASA, ACER) have to implement additional tasks in 2013 which might not be reflected in the allocated budget or establishment plan for 2013 and request the Commission, in case of necessity, to propose timely an Amending Budget for the relevant agency. They also expect the Commission to present a new financial statement when a legislative procedure has been finalised by Parliament and the Council extending the mandate of an agency.

Other sections

The committee is concerned by the Council's position of a nominal freeze across all EU institutions, believing that each institution should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the needs and specific situation of each institution. It welcomes efforts made by the institutions to find additional savings and restrict their budgets bearing in mind the costs of the enlargement to Croatia.

European Parliament: Members point out that the level of its 2013 budget is 1.9% above the 2012 budget including the costs for Croatian accession but that due to the current inflation rate of 1.9%, there is a real decrease of the operating budget, despite recently added competences, new posts and actions, the financing of Croatia's accession and the costs for preparing the 2014 elections. They approve the following adjustments to the estimates:

reduction in the appropriations in the contingency reserve, internalisation of the security service in a budget-neutral manner, pursuit of the internalisation of ICT activities adjustment in the appropriations for the European Parliamentary Association; reduction of appropriations for the House of European History by EUR 5.3 million.

Members believe that, like every directly elected parliament, the European Parliament should have the right to decide on its own seat and working place arrangements and declare, therefore, that Parliament's seat and places of work for Members and officials should be decided upon by Parliament itself.

They go on to make other remarks on Parliament’s internal organisation, travel, ICT expenditure and translation.

Other institutions: lastly, Members make a series of recommendations on the other institutions and bodies of the EU calling generally for the restoration of certain appropriations allocated to each in order to enable them to carry out their tasks and meet the needs of enlargement to Croatia.

Documents
2012/10/10
   EP - Vote in committee
2012/10/02
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2012/09/25
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/09/24
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/09/21
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/09/20
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/09/19
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/09/18
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/09/17
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/09/12
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/09/07
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/09/07
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/09/06
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/09/06
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/09/06
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/09/05
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/09/05
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/09/04
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2012/07/25
   CSL - Council position on draft budget
Details

The Council adopted its position on the draft budget of the European Union for 2013.

The main features of the position are as follows:

EUR 149 776.77 million in commitment appropriations; EUR 132 695.47 million in payment appropriations .

Under the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013, commitment appropriations increase by 1.27% compared to the 2012 budget and payment appropriations increase by 2.79%.

The total amount of payment appropriations provided for in the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013 corresponds to 0.99% of EU GNI .

A. Generalities: the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013:

shows due regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline and sound financial management; is within the framework of the budget guidelines established for the 2013 budget in the Council conclusions adopted in February 2012 ; is an approach resulting in a budget that is both realistic and comprehensively balanced, that meets the conditions of budgetary discipline and sound financial management in seeking to make additional efforts in comparison to the draft budget put forward by the Commission; provides adequate funding for the European Union's various priorities, by determining appropriations on the basis of the budget implementation rate in 2011, budget forecast alerts in 2012 and realistic absorption capacities, given the particularities of the various financial years. This approach was also followed with regard to allocations for administrative expenditures relating to the operational programmes and expenditures of the executive agencies; ensures a limited and controlled growth of payment appropriations in line with 2012 under all headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework, adjusting the amounts on the basis of an analysis of the 2011 budget implementation and the 2012 budget forecast alerts. This approach should be seen in the context of the budgetary constraints applied in all Member States; applies the same approach as that adopted in relation to the institutions’ administrative expenditures to those of the decentralised agencies; leaves adequate margins under the ceilings of the headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework , with the exception of sub-heading 1b, in order to be able to cope with unforeseen situations while respecting, as far as possible, the amounts in commitment appropriations proposed by the Commission regarding co-decided programmes.

Statement on payment appropriations: besides the abovementioned principles, the Council also approved a statement on payment appropriations calling on the Commission to submit as early as possible the letter of amendment for agriculture (including information about the possible carry-over of assigned revenue) and, if necessary, a letter of amendment concerning sub-heading 1b in order to appropriately calibrate the level of resources in heading 2 (Preservation and management of natural resources) and sub-heading 1b in the 2013 budget.

Furthermore, the Council asks the Commission to submit a draft amending budget if the payment appropriations entered in the 2013 budget are insufficient to cover expenditure under:

sub-heading 1a (Competitiveness for growth and employment), sub-heading 1b, heading 2 and heading 4 (EU as a global player).

It urges the Commission to present as early as possible updated figures concerning the state of affairs and estimates regarding payment appropriations under sub-heading 1b and, if necessary, to present a draft amending budget for this sole purpose. The Council will take position on the draft amending budget as quickly as possible in order to avoid any shortfall in payment appropriations.

B. Expenditure by heading of the financial framework: as to expenditure under the different headings of the financial framework the Council's position is as follows:

Heading 1: Sustainable growth (EUR 70.055 billion in commitments):

Sub-heading 1a: as regards competitiveness for growth and employment expenditure, the amount of this sub-heading totals EUR 15.563 billion in commitment appropriations, thus a reduction of EUR 469.15 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, of which EUR 35.51 million resulting from the approach taken in regard to administrative expenditure.

The sub-heading is characterised by the following:

t he fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.77 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies(a total of 111 temporary posts are accepted); the setting of the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 1 897.65 million in the appropriations requested in the DB of which EUR 151 million in the field of competitiveness, EUR 63.05 million in the field of transport, EUR 1 237.09 million in the field of research, EUR 104 million in the field of education and training, EUR 13.4 million in the field of social policy, EUR 202 million on budget lines related to the European economic recovery plan, EUR 50 million on the budget line for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund and EUR 77.1 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of an analysis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities.

The margin available under sub-heading 1a would be EUR 560.1 million.

Sub-heading 1b): expenditures on cohesion for growth and employment : the Council has foreseen an amount of EUR 54.492 billion in commitments. The other main points about this sub-heading are the following:

the establishment of the level of commitment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 7.4 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines related to administrative expenditure under this subheading; the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1 599.74 million, resulting in an increase of 8.07 % in comparison with 2012 . This amount represents a reduction in payment appropriations concentrated in the fields of the European Regional Development Fund (EUR 310 million), the European Social Fund (EUR 831 million) and the Cohesion Fund (EUR 459 million), representing an adjustment on the basis of the available information.

The margin available under sub-heading 1b would be EUR 32.45 million.

Heading 2: expenditure for preservation and management of natural resources: the amount for this heading is set at EUR 59.971 billion in commitment appropriations, thus involving a total reduction of EUR 336 million in commitment appropriations requested in the DB, of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts and EUR 4 million on the budget line for public awareness, on the basis of past and current budget implementation.

M arket-related expenditures and direct aids are set at EUR 43.795 billion (in commitment appropriations) by the Council, i.e. a reduction of 0.4% in comparison with 2012.

Other points in regard to this budgetary heading include:

t he fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1.07 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies, (a total of 29 temporary posts accepted); the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 490.57 million , of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts, EUR 100 million in the field of rural development, EUR 38 million in maritime affairs and fisheries, and EUR 20.5 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation. These amounts estimated on the basis of past budget implementation and available information may be reviewed in the light of the Autumn letter of amendment.

The margin available under heading 2 would be EUR 1 317.55 million.

Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: the allocation for this heading has been set at EUR 2.057 billion in commitment appropriations, divided between two sub-headings:

3a) in regard to freedom, security and justice expenditure (EUR 1.377 billion in commitment appropriations), the Council requests:

the setting of the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 14.95 million commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities; the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.83 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies (a total of 45 temporary posts accepted); the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 50.97 million in the appropriations requested in the DB on a number of budget lines on the basis of past and current budget implementation;

The margin available under sub-heading 3a would be EUR 283.72 million.

3b) as regards citizenship expenditure ( EUR 680 million in commitment appropriations), the Council has sought to:

set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 9.52 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities; fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.84 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies; set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 9.55 million the appropriations requested in the DB in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation.

The available margin under sub-heading 3b would be EUR 35.10 million.

Heading 4: the EU as a global player , the Council envisages a total amount of EUR 9.295 billion in commitment appropriations. It thus decided to:

set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 171.7 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB on a number of specific budget lines under this heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities; fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.21 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies; set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 1 034.29 million the appropriations requested in the DB , of which on the one hand EUR 924.29 million in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation as well as realistic absorption capacities, while, on the other hand, not retaining the amount of EUR 110 million proposed in the DB for the Emergency Aid Reserve .

The margin available under Heading 4 would be EUR 563.64 million to cover any additional needs at a later stage.

Heading 5: administrative expenditure: these amount to EUR 8.398 billion in commitment appropriations. The Council has decided to:

keep under strict control the volume of the administrative expenditure of the EU institutions, in line with the approach followed by the Member States for their national civil service; set the administrative budget of each institution at the appropriate level, taking into account their specificities and real and justified needs, reducing by a total amount of EUR 146.18 million the commitment and payment appropriations requested in the DB ; increase the standard flat rate abatement on salaries for certain institutions and offices; not accept the 1.7 % increase related to the 2011 salary adjustment ; apply the Commission's proposal to reduce staff by 1% per year as from 2013 to all institutions, with the exception of the very small institutions (European Ombudsman and European Data Protection Supervisor) and the recently created European External Action Service; not accept the new posts requested by the European Ombudsman and the European Data Protection Supervisor; accept the requested conversions, transformations, upgradings and transfers of posts, with the exception of non-obligatory transformations of posts requested by the Court of Justice of the European Union; accept all additional staff requests related to the Croatia enlargement .

This approach has resulted in an appropriate level of administrative expenditure ensuring a proper functioning of the institutions. A margin of EUR 782.77 million remains available under the ceiling of heading 5 of the multiannual financial framework. The Council also focused on administrative expenditure linked to operational programmes and on administrative expenditure of the executive agencies. In this respect, it was decided to carry out targeted reductions on the basis of a similar approach as the one followed for the institutions.

Agencies: as regards the decentralised agencies, the Council also applied a similar approach as for the institutions. Therefore, a 1% reduction was retained in the contribution to Titles 1 and 2 of all agencies. As regards posts, a 1% reduction to the establishment plan was applied for the agencies at "cruising speed". Regarding agencies in charge of new tasks, only half of the new posts requested were accepted. For agencies in the "start-up" phase, the accepted new posts were limited to three-quarters of the requests.

Documents
2012/07/24
   CSL - Council position on draft budget published
Details

The Council adopted its position on the draft budget of the European Union for 2013.

The main features of the position are as follows:

EUR 149 776.77 million in commitment appropriations; EUR 132 695.47 million in payment appropriations .

Under the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013, commitment appropriations increase by 1.27% compared to the 2012 budget and payment appropriations increase by 2.79%.

The total amount of payment appropriations provided for in the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013 corresponds to 0.99% of EU GNI .

A. Generalities: the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013:

shows due regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline and sound financial management; is within the framework of the budget guidelines established for the 2013 budget in the Council conclusions adopted in February 2012 ; is an approach resulting in a budget that is both realistic and comprehensively balanced, that meets the conditions of budgetary discipline and sound financial management in seeking to make additional efforts in comparison to the draft budget put forward by the Commission; provides adequate funding for the European Union's various priorities, by determining appropriations on the basis of the budget implementation rate in 2011, budget forecast alerts in 2012 and realistic absorption capacities, given the particularities of the various financial years. This approach was also followed with regard to allocations for administrative expenditures relating to the operational programmes and expenditures of the executive agencies; ensures a limited and controlled growth of payment appropriations in line with 2012 under all headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework, adjusting the amounts on the basis of an analysis of the 2011 budget implementation and the 2012 budget forecast alerts. This approach should be seen in the context of the budgetary constraints applied in all Member States; applies the same approach as that adopted in relation to the institutions’ administrative expenditures to those of the decentralised agencies; leaves adequate margins under the ceilings of the headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework , with the exception of sub-heading 1b, in order to be able to cope with unforeseen situations while respecting, as far as possible, the amounts in commitment appropriations proposed by the Commission regarding co-decided programmes.

Statement on payment appropriations: besides the abovementioned principles, the Council also approved a statement on payment appropriations calling on the Commission to submit as early as possible the letter of amendment for agriculture (including information about the possible carry-over of assigned revenue) and, if necessary, a letter of amendment concerning sub-heading 1b in order to appropriately calibrate the level of resources in heading 2 (Preservation and management of natural resources) and sub-heading 1b in the 2013 budget.

Furthermore, the Council asks the Commission to submit a draft amending budget if the payment appropriations entered in the 2013 budget are insufficient to cover expenditure under:

sub-heading 1a (Competitiveness for growth and employment), sub-heading 1b, heading 2 and heading 4 (EU as a global player).

It urges the Commission to present as early as possible updated figures concerning the state of affairs and estimates regarding payment appropriations under sub-heading 1b and, if necessary, to present a draft amending budget for this sole purpose. The Council will take position on the draft amending budget as quickly as possible in order to avoid any shortfall in payment appropriations.

B. Expenditure by heading of the financial framework: as to expenditure under the different headings of the financial framework the Council's position is as follows:

Heading 1: Sustainable growth (EUR 70.055 billion in commitments):

Sub-heading 1a: as regards competitiveness for growth and employment expenditure, the amount of this sub-heading totals EUR 15.563 billion in commitment appropriations, thus a reduction of EUR 469.15 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, of which EUR 35.51 million resulting from the approach taken in regard to administrative expenditure.

The sub-heading is characterised by the following:

t he fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.77 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies(a total of 111 temporary posts are accepted); the setting of the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 1 897.65 million in the appropriations requested in the DB of which EUR 151 million in the field of competitiveness, EUR 63.05 million in the field of transport, EUR 1 237.09 million in the field of research, EUR 104 million in the field of education and training, EUR 13.4 million in the field of social policy, EUR 202 million on budget lines related to the European economic recovery plan, EUR 50 million on the budget line for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund and EUR 77.1 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of an analysis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities.

The margin available under sub-heading 1a would be EUR 560.1 million.

Sub-heading 1b): expenditures on cohesion for growth and employment : the Council has foreseen an amount of EUR 54.492 billion in commitments. The other main points about this sub-heading are the following:

the establishment of the level of commitment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 7.4 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines related to administrative expenditure under this subheading; the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1 599.74 million, resulting in an increase of 8.07 % in comparison with 2012 . This amount represents a reduction in payment appropriations concentrated in the fields of the European Regional Development Fund (EUR 310 million), the European Social Fund (EUR 831 million) and the Cohesion Fund (EUR 459 million), representing an adjustment on the basis of the available information.

The margin available under sub-heading 1b would be EUR 32.45 million.

Heading 2: expenditure for preservation and management of natural resources: the amount for this heading is set at EUR 59.971 billion in commitment appropriations, thus involving a total reduction of EUR 336 million in commitment appropriations requested in the DB, of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts and EUR 4 million on the budget line for public awareness, on the basis of past and current budget implementation.

M arket-related expenditures and direct aids are set at EUR 43.795 billion (in commitment appropriations) by the Council, i.e. a reduction of 0.4% in comparison with 2012.

Other points in regard to this budgetary heading include:

t he fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1.07 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies, (a total of 29 temporary posts accepted); the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 490.57 million , of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts, EUR 100 million in the field of rural development, EUR 38 million in maritime affairs and fisheries, and EUR 20.5 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation. These amounts estimated on the basis of past budget implementation and available information may be reviewed in the light of the Autumn letter of amendment.

The margin available under heading 2 would be EUR 1 317.55 million.

Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: the allocation for this heading has been set at EUR 2.057 billion in commitment appropriations, divided between two sub-headings:

3a) in regard to freedom, security and justice expenditure (EUR 1.377 billion in commitment appropriations), the Council requests:

the setting of the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 14.95 million commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities; the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.83 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies (a total of 45 temporary posts accepted); the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 50.97 million in the appropriations requested in the DB on a number of budget lines on the basis of past and current budget implementation;

The margin available under sub-heading 3a would be EUR 283.72 million.

3b) as regards citizenship expenditure ( EUR 680 million in commitment appropriations), the Council has sought to:

set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 9.52 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities; fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.84 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies; set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 9.55 million the appropriations requested in the DB in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation.

The available margin under sub-heading 3b would be EUR 35.10 million.

Heading 4: the EU as a global player , the Council envisages a total amount of EUR 9.295 billion in commitment appropriations. It thus decided to:

set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 171.7 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB on a number of specific budget lines under this heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities; fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.21 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies; set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 1 034.29 million the appropriations requested in the DB , of which on the one hand EUR 924.29 million in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation as well as realistic absorption capacities, while, on the other hand, not retaining the amount of EUR 110 million proposed in the DB for the Emergency Aid Reserve .

The margin available under Heading 4 would be EUR 563.64 million to cover any additional needs at a later stage.

Heading 5: administrative expenditure: these amount to EUR 8.398 billion in commitment appropriations. The Council has decided to:

keep under strict control the volume of the administrative expenditure of the EU institutions, in line with the approach followed by the Member States for their national civil service; set the administrative budget of each institution at the appropriate level, taking into account their specificities and real and justified needs, reducing by a total amount of EUR 146.18 million the commitment and payment appropriations requested in the DB ; increase the standard flat rate abatement on salaries for certain institutions and offices; not accept the 1.7 % increase related to the 2011 salary adjustment ; apply the Commission's proposal to reduce staff by 1% per year as from 2013 to all institutions, with the exception of the very small institutions (European Ombudsman and European Data Protection Supervisor) and the recently created European External Action Service; not accept the new posts requested by the European Ombudsman and the European Data Protection Supervisor; accept the requested conversions, transformations, upgradings and transfers of posts, with the exception of non-obligatory transformations of posts requested by the Court of Justice of the European Union; accept all additional staff requests related to the Croatia enlargement .

This approach has resulted in an appropriate level of administrative expenditure ensuring a proper functioning of the institutions. A margin of EUR 782.77 million remains available under the ceiling of heading 5 of the multiannual financial framework. The Council also focused on administrative expenditure linked to operational programmes and on administrative expenditure of the executive agencies. In this respect, it was decided to carry out targeted reductions on the basis of a similar approach as the one followed for the institutions.

Agencies: as regards the decentralised agencies, the Council also applied a similar approach as for the institutions. Therefore, a 1% reduction was retained in the contribution to Titles 1 and 2 of all agencies. As regards posts, a 1% reduction to the establishment plan was applied for the agencies at "cruising speed". Regarding agencies in charge of new tasks, only half of the new posts requested were accepted. For agencies in the "start-up" phase, the accepted new posts were limited to three-quarters of the requests.

Documents
2012/06/18
   EP - BÜTIKOFER Reinhard (Verts/ALE) appointed as rapporteur in ITRE
2012/05/29
   EP - ŠŤASTNÝ Peter (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in INTA
2012/05/25
   EC - Commission draft budget published
Details

PURPOSE: to present the draft Commission budget for the financial year 2013 (all budget sections).

CONTENT: the Commission adopted the draft EU budget for 2013. It will be the last annual budget of the present Multiannual Financial Framework 2007-2013 . Aware of the current economic situation, the Commission presents a budget fully geared to use its funding potential for growth and jobs in line with the Europe 2020 strategy.

Investment is a crucial component of spurring this growth. The EU budget, with its high investment focus, has an important role to play as a leverage tool to Member States’ recovery policies , which will benefit economic activity across the Union.

In preparing its Draft Budget, the Commission has followed a rigorous approach in which:

an overall increase in the level of commitment appropriations that is restricted to inflation correction (+ 2.0%) is combined with; a targeted significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 6.8%).

This approach contributes directly to growth and jobs in Europe, and which on the other hand is necessary to allow the EU budget to meet its contractual obligations of current and previous years.

In terms of commitment appropriations , the total expenditure proposed in the draft budget (DB) 2013 is EUR 150 931.7 million, corresponding to 1.13% of GNI, that is EUR 3 031.5 million more than in 2012 (+ 2.0%). The restriction of the increase in the overall level of commitment appropriations to inflation correction (+ 2.0 %) leaves a combined total margin of EUR 2 420.4 million under the various ceilings of the MFF.

For payment appropriations , the total amounts to EUR 137 924.4 million, corresponding to 1.04% of GNI. This is an increase of EUR 8 818.3 million compared to payment appropriations in the 2012 budget (+ 6.8%), and leaves a margin of EUR 6 182.6 million under the ceiling of the MFF.

The main priorities have been established for the 2013 Draft Budget: in 2013. The EU will pursue its support to investment and to actions in favour of job-friendly growth . This key political priority is reflected in the level of commitment appropriations requested in the Draft Budget. Competitiveness for growth and employment, with EUR 16 billion in commitment appropriations, and Cohesion for growth and employment, with EUR 54.5 billion in commitment appropriations, support the EU economy by shaping the conditions for sustainable growth and growth-friendly consolidation, both immediately and in the longer term.

At the present final stage of the current financial framework, the Draft Budget for 2013 is established on the basis of a two-fold approach :

appropriations for programmes and initiatives enhancing Growth and Jobs are maximised within the existing framework. Programmes supporting growth and job creation fall mainly under heading 1a “Competitiveness for growth and employment” and heading 1b “Cohesion for growth and employment”. Overall, the proposed commitment appropriations directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy in 2013 increase by 2.7% to EUR 64.5 billion . In particular, key programmes in support of Growth and Investments, SMEs, Employment and Youth which have proved their efficiency, as well the possible reprogramming of structural funds in eight Member States as announced in the European Council of January 2012, are expected to streamline funding to investments in the most critical areas and reinforce the efforts undertaken to address youth unemployment and support SMEs. These efforts are further complemented by new initiatives, mainly the proposed pilot phase for project bonds in the fields of transport, energy and ICT , as well as the proposed new risk-sharing instrument under the Structural Funds which aims at addressing liquidity problems faced by financial institutions, with a view to facilitating investment and growth; the allocation of appropriations is guided by the application of efficiency savings and reductions of administrative expenditure. The Commission’s draft budget request for 2013 incorporates a 1% reduction in human resources, in accordance with the Communication “Budget for Europe 2020” which proposes a 5% staff reduction for all institutions over five years.

Other characteristics of the 2013 budget:

a responsible and realistic budget: in the final year of the current financial framework, the required level of payment appropriations is largely determined by the project cycle. Consequently, the 2013 Draft Budget foresees significant increases – compared to 2012 – in payment appropriations for key policy areas geared towards investment , where programmes are now being implemented at full speed. In particular, increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1% to EUR 9 billion) and for the Structural and Cohesion Funds (+ 11.7% to EUR 49 billion); increased payment appropriations: the proposed increase in the overall level of payment appropriations ( + 6.8% ) results from a thorough and rigorous analysis of needs in all policy areas. The proposed level of expenditure is a necessary consequence of the Union’s contractual obligation to honour the growing level of outstanding commitments of current and previous years, now that the actual implementation of major programmes is clearly shifting into a higher gear; scrutinising performance: the Commission has carried out an in-depth examination of programmes and actions, in particular on the basis of past implementation and performance. The Commission’s proposal reflects the best possible use of the available appropriations for actions that carry the required EU added value, meet the Union’s political objectives and deliver results. A rigorous approach to programmes and actions experiencing implementation difficulties as well as to support expenditure has allowed the Commission to contain the budgetary requests under the various expenditure headings, while refocusing appropriations towards the Union's political priorities such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Youth and Employment and restricting the administrative expenditure including the administrative requirements for the accession of Croatia.

Key aspects of the draft budget 2013 by financial framework headings:

Heading 1: Sustainable growth: this heading covers the expenses relating to competitiveness and employment as well as cohesion:

Heading 1a: Competitiveness for growth and employment: this sub-heading comprises the key policies in the implementation of the strategy "Europe 2020". Given the importance of spending on growth, a special effort was made for the Research Framework Programme (increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1% to EUR 9 billion); the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) will see a significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 47.8% to EUR 546.4 million); for the Lifelong Learning programme, a substantial increase in the level of payment appropriations is proposed (+ 15.8% to EUR 1 186.0 million). Commitment appropriations for this heading are set at EUR 16 032.0 million, which is an increase of 4.1% compared to the 2012 budget. This leaves a margin of EUR 91 million. Payment appropriations increase by 17.8% to EUR 13 552.8 million. This significant increase is in part due to additional payment needs to cover pre-financing payments for the growing level of commitment appropriations for research, and in part to cover intermediate and final payments on outstanding commitments ; Heading 1b: Cohesion for growth and employment: for 2013, total commitment appropriations for heading 1b amount to EUR 54 498.9 million, an increase of 3.3% relative to 2012. Of these, EUR 42 144.7 million are for the Structural Funds (ERDF and ESF), an amount similar to the 2012 envelope, and EUR 12 354.2 million for the Cohesion Fund. Overall payment appropriations are set at EUR 48 975.0 million, an increase of 11.7% over 2012. The substantial increase in the level of payments shows the momentum of the 2007-2013 Cohesion policy on the ground, with the expected positive impact on investments, economic growth and job creation in the EU.

Heading 2: Preservation and Management of Natural Resources: commitment appropriations of EUR 60 307.5 million are proposed for this heading. This level of funding represents an increase of 0.6% compared to 2012 and leaves a margin of EUR 981.5 million under the ceiling. Payment appropriations amount to EUR 57 964.9 million, which is an increase of 1.6% compared to 2012. Within this heading the amount foreseen for market related expenditure and direct aids reaches EUR 44 130.3 million in commitment appropriations, and EUR 44 112.9 million in payment appropriations.

Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: this heading is split into two sub-headings:

Heading 3a: Freedom, Security and Justice: this sub-heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 1.8%, rising to EUR 1 392.2 million, and leaving a margin of EUR 268.8 million. Payment appropriations increase by 11.1% to EUR 928.3 million, mostly due to the four Funds under Solidarity and management of migration flows, which have now reached cruising speed and require substantial pre-financing payments to Member States. Heading 3b: Citizenship: commitment appropriations decrease by 3.6% to EUR 689.4 million, leaving a margin of EUR 25.6 million. Payment appropriations for this heading decrease by 3.1% to EUR 646.3 million. If the EU Solidarity Fund (EUR 18.1 million for commitment and payment appropriations in 2012) is excluded from this comparison, commitment and payment appropriations decrease by 1.2% and 0.4% respectively. The annual ceiling for this heading, which supports various actions close to European citizens, remains broadly stable in the current financial framework.

Heading 4: the EU as a Global Player: this heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 0.7 % to EUR 9 467.2 million, leaving an unallocated margin of EUR 391.9 million available under the ceiling. Payment appropriations on the other hand increase by 5.1 % to EUR 7 311.6 million, mostly due to increases under IPA, ENPI, Humanitarian aid and CFSP , at a time when many instruments are reaching cruising speed.

Heading 5: Administrative expenditure: both commitment and payment appropriations for this heading for all Institutions combined increase by 3.2%, with commitments set at EUR 8 544.4 million and payments at EUR 8 545.5 million. This increase includes additional administrative expenditure related to Croatia’s accession, amounting to EUR 32.9 million for all Institutions. The administrative expenditure related to Croatia is included as from the beginning of 2013, so as to allow recruitments in due time. This remaining margin amounts to EUR 636.6 million.

The Commission continues its efforts to limit its own administrative expenditure by reducing expenditure less affected by automatic adjustments. Moreover, further to its proposals to reduce the staffing numbers of all Institutions and bodies by 5% over the years 2013-2017, the Commission has reduced by 1% the number of posts in its establishment plans and has contained appropriations for its external personnel financed under all headings (including in the six executive agencies), leading to a total staff reduction of 1%. As a result, when excluding pensions and European schools (both of which concern interinstitutional expenditure), the increase in the Commission’s administrative expenditure has been limited to 1.2% (1.5% when including Croatia’s accession) i.e. well below inflation .

The Commission’s strict approach to administration is to a large degree followed by the other Institutions , leading to an overall increase of administrative appropriations for the other Institutions of 2.6% (3.3% including Croatia). The requested increases in expenditure for 2013 (including Croatian enlargement) compared to the 2012 budget range from 1.2% for the Council to 8.4% for the Court of Justice, with most Institutions having an increase (excluding Croatia) of around or below inflation. Similar to the Commission’s approach, a 1% reduction in human resources is also incorporated by the Council, the Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors. When preparing the Draft Budget, the Commission has modified the request of the Committee of the Regions, so as to align its requested increase (excluding the impact of the accession of Croatia) to the expected rate of inflation (+ 1.9%). This has resulted in a reduction of EUR 0.4 million, as compared to the draft statement of estimates of the Committee of the Regions.

In conclusion , the Commission’s approach represents a responsible and coherent budgetary proposal which is refocused on Growth and Jobs . It is coherent with current restraints, efficient spending and the obligations of the Union. It provides a proposal which is both credible for a smooth and timely adoption of the 2013 budget and responsible for the future by containing the accumulation of outstanding commitments .

2012/05/15
   CSL - Debate in Council
Documents
2012/05/15
   CSL - Council Meeting
2012/05/10
   EP - LA VIA Giovanni (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in BUDG
2012/05/10
   EP - VAUGHAN Derek (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in BUDG
2012/05/08
   EP - HAUG Jutta (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2012/05/08
   EP - SALAVRAKOS Nikolaos (EFD) appointed as rapporteur in PETI
2012/03/20
   EP - IACOLINO Salvatore (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in LIBE
2012/03/06
   EP - JÄÄTTEENMÄKI Anneli (ALDE) appointed as rapporteur in AFET
2012/02/28
   EP - GUERRERO SALOM Enrique (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in AFCO
2012/01/26
   EP - STAVRAKAKIS Georgios (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in REGI
2012/01/25
   EP - MITCHELL Gay (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in DEVE
2012/01/24
   EP - RIVELLINI Crescenzio (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in PECH
2012/01/23
   EP - LØKKEGAARD Morten (ALDE) appointed as rapporteur in CULT
2012/01/23
   EP - MEISSNER Gesine (ALDE) appointed as rapporteur in TRAN
2011/11/29
   EP - FOX Ashley (ECR) appointed as rapporteur in ECON
2011/10/05
   EP - DE LANGE Esther (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in AGRI
2011/09/15
   EP - BOULLAND Philippe (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in EMPL

Documents

Activities

Votes

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - Am 21 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: -: 559, +: 102, 0: 31
GB SE DK MT ?? NL LT CY FI CZ LU EE SI LV SK IE BE AT HU BG EL PT RO ES IT PL FR DE
Total
66
17
12
5
1
24
7
5
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20
6
6
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12
19
18
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32
48
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70
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A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - Am 1 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: -: 551, +: 128, 0: 10
AT NL ?? CY SE EE LU LV DK MT LT SI FI BE IE SK PT EL BG HU CZ FR RO IT ES DE PL GB
Total
18
25
1
4
18
6
6
9
11
5
7
7
12
22
12
12
21
20
17
19
20
68
31
62
48
91
48
68
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A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - Am 2 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: -: 565, +: 108, 0: 21
AT ?? CY SI EE LU MT LV DK LT FI SE IE BE SK EL PT NL BG HU CZ RO FR IT ES DE PL GB
Total
18
1
5
7
6
6
4
9
12
7
12
18
12
22
11
20
21
25
17
19
20
32
70
66
48
91
48
66
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
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2

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - Am 3 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: -: 542, +: 126, 0: 23
AT DK CY EE LU SI LV MT FI SE IE LT NL BE SK PT EL BG CZ HU FR RO IT ES DE PL GB
Total
18
12
5
6
6
7
9
5
12
18
12
7
24
21
12
21
20
15
20
19
69
32
66
47
94
48
65
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
57

Austria Verts/ALE

2

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2

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1

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1

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1

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1

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3

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5
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
31

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1
icon: NI NI
24

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1
icon: ECR ECR
46

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1

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A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - Am 4 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: -: 574, +: 110, 0: 11
SE ?? DK CY FI EE LU LV MT AT LT SI NL IE SK PT EL BG BE HU CZ FR RO ES DE PL IT GB
Total
18
1
12
5
12
6
6
9
5
18
7
7
25
12
12
21
21
17
22
18
20
68
32
48
91
48
66
67
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
56

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2

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1

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1

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For (1)

1

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1

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2

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3

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1

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1

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4

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5
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1

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1

Hungary NI

Abstain (1)

1

France NI

2

Romania NI

Against (1)

2

Spain NI

1
icon: EFD EFD
30

Denmark EFD

Against (1)

1

Finland EFD

Against (1)

1

Lithuania EFD

Against (1)

1

Netherlands EFD

Against (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

Against (1)

1

Greece EFD

2

Belgium EFD

Against (1)

1

France EFD

Against (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
47

Denmark ECR

Against (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Against (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

Against (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

Against (1)

1

Belgium ECR

Against (1)

1

Hungary ECR

Against (1)

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
79

Sweden ALDE

3

Denmark ALDE

3

Luxembourg ALDE

Against (1)

1

Latvia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Lithuania ALDE

Against (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

Against (2)

2

Greece ALDE

Against (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
175

S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

Against (1)

1

Finland S&D

2

Estonia S&D

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

Against (1)

1

Latvia S&D

Against (1)

1

Slovenia S&D

2

Netherlands S&D

3

Ireland S&D

3
icon: PPE PPE
251

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Cyprus PPE

2

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

3

Malta PPE

Against (2)

2
3

Czechia PPE

2

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - Am 5 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: +: 537, -: 156, 0: 6
DE FR IT ES PL RO PT EL SE AT BE SK NL CZ SI CY LV MT LU FI DK IE BG LT ?? EE HU GB
Total
95
70
66
48
48
32
21
21
18
18
22
12
25
20
7
5
9
5
6
12
12
12
17
7
1
6
17
66
icon: PPE PPE
252

Czechia PPE

2
2

Malta PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

3

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
177

Netherlands S&D

3

Slovenia S&D

2

Cyprus S&D

1

Latvia S&D

1

Luxembourg S&D

Against (1)

1

Finland S&D

2

S&D

For (1)

1

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
57

Spain Verts/ALE

2

Portugal Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Greece Verts/ALE

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Estonia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

5
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
32

Spain GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Greece GUE/NGL

2

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Latvia GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1
icon: NI NI
24

France NI

2

Spain NI

1

Romania NI

2

Belgium NI

Against (1)

1

Bulgaria NI

2

Hungary NI

For (1)

1
icon: EFD EFD
30

France EFD

Against (1)

1

Greece EFD

2

Belgium EFD

Abstain (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

Abstain (1)

1

Netherlands EFD

Against (1)

1

Finland EFD

For (1)

1

Denmark EFD

1

Lithuania EFD

Against (1)

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
79

Greece ALDE

Against (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Latvia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1

Denmark ALDE

3

Lithuania ALDE

Against (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
47

Belgium ECR

Against (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

For (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Against (1)

1

Denmark ECR

Against (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

Against (1)

1

Hungary ECR

Against (1)

1

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - Am 8 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: -: 593, +: 98, 0: 10
CY ?? LU DK LV EE MT SE LT SI FI PT IE AT BE CZ SK NL EL BG HU FR RO ES PL DE GB IT
Total
5
1
6
12
9
6
5
18
7
7
12
20
12
18
21
20
12
25
21
17
19
70
32
48
48
96
67
66
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
56

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Portugal Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Greece Verts/ALE

1

Spain Verts/ALE

2

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

5
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
32

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Latvia GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

2

Greece GUE/NGL

2

Spain GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1
icon: NI NI
25

Belgium NI

Against (1)

1

Bulgaria NI

2

Hungary NI

Against (1)

1

France NI

2

Romania NI

Against (1)

2

Spain NI

Against (1)

1
icon: EFD EFD
30

Denmark EFD

Against (1)

1

Lithuania EFD

Against (1)

1

Finland EFD

Against (1)

1

Belgium EFD

Against (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

Against (1)

1

Netherlands EFD

For (1)

1

Greece EFD

2

France EFD

Against (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
47

Denmark ECR

Against (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

Against (1)

1

Belgium ECR

Against (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

Against (1)

1

Hungary ECR

Against (1)

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
79

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1

Denmark ALDE

3

Latvia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Sweden ALDE

3

Lithuania ALDE

Against (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

Against (2)

2

Greece ALDE

Against (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
177

Cyprus S&D

Against (1)

1

S&D

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

Against (1)

1

Latvia S&D

Against (1)

1

Estonia S&D

Against (1)

1

Slovenia S&D

2

Finland S&D

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Ireland S&D

3

Netherlands S&D

3
icon: PPE PPE
254

Cyprus PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

3

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Malta PPE

Against (2)

2
3

Czechia PPE

2

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - Am 15 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: -: 572, +: 107, 0: 20
GB NL ?? CY DK MT LT CZ LU EE SI SE LV SK FI AT IE HU BE BG EL ES PT RO PL IT FR DE
Total
66
25
1
5
12
5
7
20
6
6
7
18
9
12
12
18
12
19
22
17
21
47
21
32
48
65
70
95
icon: EFD EFD
30

Netherlands EFD

For (1)

1

Denmark EFD

1

Lithuania EFD

For (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

For (1)

1

Finland EFD

For (1)

1

Belgium EFD

For (1)

1

Greece EFD

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2

France EFD

1
icon: ECR ECR
47

Netherlands ECR

For (1)

1

Denmark ECR

For (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

Against (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Against (1)

1

Hungary ECR

For (1)

1

Belgium ECR

For (1)

1
icon: NI NI
24

Hungary NI

Against (1)

1

Belgium NI

For (1)

1

Bulgaria NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Spain NI

Against (1)

1

Romania NI

Against (1)

2

France NI

2
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
32

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Latvia GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Greece GUE/NGL

Against (1)

2

Spain GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1
4
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
57

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

For (1)

5

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Sweden Verts/ALE

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

4

Latvia Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

4

Greece Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Spain Verts/ALE

2

Portugal Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
77

Denmark ALDE

3

Lithuania ALDE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

Against (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

Against (2)

2

Sweden ALDE

3

Latvia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Greece ALDE

Against (1)

1
3
icon: S&D S&D
177

Netherlands S&D

3

S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

Against (1)

1

Malta S&D

3

Luxembourg S&D

Against (1)

1

Estonia S&D

Against (1)

1

Slovenia S&D

2

Latvia S&D

Against (1)

1

Finland S&D

2

Ireland S&D

3

Hungary S&D

For (1)

4
icon: PPE PPE
254

Cyprus PPE

2

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Malta PPE

Against (2)

2

Czechia PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

3

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1
3

Belgium PPE

Abstain (1)

5

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - Am 16 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: -: 565, +: 100, 0: 20
?? DK MT CY GB LT LU EE FI NL SE LV SI CZ SK AT IE BG BE EL PT HU RO PL IT ES FR DE
Total
1
12
5
5
62
7
6
6
12
24
18
8
7
20
11
18
12
17
22
20
21
19
32
46
64
46
68
95
icon: EFD EFD
30

Denmark EFD

1

Lithuania EFD

For (1)

1

Finland EFD

For (1)

1

Netherlands EFD

For (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

For (1)

1

Belgium EFD

For (1)

1

Greece EFD

2

France EFD

1
icon: NI NI
25

Bulgaria NI

2

Belgium NI

For (1)

1

Hungary NI

Against (1)

1

Romania NI

2

Spain NI

Against (1)

1

France NI

2
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
31

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Latvia GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

1

Greece GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

2

Portugal GUE/NGL

Against (2)

4

Spain GUE/NGL

For (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
42

Denmark ECR

Against (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

Against (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

Against (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Against (1)

1

Belgium ECR

For (1)

1

Hungary ECR

Against (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
56

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

4

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

3

Sweden Verts/ALE

Against (1)

4

Latvia Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

4

Greece Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Portugal Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Spain Verts/ALE

2
icon: ALDE ALDE
78

Denmark ALDE

3

Lithuania ALDE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

Against (1)

1

Sweden ALDE

3

Latvia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

Against (2)

2

Greece ALDE

Against (1)

1
3
icon: S&D S&D
173

S&D

Against (1)

1

Malta S&D

3

Cyprus S&D

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

Against (1)

1

Estonia S&D

Against (1)

1

Finland S&D

2

Netherlands S&D

2

Latvia S&D

Against (1)

1

Slovenia S&D

2

Ireland S&D

3
icon: PPE PPE
249

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Malta PPE

Against (2)

2

Cyprus PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

3

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Finland PPE

Abstain (1)

4
3

Czechia PPE

2

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - Am 26 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: -: 532, +: 147, 0: 16
GB NL CZ ?? DK SE LT MT CY FI LU LV SI EE IE AT SK BG BE EL HU PT PL RO IT ES FR DE
Total
67
25
20
1
12
18
7
5
5
11
5
9
7
6
11
18
12
15
22
21
19
21
48
32
65
47
69
96
icon: ECR ECR
47

Netherlands ECR

For (1)

1

Denmark ECR

For (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1

Belgium ECR

For (1)

1

Hungary ECR

For (1)

1
icon: EFD EFD
30

Netherlands EFD

For (1)

1

Denmark EFD

1

Lithuania EFD

For (1)

1

Finland EFD

For (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

For (1)

1

Belgium EFD

For (1)

1

Greece EFD

2

France EFD

1
icon: NI NI
25

Bulgaria NI

2

Belgium NI

For (1)

1

Hungary NI

Against (1)

1

Romania NI

Against (1)

2

Spain NI

Against (1)

1

France NI

2
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
31

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Czechia GUE/NGL

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

4

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2

Latvia GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Greece GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

2

Portugal GUE/NGL

Against (2)

4

Spain GUE/NGL

For (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
57

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

5

Netherlands Verts/ALE

Against (1)

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Sweden Verts/ALE

Against (1)

4

Finland Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

4

Greece Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Portugal Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Spain Verts/ALE

2
icon: ALDE ALDE
79

Denmark ALDE

3

Sweden ALDE

3

Lithuania ALDE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

Against (1)

1

Latvia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

Against (2)

2

Ireland ALDE

For (1)

4

Greece ALDE

Against (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
175

Netherlands S&D

3

S&D

Against (1)

1

Denmark S&D

Against (1)

3

Malta S&D

3

Cyprus S&D

Against (1)

1

Finland S&D

Against (1)

1

Latvia S&D

Against (1)

1

Slovenia S&D

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Estonia S&D

Against (1)

1

Ireland S&D

2
icon: PPE PPE
250

Czechia PPE

2

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Malta PPE

Against (2)

2

Cyprus PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

3
3

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - Am 28 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: -: 568, +: 95, 0: 23
GB CY MT ?? CZ SI NL DK LT LU EE LV FI IE SK BG BE AT SE HU PT EL PL RO IT ES FR DE
Total
66
5
5
1
18
7
25
12
7
6
6
9
12
10
11
16
21
18
17
19
21
21
47
32
65
48
68
92
icon: ECR ECR
47

Netherlands ECR

For (1)

1

Denmark ECR

For (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

1

Latvia ECR

Abstain (1)

1

Belgium ECR

For (1)

1

Hungary ECR

For (1)

1
icon: EFD EFD
30

Netherlands EFD

For (1)

1

Denmark EFD

1

Lithuania EFD

Against (1)

1

Finland EFD

For (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

Abstain (1)

1

Belgium EFD

For (1)

1

Greece EFD

2

France EFD

1
icon: NI NI
25

Bulgaria NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Belgium NI

For (1)

1

Hungary NI

Against (1)

1

Romania NI

Against (1)

2

Spain NI

1

France NI

2
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
29

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Latvia GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Portugal GUE/NGL

Against (2)

4

Greece GUE/NGL

Against (1)

2

Spain GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
55

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

Abstain (2)

5

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

3

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Sweden Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

4

Portugal Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Greece Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Spain Verts/ALE

2
icon: ALDE ALDE
74

Slovenia ALDE

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Denmark ALDE

Abstain (1)

3

Lithuania ALDE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

Against (1)

1

Latvia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Finland ALDE

Abstain (1)

4
3

Sweden ALDE

3

Greece ALDE

Against (1)

1

Italy ALDE

Abstain (1)

3
icon: S&D S&D
172

Cyprus S&D

Against (1)

1

Malta S&D

3

S&D

Against (1)

1
5

Slovenia S&D

2

Netherlands S&D

3

Luxembourg S&D

Against (1)

1

Estonia S&D

Against (1)

1

Latvia S&D

Against (1)

1

Finland S&D

2

Ireland S&D

2

Bulgaria S&D

3
icon: PPE PPE
253

Cyprus PPE

2

Malta PPE

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Czechia PPE

2
3

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

3

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - Am 29 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: -: 403, +: 265, 0: 20
GB NL DK SE BE EE LT ?? SI BG CY IE FI LU MT IT CZ LV AT SK EL RO HU PT PL FR DE ES
Total
65
24
12
18
22
5
7
1
7
17
5
12
12
6
4
63
20
9
17
12
20
32
19
21
48
70
94
45
icon: ALDE ALDE
78

Denmark ALDE

Against (1)

3

Sweden ALDE

Against (1)

3

Lithuania ALDE

1

Slovenia ALDE

2

Luxembourg ALDE

Against (1)

1

Latvia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Greece ALDE

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
56

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

5

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

Against (1)

4

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Greece Verts/ALE

1

Portugal Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Spain Verts/ALE

2
icon: ECR ECR
46

Netherlands ECR

For (1)

1

Denmark ECR

For (1)

1

Belgium ECR

For (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1

Hungary ECR

For (1)

1
icon: EFD EFD
30

Netherlands EFD

For (1)

1

Denmark EFD

1

Belgium EFD

For (1)

1

Lithuania EFD

For (1)

1

Finland EFD

For (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

For (1)

1

Greece EFD

2

France EFD

Abstain (1)

1
icon: NI NI
25

Belgium NI

For (1)

1

Bulgaria NI

2

Romania NI

2

Hungary NI

Against (1)

1

France NI

2

Spain NI

1
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
31

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2

Ireland GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Latvia GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Greece GUE/NGL

2
4

Spain GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
169

Netherlands S&D

3

Estonia S&D

Against (1)

1

S&D

Against (1)

1

Slovenia S&D

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Cyprus S&D

Against (1)

1

Ireland S&D

3

Finland S&D

2

Luxembourg S&D

Against (1)

1

Malta S&D

2

Latvia S&D

Against (1)

1

Austria S&D

Abstain (1)

4

Hungary S&D

For (1)

4
icon: PPE PPE
252

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1
3

Cyprus PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

3

Malta PPE

Against (2)

2

Czechia PPE

2

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - § 88/1 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: +: 604, -: 75, 0: 19
DE GB IT PL ES RO EL HU SE CZ NL BE PT BG DK SK FR IE FI LT LV SI EE CY MT AT ?? LU
Total
96
67
65
48
48
32
21
19
18
20
25
21
19
17
12
12
69
12
12
7
9
7
6
5
5
18
1
6
icon: PPE PPE
252

Czechia PPE

2

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1
2

Malta PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

3
icon: S&D S&D
178

Netherlands S&D

3

Bulgaria S&D

Against (1)

4

Finland S&D

2

Latvia S&D

1

Slovenia S&D

2

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

1

S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

Against (1)

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
78

Greece ALDE

1
3

Ireland ALDE

Against (1)

4

Lithuania ALDE

1

Latvia ALDE

For (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

2

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
47

Hungary ECR

For (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

For (1)

1

Belgium ECR

For (1)

1

Denmark ECR

For (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
57

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

5

Spain Verts/ALE

2

Greece Verts/ALE

1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1
icon: EFD EFD
30

Greece EFD

2

Netherlands EFD

For (1)

1

Belgium EFD

For (1)

1

Denmark EFD

1

Slovakia EFD

For (1)

1

France EFD

Against (1)

1

Finland EFD

Against (1)

1

Lithuania EFD

For (1)

1
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
30

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Spain GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Greece GUE/NGL

2

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Portugal GUE/NGL

2

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Latvia GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1
icon: NI NI
25

Spain NI

1

Romania NI

2

Hungary NI

For (1)

1

Belgium NI

For (1)

1

Bulgaria NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

France NI

2

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - § 88/2 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: +: 510, -: 143, 0: 40
GB DE IT ES PL NL SE CZ BE DK PT HU IE RO BG FI SI SK LT LV EE EL CY MT AT ?? LU FR
Total
65
95
66
48
48
24
18
20
22
12
20
18
11
32
17
11
7
11
7
9
6
20
5
5
18
1
6
70
icon: S&D S&D
176

Netherlands S&D

3

Hungary S&D

Against (1)

4

Bulgaria S&D

Against (1)

4

Finland S&D

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Slovenia S&D

2

Latvia S&D

1

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

1

Malta S&D

Against (1)

3

S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

Against (1)

1
icon: PPE PPE
250

Czechia PPE

Against (1)

2

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Cyprus PPE

Against (1)

2

Malta PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

3
icon: ALDE ALDE
78
3

Ireland ALDE

Against (1)

4

Slovenia ALDE

2

Lithuania ALDE

1

Latvia ALDE

For (1)

1

Estonia ALDE

Against (1)

3

Greece ALDE

1

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
46

Netherlands ECR

For (1)

1

Belgium ECR

For (1)

1

Denmark ECR

For (1)

1

Hungary ECR

For (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
57

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

5

Spain Verts/ALE

2

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Portugal Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Greece Verts/ALE

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1
icon: EFD EFD
29

Netherlands EFD

For (1)

1

Belgium EFD

For (1)

1

Denmark EFD

1

Finland EFD

For (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

For (1)

1

Lithuania EFD

For (1)

1

Greece EFD

2

France EFD

Against (1)

1
icon: NI NI
25

Spain NI

1

Belgium NI

For (1)

1

Hungary NI

Abstain (1)

1

Romania NI

2

Bulgaria NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

France NI

2
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
31

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Spain GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Portugal GUE/NGL

3

Ireland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Latvia GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Greece GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

2

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - § 89/1 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: +: 615, -: 64, 0: 19
DE IT GB PL ES RO EL BE CZ NL PT SE HU IE DK SK FR BG FI LV LT SI EE CY MT AT ?? LU
Total
96
66
67
47
48
32
21
22
20
25
19
18
19
12
12
12
69
16
12
9
7
7
6
5
5
18
1
6
icon: PPE PPE
252

Czechia PPE

2

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1
2

Malta PPE

2

Luxembourg PPE

3
icon: S&D S&D
178

Netherlands S&D

3

Hungary S&D

Against (1)

4

Bulgaria S&D

4

Finland S&D

2

Latvia S&D

1

Slovenia S&D

2

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

1

S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

Against (1)

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
78

Greece ALDE

1
3

Latvia ALDE

For (1)

1

Lithuania ALDE

1

Slovenia ALDE

2

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
47

Belgium ECR

For (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

For (1)

1

Hungary ECR

For (1)

1

Denmark ECR

For (1)

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
57

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

5

Spain Verts/ALE

2

Greece Verts/ALE

1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1
icon: EFD EFD
29

Greece EFD

2

Belgium EFD

For (1)

1

Netherlands EFD

For (1)

1

Denmark EFD

1

Slovakia EFD

For (1)

1

France EFD

Against (1)

1

Finland EFD

Against (1)

1

Lithuania EFD

For (1)

1
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
31

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Spain GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Greece GUE/NGL

2

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Portugal GUE/NGL

3

Ireland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Latvia GUE/NGL

For (1)

1
icon: NI NI
25
6

Spain NI

1

Romania NI

2

Belgium NI

Against (1)

1

Hungary NI

For (1)

1

France NI

2

Bulgaria NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - § 89/2 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: +: 536, -: 122, 0: 31
GB DE IT ES PL NL BE CZ PT SE RO HU DK FI BG SK IE SI EL LT LV MT EE CY AT ?? LU FR
Total
65
93
65
48
48
25
22
20
20
17
30
18
12
11
17
12
11
7
21
7
9
5
6
5
18
1
6
69
icon: S&D S&D
175

Netherlands S&D

3

Hungary S&D

Against (1)

4

Finland S&D

For (1)

1

Bulgaria S&D

4

Slovenia S&D

2

Latvia S&D

1

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

1

S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

Against (1)

1
icon: PPE PPE
250

Czechia PPE

2

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Ireland PPE

Against (1)

4

Malta PPE

2

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Cyprus PPE

Against (1)

2

Luxembourg PPE

3
icon: ALDE ALDE
77
3

Ireland ALDE

Against (1)

3

Slovenia ALDE

2

Greece ALDE

1

Lithuania ALDE

1

Latvia ALDE

For (1)

1

Estonia ALDE

Against (1)

3

Luxembourg ALDE

Against (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
47

Netherlands ECR

For (1)

1

Belgium ECR

For (1)

1

Hungary ECR

For (1)

1

Denmark ECR

For (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
55

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

4

Spain Verts/ALE

2

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Greece Verts/ALE

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1
icon: EFD EFD
29

Netherlands EFD

For (1)

1

Belgium EFD

For (1)

1

Denmark EFD

1

Finland EFD

For (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

For (1)

1

Greece EFD

2

Lithuania EFD

For (1)

1

France EFD

Against (1)

1
icon: NI NI
24

Spain NI

1

Belgium NI

For (1)

1

Romania NI

2

Hungary NI

For (1)

1

Bulgaria NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

France NI

2
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
31

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Spain GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Portugal GUE/NGL

3

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Greece GUE/NGL

2

Latvia GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - § 90 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: +: 518, -: 149, 0: 33
GB IT ES PL NL DE CZ BE SE PT RO EL HU DK IE BG FI SK LV SI MT LT EE AT CY ?? LU FR
Total
67
66
48
48
25
96
20
22
18
20
32
21
18
12
12
17
12
12
9
7
5
6
6
18
5
1
6
70
icon: S&D S&D
178

Netherlands S&D

3

Hungary S&D

Against (1)

4

Bulgaria S&D

Against (1)

4

Finland S&D

2

Latvia S&D

1

Slovenia S&D

2

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

1

S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

Against (1)

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
79

Greece ALDE

1
3

Latvia ALDE

For (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

2

Lithuania ALDE

1

Luxembourg ALDE

Against (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
47

Netherlands ECR

For (1)

1

Belgium ECR

For (1)

1

Hungary ECR

For (1)

1

Denmark ECR

For (1)

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
57

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

5

Spain Verts/ALE

2

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Greece Verts/ALE

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1
icon: EFD EFD
30

Netherlands EFD

For (1)

1

Belgium EFD

For (1)

1

Greece EFD

2

Denmark EFD

1

Finland EFD

For (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

For (1)

1

Lithuania EFD

For (1)

1

France EFD

Against (1)

1
icon: PPE PPE
252

Czechia PPE

2

Belgium PPE

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

5

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Ireland PPE

Against (1)

4

Slovenia PPE

Against (1)

3

Malta PPE

2

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Cyprus PPE

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Luxembourg PPE

3
icon: NI NI
25

Spain NI

1

Belgium NI

For (1)

1

Romania NI

2

Hungary NI

Abstain (1)

1

Bulgaria NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

France NI

2
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
31

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Spain GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Portugal GUE/NGL

3

Greece GUE/NGL

2

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Latvia GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - Am 17 #

2012/10/23 Outcome: -: 619, +: 61, 0: 17
CY ?? LT EE MT LU LV SI DK FI NL IE SK PT AT CZ EL BG SE HU BE RO GB PL ES FR IT DE
Total
5
1
7
6
5
6
9
7
12
12
25
12
12
21
18
20
20
17
18
19
22
31
66
48
47
69
65
96
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
32

Latvia GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

Ireland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Greece GUE/NGL

2

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Spain GUE/NGL

For (1)

1
icon: EFD EFD
29

Lithuania EFD

For (1)

1

Denmark EFD

1

Finland EFD

For (1)

1

Netherlands EFD

Abstain (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

Abstain (1)

1

Greece EFD

2

Belgium EFD

Abstain (1)

1

France EFD

1
icon: NI NI
25

Bulgaria NI

Against (1)

2

Hungary NI

Against (1)

1

Belgium NI

Abstain (1)

1

Romania NI

Against (1)

2

Spain NI

Against (1)

1

France NI

2
icon: ECR ECR
46

Lithuania ECR

Against (1)

1

Latvia ECR

Against (1)

1

Denmark ECR

Against (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

Against (1)

1

Hungary ECR

Against (1)

1

Belgium ECR

Against (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
56

Estonia Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Greece Verts/ALE

Against (1)

1

Sweden Verts/ALE

For (1)

4

Belgium Verts/ALE

4

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

5

Spain Verts/ALE

2
icon: ALDE ALDE
79

Lithuania ALDE

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

Against (1)

1

Latvia ALDE

Against (1)

1

Slovenia ALDE

Against (2)

2

Denmark ALDE

3

Greece ALDE

Against (1)

1

Sweden ALDE

3
icon: S&D S&D
176

Cyprus S&D

Against (1)

1

S&D

Against (1)

1

Estonia S&D

Against (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

Against (1)

1

Latvia S&D

Against (1)

1

Slovenia S&D

2

Finland S&D

2

Netherlands S&D

3

Ireland S&D

3
icon: PPE PPE
253

Cyprus PPE

2

Estonia PPE

Against (1)

1

Malta PPE

Against (2)

2

Luxembourg PPE

3
3

Denmark PPE

Against (1)

1

Czechia PPE

2

A7-0311/2012 - Giovanni La Via et Derek Vaughan - Résolution #

2012/10/23 Outcome: +: 492, -: 123, 0: 82
DE IT PL ES FR RO EL HU BG PT BE IE SK LT FI SI AT LV EE CZ MT DK SE CY ?? LU NL GB
Total
96
66
48
48
70
31
21
18
16
21
22
12
12
7
12
7
18
9
6
20
4
12
18
5
1
6
25
65
icon: PPE PPE
252

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Czechia PPE

2

Malta PPE

2

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1
2

Luxembourg PPE

3
icon: S&D S&D
177

Finland S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

2

Latvia S&D

1

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Malta S&D

2

Cyprus S&D

1

S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

Against (1)

1

Netherlands S&D

3
icon: ALDE ALDE
77

Greece ALDE

1

Lithuania ALDE

1

Slovenia ALDE

2

Latvia ALDE

For (1)

1
3

Luxembourg ALDE

Against (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
57

Spain Verts/ALE

2

Greece Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Portugal Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Belgium Verts/ALE

For (1)

4

Finland Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Austria Verts/ALE

2

Latvia Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Sweden Verts/ALE

Against (1)

4

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

Abstain (1)

1

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

Against (2)

5
icon: EFD EFD
29

France EFD

Against (1)

1

Greece EFD

2

Belgium EFD

Against (1)

1

Slovakia EFD

Against (1)

1

Lithuania EFD

For (1)

1

Finland EFD

Against (1)

1

Denmark EFD

Against (1)

1

Netherlands EFD

Against (1)

1
icon: NI NI
25

Spain NI

1

France NI

2

Romania NI

2

Hungary NI

For (1)

1

Bulgaria NI

Against (1)

2

Belgium NI

Against (1)

1
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
32

Spain GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Greece GUE/NGL

2

Portugal GUE/NGL

Abstain (2)

4

Ireland GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Latvia GUE/NGL

Against (1)

1

Denmark GUE/NGL

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2

Netherlands GUE/NGL

2

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
47

Hungary ECR

Against (1)

1

Belgium ECR

Against (1)

1

Lithuania ECR

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1

Denmark ECR

Against (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

Against (1)

1
AmendmentsDossier
363 2012/2092(BUD)
2012/07/17 PECH 2 amendments...
source: PE-492.799
2012/07/18 CULT 28 amendments...
source: PE-494.525
2012/07/23 REGI 2 amendments...
source: PE-494.580
2012/07/24 ECON 44 amendments...
source: PE-494.596
2012/07/25 ENVI 30 amendments...
source: PE-494.517
2012/07/26 TRAN 24 amendments...
source: PE-494.569
2012/07/30 IMCO 9 amendments...
source: PE-494.606
2012/08/06 INTA 15 amendments...
source: PE-494.637
2012/08/21 EMPL 6 amendments...
source: PE-494.650
2012/08/28 AFET 28 amendments...
source: PE-494.540
2012/08/29 DEVE 9 amendments...
source: PE-494.691
2012/09/04 AGRI 20 amendments...
source: PE-494.810
2012/10/08 BUDG 146 amendments...
source: PE-497.798

History

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

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Former Committee Opinion
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Former Committee Opinion
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Former Committee Opinion
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New
type
Former Committee Opinion
body
EP
associated
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committee_full
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Old
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New
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Old
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Former Committee Opinion
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Old
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Former Committee Opinion
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TRAN
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committees/12
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Former Committee Opinion
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REGI
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committees/14
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New
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New
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New
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False
New
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PETI
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type
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New
type
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New
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DEVE
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  • name: DE JONG Dennis date: 2012-02-29T00:00:00 group: European United Left - Nordic Green Left abbr: GUE/NGL
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BUDG
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TRAN
date
2012-01-23T00:00:00
committee_full
Transport and Tourism
rapporteur
group: ALDE name: MEISSNER Gesine
council
  • body: CSL type: Council Meeting council: Economic and Financial Affairs ECOFIN meeting_id: 3197 url: http://register.consilium.europa.eu/content/out?lang=EN&typ=SET&i=SMPL&ROWSPP=25&RESULTSET=1&NRROWS=500&DOC_LANCD=EN&ORDERBY=DOC_DATE+DESC&CONTENTS=3197*&MEET_DATE=09/11/2012 date: 2012-11-13T00:00:00
  • body: CSL type: Council Meeting council: Economic and Financial Affairs ECOFIN meeting_id: 3167 url: http://register.consilium.europa.eu/content/out?lang=EN&typ=SET&i=SMPL&ROWSPP=25&RESULTSET=1&NRROWS=500&DOC_LANCD=EN&ORDERBY=DOC_DATE+DESC&CONTENTS=3167*&MEET_DATE=15/05/2012 date: 2012-05-15T00:00:00
docs
  • date: 2012-09-04T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE489.648&secondRef=02 title: PE489.648 committee: ECON type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-09-05T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE491.339&secondRef=02 title: PE491.339 committee: LIBE type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-09-05T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE492.610&secondRef=02 title: PE492.610 committee: INTA type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-09-06T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE489.677&secondRef=02 title: PE489.677 committee: EMPL type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-09-06T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE491.232&secondRef=02 title: PE491.232 committee: AFCO type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-09-06T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE492.574&secondRef=02 title: PE492.574 committee: PECH type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-09-07T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE491.320&secondRef=02 title: PE491.320 committee: TRAN type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-09-07T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE491.336&secondRef=02 title: PE491.336 committee: ENVI type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-09-12T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE492.784&secondRef=03 title: PE492.784 committee: AFET type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-09-17T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE491.367&secondRef=02 title: PE491.367 committee: IMCO type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-09-18T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE494.603&secondRef=02 title: PE494.603 committee: AGRI type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-09-19T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE494.632&secondRef=02 title: PE494.632 committee: DEVE type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-09-20T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE491.318&secondRef=02 title: PE491.318 committee: REGI type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-09-21T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE489.496&secondRef=03 title: PE489.496 committee: PETI type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-09-24T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE491.270&secondRef=02 title: PE491.270 committee: CULT type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-09-25T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE496.384&secondRef=01 title: PE496.384 committee: ITRE type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2012-10-02T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE496.481 title: PE496.481 type: Committee draft report body: EP
  • date: 2012-10-19T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2012/0624/COM_COM(2012)0624_EN.pdf title: COM(2012)0624 url: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=EN&type_doc=COMfinal&an_doc=2012&nu_doc=624 title: EUR-Lex summary: PURPOSE: presentation of Amending Letter No 1 to the Draft General Budget 2013 (DB 2013). CONTENT: this Amending Letter No 1 to the Draft General Budget 2013 relates to: the line by line updating of the estimated needs for agricultural expenditure. In addition to changing market factors, the AL also incorporates the impact of legislative decisions adopted in the agricultural sector since the DB 2013 was drawn up, revised estimates of needs for some direct payments, as well as any proposals, which are expected to have a significant effect during the coming budget year; an update of the situation for International Fisheries Agreements. The budgetary impact of these adjustments is a reduction in commitment and payment appropriations of EUR 25.1 million compared to the Draft Budget 2013. type: Document attached to the procedure body: EC
events
  • date: 2012-05-15T00:00:00 type: Debate in Council body: CSL docs: url: http://register.consilium.europa.eu/content/out?lang=EN&typ=SET&i=SMPL&ROWSPP=25&RESULTSET=1&NRROWS=500&DOC_LANCD=EN&ORDERBY=DOC_DATE+DESC&CONTENTS=3167*&MEET_DATE=15/05/2012 title: 3167
  • date: 2012-05-25T00:00:00 type: Commission draft budget published body: EC docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/registre/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2012/0300/COM_COM(2012)0300_EN.pdf title: COM(2012)0300 url: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=EN&type_doc=COMfinal&an_doc=2012&nu_doc=300 title: EUR-Lex summary: PURPOSE: to present the draft Commission budget for the financial year 2013 (all budget sections). CONTENT: the Commission adopted the draft EU budget for 2013. It will be the last annual budget of the present Multiannual Financial Framework 2007-2013 . Aware of the current economic situation, the Commission presents a budget fully geared to use its funding potential for growth and jobs in line with the Europe 2020 strategy. Investment is a crucial component of spurring this growth. The EU budget, with its high investment focus, has an important role to play as a leverage tool to Member States’ recovery policies , which will benefit economic activity across the Union. In preparing its Draft Budget, the Commission has followed a rigorous approach in which: an overall increase in the level of commitment appropriations that is restricted to inflation correction (+ 2.0%) is combined with; a targeted significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 6.8%). This approach contributes directly to growth and jobs in Europe, and which on the other hand is necessary to allow the EU budget to meet its contractual obligations of current and previous years. In terms of commitment appropriations , the total expenditure proposed in the draft budget (DB) 2013 is EUR 150 931.7 million, corresponding to 1.13% of GNI, that is EUR 3 031.5 million more than in 2012 (+ 2.0%). The restriction of the increase in the overall level of commitment appropriations to inflation correction (+ 2.0 %) leaves a combined total margin of EUR 2 420.4 million under the various ceilings of the MFF. For payment appropriations , the total amounts to EUR 137 924.4 million, corresponding to 1.04% of GNI. This is an increase of EUR 8 818.3 million compared to payment appropriations in the 2012 budget (+ 6.8%), and leaves a margin of EUR 6 182.6 million under the ceiling of the MFF. The main priorities have been established for the 2013 Draft Budget: in 2013. The EU will pursue its support to investment and to actions in favour of job-friendly growth . This key political priority is reflected in the level of commitment appropriations requested in the Draft Budget. Competitiveness for growth and employment, with EUR 16 billion in commitment appropriations, and Cohesion for growth and employment, with EUR 54.5 billion in commitment appropriations, support the EU economy by shaping the conditions for sustainable growth and growth-friendly consolidation, both immediately and in the longer term. At the present final stage of the current financial framework, the Draft Budget for 2013 is established on the basis of a two-fold approach : appropriations for programmes and initiatives enhancing Growth and Jobs are maximised within the existing framework. Programmes supporting growth and job creation fall mainly under heading 1a “Competitiveness for growth and employment” and heading 1b “Cohesion for growth and employment”. Overall, the proposed commitment appropriations directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy in 2013 increase by 2.7% to EUR 64.5 billion . In particular, key programmes in support of Growth and Investments, SMEs, Employment and Youth which have proved their efficiency, as well the possible reprogramming of structural funds in eight Member States as announced in the European Council of January 2012, are expected to streamline funding to investments in the most critical areas and reinforce the efforts undertaken to address youth unemployment and support SMEs. These efforts are further complemented by new initiatives, mainly the proposed pilot phase for project bonds in the fields of transport, energy and ICT , as well as the proposed new risk-sharing instrument under the Structural Funds which aims at addressing liquidity problems faced by financial institutions, with a view to facilitating investment and growth; the allocation of appropriations is guided by the application of efficiency savings and reductions of administrative expenditure. The Commission’s draft budget request for 2013 incorporates a 1% reduction in human resources, in accordance with the Communication “Budget for Europe 2020” which proposes a 5% staff reduction for all institutions over five years. Other characteristics of the 2013 budget: a responsible and realistic budget: in the final year of the current financial framework, the required level of payment appropriations is largely determined by the project cycle. Consequently, the 2013 Draft Budget foresees significant increases – compared to 2012 – in payment appropriations for key policy areas geared towards investment , where programmes are now being implemented at full speed. In particular, increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1% to EUR 9 billion) and for the Structural and Cohesion Funds (+ 11.7% to EUR 49 billion); increased payment appropriations: the proposed increase in the overall level of payment appropriations ( + 6.8% ) results from a thorough and rigorous analysis of needs in all policy areas. The proposed level of expenditure is a necessary consequence of the Union’s contractual obligation to honour the growing level of outstanding commitments of current and previous years, now that the actual implementation of major programmes is clearly shifting into a higher gear; scrutinising performance: the Commission has carried out an in-depth examination of programmes and actions, in particular on the basis of past implementation and performance. The Commission’s proposal reflects the best possible use of the available appropriations for actions that carry the required EU added value, meet the Union’s political objectives and deliver results. A rigorous approach to programmes and actions experiencing implementation difficulties as well as to support expenditure has allowed the Commission to contain the budgetary requests under the various expenditure headings, while refocusing appropriations towards the Union's political priorities such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Youth and Employment and restricting the administrative expenditure including the administrative requirements for the accession of Croatia. Key aspects of the draft budget 2013 by financial framework headings: Heading 1: Sustainable growth: this heading covers the expenses relating to competitiveness and employment as well as cohesion: Heading 1a: Competitiveness for growth and employment: this sub-heading comprises the key policies in the implementation of the strategy "Europe 2020". Given the importance of spending on growth, a special effort was made for the Research Framework Programme (increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1% to EUR 9 billion); the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) will see a significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 47.8% to EUR 546.4 million); for the Lifelong Learning programme, a substantial increase in the level of payment appropriations is proposed (+ 15.8% to EUR 1 186.0 million). Commitment appropriations for this heading are set at EUR 16 032.0 million, which is an increase of 4.1% compared to the 2012 budget. This leaves a margin of EUR 91 million. Payment appropriations increase by 17.8% to EUR 13 552.8 million. This significant increase is in part due to additional payment needs to cover pre-financing payments for the growing level of commitment appropriations for research, and in part to cover intermediate and final payments on outstanding commitments ; Heading 1b: Cohesion for growth and employment: for 2013, total commitment appropriations for heading 1b amount to EUR 54 498.9 million, an increase of 3.3% relative to 2012. Of these, EUR 42 144.7 million are for the Structural Funds (ERDF and ESF), an amount similar to the 2012 envelope, and EUR 12 354.2 million for the Cohesion Fund. Overall payment appropriations are set at EUR 48 975.0 million, an increase of 11.7% over 2012. The substantial increase in the level of payments shows the momentum of the 2007-2013 Cohesion policy on the ground, with the expected positive impact on investments, economic growth and job creation in the EU. Heading 2: Preservation and Management of Natural Resources: commitment appropriations of EUR 60 307.5 million are proposed for this heading. This level of funding represents an increase of 0.6% compared to 2012 and leaves a margin of EUR 981.5 million under the ceiling. Payment appropriations amount to EUR 57 964.9 million, which is an increase of 1.6% compared to 2012. Within this heading the amount foreseen for market related expenditure and direct aids reaches EUR 44 130.3 million in commitment appropriations, and EUR 44 112.9 million in payment appropriations. Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: this heading is split into two sub-headings: Heading 3a: Freedom, Security and Justice: this sub-heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 1.8%, rising to EUR 1 392.2 million, and leaving a margin of EUR 268.8 million. Payment appropriations increase by 11.1% to EUR 928.3 million, mostly due to the four Funds under Solidarity and management of migration flows, which have now reached cruising speed and require substantial pre-financing payments to Member States. Heading 3b: Citizenship: commitment appropriations decrease by 3.6% to EUR 689.4 million, leaving a margin of EUR 25.6 million. Payment appropriations for this heading decrease by 3.1% to EUR 646.3 million. If the EU Solidarity Fund (EUR 18.1 million for commitment and payment appropriations in 2012) is excluded from this comparison, commitment and payment appropriations decrease by 1.2% and 0.4% respectively. The annual ceiling for this heading, which supports various actions close to European citizens, remains broadly stable in the current financial framework. Heading 4: the EU as a Global Player: this heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 0.7 % to EUR 9 467.2 million, leaving an unallocated margin of EUR 391.9 million available under the ceiling. Payment appropriations on the other hand increase by 5.1 % to EUR 7 311.6 million, mostly due to increases under IPA, ENPI, Humanitarian aid and CFSP , at a time when many instruments are reaching cruising speed. Heading 5: Administrative expenditure: both commitment and payment appropriations for this heading for all Institutions combined increase by 3.2%, with commitments set at EUR 8 544.4 million and payments at EUR 8 545.5 million. This increase includes additional administrative expenditure related to Croatia’s accession, amounting to EUR 32.9 million for all Institutions. The administrative expenditure related to Croatia is included as from the beginning of 2013, so as to allow recruitments in due time. This remaining margin amounts to EUR 636.6 million. The Commission continues its efforts to limit its own administrative expenditure by reducing expenditure less affected by automatic adjustments. Moreover, further to its proposals to reduce the staffing numbers of all Institutions and bodies by 5% over the years 2013-2017, the Commission has reduced by 1% the number of posts in its establishment plans and has contained appropriations for its external personnel financed under all headings (including in the six executive agencies), leading to a total staff reduction of 1%. As a result, when excluding pensions and European schools (both of which concern interinstitutional expenditure), the increase in the Commission’s administrative expenditure has been limited to 1.2% (1.5% when including Croatia’s accession) i.e. well below inflation . The Commission’s strict approach to administration is to a large degree followed by the other Institutions , leading to an overall increase of administrative appropriations for the other Institutions of 2.6% (3.3% including Croatia). The requested increases in expenditure for 2013 (including Croatian enlargement) compared to the 2012 budget range from 1.2% for the Council to 8.4% for the Court of Justice, with most Institutions having an increase (excluding Croatia) of around or below inflation. Similar to the Commission’s approach, a 1% reduction in human resources is also incorporated by the Council, the Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors. When preparing the Draft Budget, the Commission has modified the request of the Committee of the Regions, so as to align its requested increase (excluding the impact of the accession of Croatia) to the expected rate of inflation (+ 1.9%). This has resulted in a reduction of EUR 0.4 million, as compared to the draft statement of estimates of the Committee of the Regions. In conclusion , the Commission’s approach represents a responsible and coherent budgetary proposal which is refocused on Growth and Jobs . It is coherent with current restraints, efficient spending and the obligations of the Union. It provides a proposal which is both credible for a smooth and timely adoption of the 2013 budget and responsible for the future by containing the accumulation of outstanding commitments .
  • date: 2012-07-25T00:00:00 type: Council position on draft budget published body: CSL docs: url: http://register.consilium.europa.eu/content/out?lang=EN&typ=SET&i=ADV&RESULTSET=1&DOC_ID=12749%2F12&DOC_LANCD=EN&ROWSPP=25&NRROWS=500&ORDERBY=DOC_DATE+DESC title: 12749/2012 summary: The Council adopted its position on the draft budget of the European Union for 2013. The main features of the position are as follows: EUR 149 776.77 million in commitment appropriations; EUR 132 695.47 million in payment appropriations . Under the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013, commitment appropriations increase by 1.27% compared to the 2012 budget and payment appropriations increase by 2.79%. The total amount of payment appropriations provided for in the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013 corresponds to 0.99% of EU GNI . A. Generalities: the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013: shows due regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline and sound financial management; is within the framework of the budget guidelines established for the 2013 budget in the Council conclusions adopted in February 2012 ; is an approach resulting in a budget that is both realistic and comprehensively balanced, that meets the conditions of budgetary discipline and sound financial management in seeking to make additional efforts in comparison to the draft budget put forward by the Commission; provides adequate funding for the European Union's various priorities, by determining appropriations on the basis of the budget implementation rate in 2011, budget forecast alerts in 2012 and realistic absorption capacities, given the particularities of the various financial years. This approach was also followed with regard to allocations for administrative expenditures relating to the operational programmes and expenditures of the executive agencies; ensures a limited and controlled growth of payment appropriations in line with 2012 under all headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework, adjusting the amounts on the basis of an analysis of the 2011 budget implementation and the 2012 budget forecast alerts. This approach should be seen in the context of the budgetary constraints applied in all Member States; applies the same approach as that adopted in relation to the institutions’ administrative expenditures to those of the decentralised agencies; leaves adequate margins under the ceilings of the headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework , with the exception of sub-heading 1b, in order to be able to cope with unforeseen situations while respecting, as far as possible, the amounts in commitment appropriations proposed by the Commission regarding co-decided programmes. Statement on payment appropriations: besides the abovementioned principles, the Council also approved a statement on payment appropriations calling on the Commission to submit as early as possible the letter of amendment for agriculture (including information about the possible carry-over of assigned revenue) and, if necessary, a letter of amendment concerning sub-heading 1b in order to appropriately calibrate the level of resources in heading 2 (Preservation and management of natural resources) and sub-heading 1b in the 2013 budget. Furthermore, the Council asks the Commission to submit a draft amending budget if the payment appropriations entered in the 2013 budget are insufficient to cover expenditure under: sub-heading 1a (Competitiveness for growth and employment), sub-heading 1b, heading 2 and heading 4 (EU as a global player). It urges the Commission to present as early as possible updated figures concerning the state of affairs and estimates regarding payment appropriations under sub-heading 1b and, if necessary, to present a draft amending budget for this sole purpose. The Council will take position on the draft amending budget as quickly as possible in order to avoid any shortfall in payment appropriations. B. Expenditure by heading of the financial framework: as to expenditure under the different headings of the financial framework the Council's position is as follows: Heading 1: Sustainable growth (EUR 70.055 billion in commitments): Sub-heading 1a: as regards competitiveness for growth and employment expenditure, the amount of this sub-heading totals EUR 15.563 billion in commitment appropriations, thus a reduction of EUR 469.15 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, of which EUR 35.51 million resulting from the approach taken in regard to administrative expenditure. The sub-heading is characterised by the following: t he fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.77 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies(a total of 111 temporary posts are accepted); the setting of the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 1 897.65 million in the appropriations requested in the DB of which EUR 151 million in the field of competitiveness, EUR 63.05 million in the field of transport, EUR 1 237.09 million in the field of research, EUR 104 million in the field of education and training, EUR 13.4 million in the field of social policy, EUR 202 million on budget lines related to the European economic recovery plan, EUR 50 million on the budget line for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund and EUR 77.1 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of an analysis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities. The margin available under sub-heading 1a would be EUR 560.1 million. Sub-heading 1b): expenditures on cohesion for growth and employment : the Council has foreseen an amount of EUR 54.492 billion in commitments. The other main points about this sub-heading are the following: the establishment of the level of commitment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 7.4 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines related to administrative expenditure under this subheading; the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1 599.74 million, resulting in an increase of 8.07 % in comparison with 2012 . This amount represents a reduction in payment appropriations concentrated in the fields of the European Regional Development Fund (EUR 310 million), the European Social Fund (EUR 831 million) and the Cohesion Fund (EUR 459 million), representing an adjustment on the basis of the available information. The margin available under sub-heading 1b would be EUR 32.45 million. Heading 2: expenditure for preservation and management of natural resources: the amount for this heading is set at EUR 59.971 billion in commitment appropriations, thus involving a total reduction of EUR 336 million in commitment appropriations requested in the DB, of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts and EUR 4 million on the budget line for public awareness, on the basis of past and current budget implementation. M arket-related expenditures and direct aids are set at EUR 43.795 billion (in commitment appropriations) by the Council, i.e. a reduction of 0.4% in comparison with 2012. Other points in regard to this budgetary heading include: t he fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1.07 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies, (a total of 29 temporary posts accepted); the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 490.57 million , of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts, EUR 100 million in the field of rural development, EUR 38 million in maritime affairs and fisheries, and EUR 20.5 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation. These amounts estimated on the basis of past budget implementation and available information may be reviewed in the light of the Autumn letter of amendment. The margin available under heading 2 would be EUR 1 317.55 million. Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: the allocation for this heading has been set at EUR 2.057 billion in commitment appropriations, divided between two sub-headings: 3a) in regard to freedom, security and justice expenditure (EUR 1.377 billion in commitment appropriations), the Council requests: the setting of the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 14.95 million commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities; the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.83 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies (a total of 45 temporary posts accepted); the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 50.97 million in the appropriations requested in the DB on a number of budget lines on the basis of past and current budget implementation; The margin available under sub-heading 3a would be EUR 283.72 million. 3b) as regards citizenship expenditure ( EUR 680 million in commitment appropriations), the Council has sought to: set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 9.52 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities; fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.84 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies; set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 9.55 million the appropriations requested in the DB in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation. The available margin under sub-heading 3b would be EUR 35.10 million. Heading 4: the EU as a global player , the Council envisages a total amount of EUR 9.295 billion in commitment appropriations. It thus decided to: set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 171.7 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB on a number of specific budget lines under this heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities; fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.21 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies; set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 1 034.29 million the appropriations requested in the DB , of which on the one hand EUR 924.29 million in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation as well as realistic absorption capacities, while, on the other hand, not retaining the amount of EUR 110 million proposed in the DB for the Emergency Aid Reserve . The margin available under Heading 4 would be EUR 563.64 million to cover any additional needs at a later stage. Heading 5: administrative expenditure: these amount to EUR 8.398 billion in commitment appropriations. The Council has decided to: keep under strict control the volume of the administrative expenditure of the EU institutions, in line with the approach followed by the Member States for their national civil service; set the administrative budget of each institution at the appropriate level, taking into account their specificities and real and justified needs, reducing by a total amount of EUR 146.18 million the commitment and payment appropriations requested in the DB ; increase the standard flat rate abatement on salaries for certain institutions and offices; not accept the 1.7 % increase related to the 2011 salary adjustment ; apply the Commission's proposal to reduce staff by 1% per year as from 2013 to all institutions, with the exception of the very small institutions (European Ombudsman and European Data Protection Supervisor) and the recently created European External Action Service; not accept the new posts requested by the European Ombudsman and the European Data Protection Supervisor; accept the requested conversions, transformations, upgradings and transfers of posts, with the exception of non-obligatory transformations of posts requested by the Court of Justice of the European Union; accept all additional staff requests related to the Croatia enlargement . This approach has resulted in an appropriate level of administrative expenditure ensuring a proper functioning of the institutions. A margin of EUR 782.77 million remains available under the ceiling of heading 5 of the multiannual financial framework. The Council also focused on administrative expenditure linked to operational programmes and on administrative expenditure of the executive agencies. In this respect, it was decided to carry out targeted reductions on the basis of a similar approach as the one followed for the institutions. Agencies: as regards the decentralised agencies, the Council also applied a similar approach as for the institutions. Therefore, a 1% reduction was retained in the contribution to Titles 1 and 2 of all agencies. As regards posts, a 1% reduction to the establishment plan was applied for the agencies at "cruising speed". Regarding agencies in charge of new tasks, only half of the new posts requested were accepted. For agencies in the "start-up" phase, the accepted new posts were limited to three-quarters of the requests.
  • date: 2012-10-10T00:00:00 type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2012-10-12T00:00:00 type: Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2012-311&language=EN title: A7-0311/2012 summary: The Committee on Budgets adopted the joint report on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 by Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT) – (section III – Commission) and Derek VAUGHAN (S&D, UK) (other Sections). Members stress that the priorities expressed in the opinions given by its specialised committees , as well as those which emerged on the occasion of the meetings with the Rapporteurs specialising in budgetary matters, have as far as possible been taken into account in the present draft resolution. Section III – Commission: the committee recalls that Parliament’s priorities for the 2013 budget, as detailed in its resolution of 4 July 2012 on the mandate for the trilogue, consist in: support for sustainable growth, competitiveness and employment, particularly for SMEs and youth . It points out that the Commission's draft budget (DB) reflects Parliament's priorities and is aware of the severe difficulties arising from the state of the national economies and of the need for a responsible and realistic reading. Members cannot accept, however, the approach according to which the EU budget is made the source for possible savings with the same proportion and logic applied to the national budgets , given the substantial difference in nature, objectives and structure. They highlight that decreasing EU resources will surely result in a lack of investment and liquidity in the Member States. Members underline that the EU budget is to be seen as a complementary instrument of support for Member States' economies , capable of concentrating initiatives and investment in areas strategic for growth and the creation of jobs as well as and of bringing about a leverage effect in sectors overcoming national boundaries. Such a role is legitimised by the same Member States, who, together with Parliament, are responsible for the decisions from which most of the EU law stems. Recalling that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), Members deplore the decision of the Council to proceed again this year with the usual approach of horizontal cuts to the DB , aimed at artificially reducing the level of the EU's resources for 2013 by an overall total of EUR 1 155 million (-0.8%) in commitment appropriations (CA) and EUR 5 228 million (-3.8%) in payment appropriations (PA). They are surprised that the Council has not taken into account latest Commission's forecasts for programmes' implementation, based on estimates of the same Member States. The report warns about the s evere risk of shortages of payments, in particular under Headings 1a, 1b and 2 , entailing a risk that sufficient funds are not made available to enable the EU to honour its debts. Reductions damaging for growth: Members underline that the current procedures for assessing the real needs for payment appropriations for Member States take place in total obscurity. The committee has examined the Council’s cuts, noting that Headings 1a and 1b are particularly affected as regards payments (-EUR 1.9 billion and -EUR 1.6 billion respectively as compared to the DB), i.e. the headings under which most of the programmes and initiatives responsible for delivery of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are concentrated. It underlines that these cuts are fully at odds with the conclusions of the June 2012 European Council , which identified the EU budget as "a catalyst for growth and jobs across Europe" and decided to concentrate resources, including EUR 55 billion coming from the Structural Funds, on growth-enhancing measures. Members consider that that decision, taken at the highest political level of the EU, needs to be translated into a sufficient level of payments for 2013 in favour of programmes and actions underpinning this priority. They also reject the Council's argument that these cuts correspond to under-implemented or low-performing programmes, (e.g. the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Heading 1a and the Competitiveness and Employment objective under Heading 1b), since such criteria completely disregard the multiannual character of the EU's policies, and of cohesion policy in particular, characterised by a rising profile of payments towards the end of the MFF. Furthermore, the substantial reduction in the level of payments as compared to commitments set by the Council would logically result in a further increase of the RAL by EUR 4.1 billion, especially considering that the largest shares of the RAL relate to cohesion policy (65.6%) and to R&D sector (10.5%). Restoring at the level of DB payment appropriations to enable the main EU programmes to function: due to recent experience, the committee does not deem the declaration of payments proposed by the Council in its reading as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will eventually be made available for all headings. The Budgets Committee takes the general approach, therefore, of restoring, at the level of DB payments cut by Council in all headings and increasing payment appropriations over DB on a selected number of lines characterised by high levels of implementation within each heading, in particular Headings 1a and 4, to cover the real needs of the corresponding programmes, as identified by the Commission. It calls on the European Parliament to mandate its delegation for the Budget 2013 conciliation not to accept any level of payments both for the Amending budget 6/2012 and the Budget 2013 that does not fully cover the payment needs for 2012 and 2013, as estimated by the Commission. Members recall that Council completely disregarded Parliament's priorities, as expressed in Parliament's mandate for the trilogue but that Parliament's reading is based instead upon benchmarks arising from that mandate. More Europe and not less Europe: the report underlines that the answer to the crisis must be ‘more Europe and not less Europe’ in order to restart investment, boost the creation of jobs and help rebuild confidence in the economy. Members cannot, therefore, accept Council's decision to reduce commitment appropriations further down to 1.27% compared to budget 2012. They set the overall level of appropriations for 2013 to: EUR 151 151.84 million in commitment appropriations and EUR 137 898.15 million in payment appropriations. With regard to each of the budget headings, Members make the following points: Heading 1a: they deplore that Heading 1a bears practically the totality of the Council's cuts in commitments (-2.9% compared to DB in Heading 1) and is the most affected as regards decreases in payments (-EUR 1.9 billion or -14% compared to DB ). They decide to undo almost all cuts by Council and to reinforce above DB in commitment and payment appropriations only a selected number of lines directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. Members make the following amendments to the budget: increase commitment and payment appropriations in favour of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and CIP Intelligent Energy Europe; partly compensate decreases to ITER by setting commitments above DB on a selected number of operational FP7 lines directly underpinning the Europe 2020 strategy and characterised by excellent levels of implementation and strong absorption capacity; finance this partial offset above the available margin through the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 50 million; increase appropriations for Lifelong Learning and Erasmus Mundus programmes which, against modest financial envelopes, provide great returns in terms of effective implementation and positive image of the Union vis-à-vis its citizens; the level of commitments and payments proposed in the DB for projects of common interest in the Trans-European transport network; restore DB payments for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). Heading 1b: Members strongly deplore the substantial cuts in payments (-EUR 1.6 billion or -3.3% as compared to the DB) by the Council affecting the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective (-12.9%), the European Territorial Cooperation objective (-18.7%) and the Cohesion Fund (-4.7%). Recalling the doubts expressed in its mandate for the trilogue as to whether the level of payments proposed in the DB will be sufficient to reimburse the totality of the expected payment claims in the absence of an amending budget this year, the committee rejects the cuts introduced by the Council on Heading 1b, which would lead to a much more serious shortage in payments than already expected and would also lead to a strong increase in the level of RAL by the end of next year. It does not consider the Council's declaration asking the Commission to submit a draft amending budget in case of insufficient payments under Heading 1b as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will be made available in 2013, given that similar commitments have been already undertaken and disregarded by the Council in the past two years. Members ask the Council Presidency to make a public statement and explain the discrepancy between the Council's reading on payments and the actual needs of Member States , as expressed in their estimates. In sum, the committee decides to restore the DB in commitments and in payments for all budget lines cut by Council under this heading. It urges the Council to agree on Draft amending budget 6/2012 presented by the Commission with the aim to compensate the shortage of payment appropriations this year and to avoid blocking the execution of running projects at the end of the programming period. Heading 2: Members consider that the Commission’s estimates of budgetary needs are more realistic than the Council’s forecast figures, and restore, therefore, Council's cuts under this Heading to a level of EUR 60 307.51 million, which is 0.6% above the 2012 budget. They reject the increase of the so-called negative expenditure line (clearance of accounts) as this appears to be set artificially high compared to Heading 2 appropriations and partly restores the Commission's proposal, allowing a more realistic approach. They also make the following adjustments to the budget: granting an adequate level for producer groups for preliminary recognition; increase in the Union's contribution to the crisis fund within operational funds for producer organisations; increased support for the school milk programme and the continued support for programme concerning school fruit; maintaining the budget allocation dedicated to the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons in the with Members welcoming the effort made by the Commission in finding a political and legal solution to continue with the programme in 2013; continued support on a commensurate level for the LIFE+ programme, maintaining financing of the CFP at the proposed DB levels, in view of its upcoming reform. Members state they support the sharp reduction of some budget lines on refunds, and in some cases even to zero, as this instrument is politically controversial. Heading 3a: Members reject the cuts performed by the Council in payment appropriations in the following areas: European Return Fund (-EUR 18 million), European Refugee Fund (-EUR 1.8 million), European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals (-EUR 3.2 million) and Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (-EUR 1 million). They decide, therefore, to restore the level of the DB on the corresponding lines. They also increase the payment appropriations of the DAPHNE programme above the level of the DB, emphasising the positive role of the programme. Members also reject the Council's unilateral decision to change the legal basis of the proposal on the "Schengen evaluation mechanism" from the ordinary legislative procedure to Article 70 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. They support the Conference of Presidents' decision to block cooperation with the Council on the 2013 budget as regards internal security aspects and endorse, therefore, the position taken by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs to put into the reserve some budgetary lines in Title 18 which relate to internal security (in commitment and payment appropriations) until a satisfactory outcome is achieved on the Schengen governance package. Heading 3b: emphasising the need to encourage cross-cultural communication and EU citizenship within the next generation, the committee has decided to increase funding for the Youth in Action programme compared to DB. It also reinforces appropriations for the European Year of Citizens 2013 together with the latter’s communication activities. Heading 4: Members highlight that cut in payments brought by the Council to Heading 4 (-EUR 1 billion or -14.1% as compared to DB) represent approximately 20% of the overall cuts across all headings. They consider that such a massive reduction would impede the Union to respect the commitments to which it has committed itself on the world scene and they decide to restore the level of both commitment and payment appropriations in most budget lines to the levels proposed in the DB. Members consider, however, that some decreases compared to the DB can be accepted in some budget lines, such as macro-Financial Assistance, membership of international organisations in the field of customs and tax and cooperation with Greenland. They propose a small increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for budget lines in the areas of geographical development cooperation, as well as for the Electoral Observation Mission and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Pointing out that increased funding for Palestine and UNRWA is crucial for ensuring that UNRWA is given the necessary resources it needs to provide the essential services for which it has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and to safeguard the safety and livelihood of refugees, the committee increases the relevant funding. It also increases appropriations for the support to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot Community. Heading 5: taking note of the Council's position decreasing the Commission's proposal on Heading 5 by EUR 146 million overall, despite the institutions' efforts towards budget consolidation of administrative expenditure, Members welcome the efforts of most institutions, including Parliament and the Commission, which complied with and even overstepped their commitment to restrict their administrative budgets to an increase below the expected inflation rate. For all the institutions, apart from the Council, as well as for the European Schools, they decide to restore (or in the case of the Court of Justice, add) in reserve the amounts corresponding to the 1.7% 2011 salary adjustment for budget year 2013, pending the Court's ruling. This is sound budgeting, given the likelihood of a ruling in favour of the Commission. The committee warns the Council that, in this event, the budgetary authority will need to accommodate the retroactive effect of such ruling for years 2011 and 2012, including late interest. It also undoes other cuts brought by the Council on specific items of administrative expenditure, notably, within the Commission, on ICT equipment and services and some offices. While restoring or maintaining the Commission's and, partly, other institutions' requests for posts on the basis of a case-by-case approach, Members call for an in-depth impact assessment to be carried out on the planned staff reductions by 2018, taking full account of, inter alia, the Union's legal obligations and the institutions' new competences. They note with concern that staff cuts were made within the Commission and ask the Commission to include in its annual staff screening report an assessment of the impact. They also set a number of reserves on some budget lines with a view to obtaining specific information. Agencies: Members endorse, as a general rule, the Commission's estimates of agencies' budgetary and staff needs and notes that the Commission had already considerably reduced the agencies' initial requests. They consider that any further cuts as proposed by the Council would endanger the proper functioning of the agencies and would not allow them to fulfil the tasks they have been assigned. They decide to increase the 2013 budget appropriations for the three financial supervision agencies. Members are aware that certain agencies (such as Europol, EASA, ACER) have to implement additional tasks in 2013 which might not be reflected in the allocated budget or establishment plan for 2013 and request the Commission, in case of necessity, to propose timely an Amending Budget for the relevant agency. They also expect the Commission to present a new financial statement when a legislative procedure has been finalised by Parliament and the Council extending the mandate of an agency. Other sections The committee is concerned by the Council's position of a nominal freeze across all EU institutions, believing that each institution should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the needs and specific situation of each institution. It welcomes efforts made by the institutions to find additional savings and restrict their budgets bearing in mind the costs of the enlargement to Croatia. European Parliament: Members point out that the level of its 2013 budget is 1.9% above the 2012 budget including the costs for Croatian accession but that due to the current inflation rate of 1.9%, there is a real decrease of the operating budget, despite recently added competences, new posts and actions, the financing of Croatia's accession and the costs for preparing the 2014 elections. They approve the following adjustments to the estimates: reduction in the appropriations in the contingency reserve, internalisation of the security service in a budget-neutral manner, pursuit of the internalisation of ICT activities adjustment in the appropriations for the European Parliamentary Association; reduction of appropriations for the House of European History by EUR 5.3 million. Members believe that, like every directly elected parliament, the European Parliament should have the right to decide on its own seat and working place arrangements and declare, therefore, that Parliament's seat and places of work for Members and officials should be decided upon by Parliament itself. They go on to make other remarks on Parliament’s internal organisation, travel, ICT expenditure and translation. Other institutions: lastly, Members make a series of recommendations on the other institutions and bodies of the EU calling generally for the restoration of certain appropriations allocated to each in order to enable them to carry out their tasks and meet the needs of enlargement to Croatia.
  • date: 2012-10-22T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2012-10-22T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20121022&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2012-10-23T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=22057&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2012-10-23T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2012-359 title: T7-0359/2012 summary: The European Parliament adopted by 492 to 123 votes, with 82 abstentions, a resolution on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 (all Sections). Parliament stresses that the priorities expressed in the opinions given by its specialised committees, as well as those which emerged on the occasion of the meetings with the Rapporteurs specialising in budgetary matters, have as far as possible been taken into account in this resolution. Noting the Amending Letter No 1 to the Draft General Budget 2012 , Parliament sets the overall level of appropriations for 2013 at: EUR 151 151 840 000 for commitment appropriations and EUR 137 898 015 000 for payment appropriations. Parliament’s resolution may be summarised as follows: Section III – Commission : Parliament recalls that its priorities for the 2013 budget, as detailed in its resolution of 4 July 2012 have been taken into account: they consist in: support for sustainable growth, competitiveness and employment, particularly for SMEs and youth . It welcomes the fact that the Commission's draft budget (DB) reflects Parliament's priorities and is aware of the severe difficulties arising from the state of the national economies and of the need for a responsible and realistic reading. Parliament cannot accept, however, the approach according to which the EU budget is made the source for possible savings with the same proportion and logic applied to the national budgets , given the substantial difference in nature, objectives and structure. It considers that decreasing EU resources will surely result in a lack of investment and liquidity in the Member States. In Parliament’s view, the EU budget is to be seen as a complementary instrument of support for Member States' economies , capable of concentrating initiatives and investment in areas strategic for growth and the creation of jobs as well as and of bringing about a leverage effect in sectors overcoming national boundaries. Such a role is legitimised by the same Member States, who, together with Parliament, are responsible for the decisions from which most of the EU law stems. Recalling that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), Parliament deplores the decision of the Council to proceed again this year with the usual approach of horizontal cuts to the DB , aimed at artificially reducing the level of the EU's resources for 2013 by an overall total of EUR 1 155 million (-0.8%) in commitment appropriations (CA) and EUR 5 228 million (-3.8%) in payment appropriations (PA). Parliament is also surprised that the Council has not taken into account the latest Commission's forecasts for programme implementation, based on estimates of the same Member States. It warns about the severe risk of shortages of payments, in particular under Headings 1a, 1b and 2 , entailing a risk that sufficient funds are not made available to enable the EU to honour its debts. Reductions damaging for growth: underlining that the current procedures for assessing the real needs for payment appropriations for Member States take place in total obscurity, Parliament has examined the Council’s cuts, noting that Headings 1a and 1b are particularly affected as regards payments (-EUR 1.9 billion and -EUR 1.6 billion respectively as compared to the DB), i.e. the headings under which most of the programmes and initiatives responsible for delivery of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are concentrated. It underlines that these cuts are fully at odds with the conclusions of the June 2012 European Council , which identified the EU budget as "a catalyst for growth and jobs across Europe" and decided to concentrate resources, including EUR 55 billion coming from the Structural Funds, on growth-enhancing measures. Parliament considers that that decision, taken at the highest political level of the EU, needs to be translated into a sufficient level of payments for 2013 in favour of programmes and actions underpinning this priority. Parliament also rejects the Council's argument that these cuts correspond to under-implemented or low-performing programmes, (e.g. the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Heading 1a and the Competitiveness and Employment objective under Heading 1b), since such criteria completely disregard the multiannual character of the EU's policies, and of cohesion policy in particular, characterised by a rising profile of payments towards the end of the MFF. Furthermore, the substantial reduction in the level of payments as compared to commitments set by the Council would logically result in a further increase of the RAL by EUR 4.1 billion, especially considering that the largest shares of the RAL relate to cohesion policy (65.6%) and to R&D sector (10.5%). Restoring at the level of DB payment appropriations to enable the main EU programmes to function: Parliament doubts that the increase in payments by 6.8 % proposed in the DB will be sufficient to cover reimbursements of payment claims awaited by Member States under the various headings – and in particular for Headings 1a and 1b – in the absence of an amending budget covering payment needs for 2012. It will therefore reject any attempt to reduce the level of payment appropriations as compared to the DB proposal . From experience, Parliament does not deem the declaration of payments proposed by the Council in its reading as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will eventually be made available for all headings. It therefore takes the general approach, therefore, of restoring, at the level of DB payments cut by Council in all headings and increasing payment appropriations over DB on a selected number of lines characterised by high levels of implementation within each heading, in particular Headings 1a and 4, to cover the real needs of the corresponding programmes, as identified by the Commission. It calls on the European Parliament to mandate its delegation for the Budget 2013 conciliation not to accept any level of payments both for the Amending budget 6/2012 and the Budget 2013 that does not fully cover the payment needs for 2012 and 2013, as estimated by the Commission. It recalls that Council completely disregarded Parliament's priorities that it expressed in the trilogue and that Parliament's reading is based instead upon the latest figures and relevant benchmarks. More Europe and not less Europe: Parliament underlines that the answer to the crisis must be ‘more Europe and not less Europe’ in order to restart investment, boost the creation of jobs and help rebuild confidence in the economy. It cannot, therefore, accept Council's decision to reduce commitment appropriations further down to 1.27% compared to budget 2012. It even intends to increase commitment appropriations above the DB on a few selected budget lines directly related to the delivery of the Europe 2020 priorities and in line with traditional Parliament's priorities; As far as each of the budgetary headings is concerned, Parliament’s views are as follows: Heading 1a: Parliament regrets that Heading 1a bears practically the totality of the Council's cuts in commitments (-2.9% compared to DB in Heading 1) and is the most affected as regards decreases in payments (-EUR 1.9 billion or -14% compared to the DB ). It has decided to reverse almost all cuts by Council. It introduces the following amendments to the budget: increase commitment and payment appropriations in favour of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and CIP Intelligent Energy Europe; partly compensate decreases to ITER by setting commitments above DB on a selected number of operational FP7 lines directly underpinning the Europe 2020 strategy and characterised by excellent levels of implementation and strong absorption capacity; finance this partial offset above the available margin through the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 50 million; increase appropriations for Lifelong Learning and Erasmus Mundus programmes which, against modest financial envelopes, provide great returns in terms of effective implementation and positive image of the Union vis-à-vis its citizens; maintain the level of commitments and payments proposed in the DB for projects of common interest in the Trans-European transport network; restore DB payments for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). Heading 1b: once again, Parliament strongly regrets the substantial cuts in payments (-EUR 1.6 billion or -3.3% as compared to the DB) by the Council affecting the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective (-12.9%), the European Territorial Cooperation objective (-18.7%) and the Cohesion Fund (-4.7%). According to Parliament, such cuts would definitely hamper the correct execution of projects during the last year of the programming period, with dramatic consequences, especially for the Member States which are already under social, economical and financial constraints, thereby substantially increasing the RAL. Recalling the doubts expressed in its mandate for the trilogue as to whether the level of payments proposed in the DB will be sufficient to reimburse the totality of the expected payment claims in the absence of an amending budget this year, Parliament rejects the cuts introduced by the Council on Heading 1b, which would lead to a much more serious shortage in payments than already expected and would also lead to a strong increase in the level of RAL by the end of next year. It does not consider the Council's declaration asking the Commission to submit a draft amending budget in case of insufficient payments under Heading 1b as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will be made available in 2013, given that similar commitments have been already undertaken and disregarded by the Council in the past two years. In this context, Parliament asks the Council Presidency to make a public statement and explain the discrepancy between the Council's reading on payments and the actual needs of Member States , as expressed in their estimates. In sum, Parliament decides to restore the DB in commitments and in payments for all budget lines cut by Council under this heading. It urges the Council to agree on Draft amending budget 6/2012 with the aim to compensate the shortage of payment appropriations this year and to avoid blocking the execution of running projects at the end of the programming period. Parliament also decides to increase commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for the technical assistance to the Baltic Sea Strategy. Heading 2: Parliament considers that the Commission’s estimates of budgetary needs are more realistic than the Council’s forecast figures, and restores, therefore, Council's cuts under this Heading to a level of EUR 60 307.51 million, which is 0.6% above the 2012 budget. In an amendment adopted in Plenary, Parliament calls on the Commission to increase its efforts to define clear priorities under this Heading that favour sustainable farming systems which preserve biodiversity, protect water resources and soil fertility, respect animal welfare and support employment. It rejects the increase of the so-called negative expenditure line (clearance of accounts) as this appears to be set artificially high compared to Heading 2 appropriations and partly restores the Commission's proposal. Parliament also makes the following budgetary adjustments: granting an adequate level for producer groups for preliminary recognition; increase in the Union's contribution to the crisis fund within operational funds for producer organisations; increased support for the school milk programme and the continued support for programme concerning school fruit; maintaining the budget allocation dedicated to the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons in the with Members welcoming the effort made by the Commission in finding a political and legal solution to continue with the programme in 2013; continued support on a commensurate level for the LIFE+ programme, maintaining financing of the CFP at the proposed DB levels, in view of its upcoming reform. Parliament supports the sharp reduction of some budget lines on refunds, and in some cases even to zero, as this instrument is politically controversial. Heading 3a: Parliament rejects the cuts performed by the Council in payment appropriations in the following areas: European Return Fund (-EUR 18 million), European Refugee Fund (-EUR 1.8 million), European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals (-EUR 3.2 million) and Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (-EUR 1 million). It decides, therefore, to restore the level of the DB on the corresponding lines. It also increases the payment appropriations of the DAPHNE programme above the level of the DB, emphasising the positive role of the programme. Parliament also rejects the Council's unilateral decision to change the legal basis of the proposal on the "Schengen evaluation mechanism" from the ordinary legislative procedure to Article 70 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It supports the Conference of Presidents' decision to block cooperation with the Council on the 2013 budget as regards internal security aspects and confirms it will place in the reserve some budgetary lines in Title 18 which relate to internal security (in commitment and payment appropriations) until a satisfactory outcome is achieved on the Schengen governance package. Heading 4: Parliament highlights that cut in payments brought by the Council to Heading 4 (-EUR 1 billion or -14.1% as compared to DB) represent approximately 20% of the overall cuts across all headings. It considers that such a massive reduction would impede the Union to respect the commitments to which it has committed itself on the world scene . It decides, therefore, to restore the level of both commitment and payment appropriations in most budget lines to the levels proposed in the DB. It considers, however, that some decreases compared to the DB can be accepted in some budget lines, such as macro-Financial Assistance, membership of international organisations in the field of customs and tax and cooperation with Greenland. It proposes a small increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for budget lines in the areas of geographical development cooperation, as well as for the Electoral Observation Mission and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Pointing out that increased funding for Palestine and UNRWA is crucial for ensuring that UNRWA is given the necessary resources it needs to provide the essential services for which it has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and to safeguard the safety and livelihood of refugees, Parliament increases the relevant funding. It also increases appropriations for the support to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot Community. Heading 5: taking note of the Council's position decreasing the Commission's proposal on Heading 5 by EUR 146 million overall, despite the institutions' efforts towards budget consolidation of administrative expenditure, Parliament welcomes the efforts of the institutions, including the Commission, which complied with and even overstepped their commitment to restrict their administrative budgets to an increase below the expected inflation rate. For all the institutions, apart from the Council, as well as for the European Schools, Parliament decides to restore (or in the case of the Court of Justice, add) in reserve the amounts corresponding to the 1.7% 2011 salary adjustment for budget year 2013, pending the Court's ruling. This is sound budgeting, given the likelihood of a ruling in favour of the Commission. Parliament warns the Council that, in this event, the budgetary authority will need to accommodate the retroactive effect of such ruling for years 2011 and 2012, including late interest. Parliament also undoes other cuts brought by the Council on specific items of administrative expenditure, notably, within the Commission, on ICT equipment and services and some offices. While restoring or maintaining the Commission's and, in part, other institutions' requests for posts on the basis of a case-by-case approach, Parliament calls for an in-depth impact assessment to be carried out on the planned staff reductions by 2018, taking full account of, inter alia, the Union's legal obligations and the institutions' new competences. Parliament notes with concern that staff cuts were made within the Commission and asks the Commission to include in its annual staff screening report an assessment of the impact. It also sets a number of reserves on some budget lines with a view to obtaining specific information. Lastly, deploring the cuts made by the Council on the administrative and research support lines, Parliament considers underlines that these would be likely to affect the swiftness and quality of budgetary implementation of the multi-annual programmes to which they are related. It decides therefore to restore the DB for those lines. Agencies: Parliament endorses, as a general rule, the Commission's estimates of agencies' budgetary and staff needs and notes that the Commission had already considerably reduced the agencies' initial requests. Parliament considers that any further cuts as proposed by the Council would endanger the proper functioning of the agencies and would not allow them to fulfil the tasks they have been assigned. They decide to increase the 2013 budget appropriations for the three financial supervision agencies. Aware that certain agencies (such as Europol, EASA, ACER) have to implement additional tasks in 2013 which might not be reflected in the allocated budget or establishment plan for 2013, Parliament requests the Commission, in case of necessity, to propose timely an Amending Budget for the relevant agency. It also expects the Commission to present a new financial statement when a legislative procedure has been finalised by Parliament and the Council extending the mandate of an agency. Other sections Parliament is generally concerned by the Council's position of a nominal freeze across all EU institutions, believing that each institution should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the needs and specific situation of each institution. It welcomes efforts made by the institutions to find additional savings and restrict their budgets bearing in mind the costs of the enlargement to Croatia. European Parliament: concerning its own budget, Parliament points out that the level of its 2013 budget is 1.9% above the 2012 budget including the costs for Croatian accession but that due to the current inflation rate of 1.9%, there is a real decrease of the operating budget, despite recently added competences, new posts and actions, the financing of Croatia's accession and the costs for preparing the 2014 elections. Parliament’s budget is thus set at EUR 1 750 463 939 for 2013. Parliament approves the following adjustments to the estimates: reduction in the appropriations in the contingency reserve, internalisation of the security service in a budget-neutral manner, pursuit of the internalisation of ICT activities adjustment in the appropriations for the European Parliamentary Association; reduction of appropriations for the House of European History by EUR 5.3 million. Other specific demands are made in regard to the internal organisation of Parliament’s work, travel and ICT and translation expenditures. The question of Parliament’s seat: Parliament Parliament believes that, like every directly elected parliament, the European Parliament should have the right to decide on its own seat and working place arrangements. It declares, therefore, that Parliament's seat and places of work for Members and officials should be decided upon by Parliament itself. It urges the two arms of the budgetary authority (the Council and Parliament), in order to make financial savings and to promote a more sustainable climate- and environmentally-friendly solution, to raise the issue of a single seat and Parliament's working places for Members and officials in the upcoming negotiations on the next MFF for 2014-2020 . It urges the Member States to revise the issue of Parliament's seat and working places in the next revision of the Treaty by amending Protocol 6. Furthermore, it calls on the Council to start elaborating a road-map with the Parliament towards a single seat and a more efficient use of Parliament's working places, taking into account specific up-to-date figures detailing the cost of each place of work and working conditions for staff, as well as economic, societal and environmental factors – to be presented in a report by 30 June 2013. Other institutions: lastly, Parliament makes a series of recommendations on the other institutions and bodies of the EU calling generally for the restoration of certain appropriations allocated to each in order to enable them to carry out their tasks and meet the needs of enlargement to Croatia.
  • date: 2012-10-23T00:00:00 type: Start of budgetary conciliation (Parliament and Council) body: EP/CSL
  • date: 2012-11-09T00:00:00 type: Debate in Council body: CSL summary: Blockage on the 2113 Budget negotiations The two branches of the budgetary authority, meeting within the Conciliation Committee, could not yet reach agreement on the 2013 EU budget and other related items. Key sticking points: despite a certain convergence of views on elements of the package, divergent views persisted in particular as to the extent by which the 2012 EU budget needs to be increased in order to bridge the gap between the payments jointly agreed last year and actual implementation. Budget benchmarks: · in its draft budget, the Commission proposed for 2013 an amount of EUR 150.93 billion in commitments and EUR 137.92 billion in payments, leading to an increase by respectively 2.05% and 6.85% compared to 2012; · in its position adopted on 24 July, the Council agreed to limit the EU budget for next year to EUR 132.70 billion in payments (corresponding to 0.99% of the EU's Gross National Income (GNI). This represents an increase of 2.79% compared to 2012, which is well above inflation and reflects the fact that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework. As regards commitments, the Council's position amounts to EUR 149.78 billion, representing an increase of 1.27%; · in its position adopted on 23 October, the European Parliament requested an amount of EUR 151.15 billion in commitments (+2.20%) and EUR 137.90 billion in payments (+6.82%). Blockage in conciliation: while the Council and the European Parliament shared the same priority for focusing the EU 2013 budget on growth and jobs-enhancing measures, the Council wished to ensure that the current budgetary constraints of all Member States concerned are also taken into account. Divergent views persisted notably on the extent by which the 2012 EU budget needs to be increased in order to bridge the gap between the payments jointly agreed last year and actual implementation (draft amending budget no 6 for 2012 aimed at increasing this year's budget by EUR 9.0 billion in payment appropriations in order to close the gap between the amount agreed last year and the actual implementation) and on the question whether the Commission proposal exploited all possibilities for redeployment. However, the Conciliation Committee reached agreement on the mobilisation , as soon as possible, of the EU’s Solidarity Fund in favour of Italy for an amount of EUR 670 million as proposed by the Commission in amending budget no 5 for 2012 , which will be finalised in the overall agreement. Next steps: the Cypriot Presidency will continue its efforts for finding a compromise. The 21-day-conciliation-period provided for by the Lisbon Treaty expires on 13 November 2012 . If an agreement can be reached by then, the Council and the European Parliament have 14 days to formally approve the agreement, following the finalisation of the text. If conciliation fails, the Commission has to present a new draft budget for 2013 . In line with Article 315 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, should the budget not be adopted at the beginning of 2013, a sum equivalent to not more than one twelfth of the budget appropriations for 2012 or of the draft budget proposed by the Commission, whichever is smaller, may be spent each month for any chapter of the budget.
  • date: 2012-11-13T00:00:00 type: Agreement not reached in budgetary conciliation body: EP/CSL
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  • body: CSL type: Council Meeting council: Former Council configuration
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/budget/ title: Budget commissioner: LEWANDOWSKI Janusz
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  • Blockage on the 2113 Budget negotiations

    The two branches of the budgetary authority, meeting within the Conciliation Committee, could not yet reach agreement on the 2013 EU budget and other related items.

    Key sticking points: despite a certain convergence of views on elements of the package, divergent views persisted in particular as to the extent by which the 2012 EU budget needs to be increased in order to bridge the gap between the payments jointly agreed last year and actual implementation.

    Budget benchmarks:

    ·        in its draft budget, the Commission proposed for 2013 an amount of EUR 150.93 billion in commitments and EUR 137.92 billion in payments, leading to an increase by respectively 2.05% and 6.85% compared to 2012;

    ·        in its position adopted on 24 July, the Council agreed to limit the EU budget for next year to EUR 132.70 billion in payments (corresponding to 0.99% of the EU's Gross National Income (GNI). This represents an increase of 2.79% compared to 2012, which is well above inflation and reflects the fact that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework. As regards commitments, the Council's position amounts to EUR 149.78 billion, representing an increase of 1.27%;

    ·        in its position adopted on 23 October, the European Parliament requested an amount of EUR 151.15 billion in commitments (+2.20%) and EUR 137.90 billion in payments (+6.82%).

    Blockage in conciliation: while the Council and the European Parliament shared the same priority for focusing the EU 2013 budget on growth and jobs-enhancing measures, the Council wished to ensure that the current budgetary constraints of all Member States concerned are also taken into account.

    Divergent views persisted notably on the extent by which the 2012 EU budget needs to be increased in order to bridge the gap between the payments jointly agreed last year and actual implementation (draft amending budget no 6 for 2012 aimed at increasing this year's budget by EUR 9.0 billion in payment appropriations in order to close the gap between the amount agreed last year and the actual implementation) and on the question whether the Commission proposal exploited all possibilities for redeployment.

    However, the Conciliation Committee reached agreement on the mobilisation, as soon as possible, of the EU’s Solidarity Fund in favour of Italy for an amount of EUR 670 million as proposed by the Commission in amending budget no 5 for 2012, which will be finalised in the overall agreement.

    Next steps: the Cypriot Presidency will continue its efforts for finding a compromise. The 21-day-conciliation-period provided for by the Lisbon Treaty expires on 13 November 2012. If an agreement can be reached by then, the Council and the European Parliament have 14 days to formally approve the agreement, following the finalisation of the text. If conciliation fails, the Commission has to present a new draft budget for 2013.

    In line with Article 315 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, should the budget not be adopted at the beginning of 2013, a sum equivalent to not more than one twelfth of the budget appropriations for 2012 or of the draft budget proposed by the Commission, whichever is smaller, may be spent each month for any chapter of the budget.

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PURPOSE: to present the draft Commission budget for the financial year 2013 (all budget sections).

CONTENT: the Commission adopted the draft EU budget for 2013. It will be the last annual budget of the present Multiannual Financial Framework 2007-2013. Aware of the current economic situation, the Commission presents a budget fully geared to use its funding potential for growth and jobs in line with the Europe 2020 strategy.

Investment is a crucial component of spurring this growth. The EU budget, with its high investment focus, has an important role to play as a leverage tool to Member States’ recovery policies, which will benefit economic activity across the Union.

In preparing its Draft Budget, the Commission has followed a rigorous approach in which:

  • an overall increase in the level of commitment appropriations that is restricted to inflation correction (+ 2.0%) is combined with;
  • a targeted significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 6.8%).

This approach contributes directly to growth and jobs in Europe, and which on the other hand is necessary to allow the EU budget to meet its contractual obligations of current and previous years.

In terms of commitment appropriations, the total expenditure proposed in the draft budget (DB) 2013 is EUR 150 931.7 million, corresponding to 1.13% of GNI, that is EUR 3 031.5 million more than in 2012 (+ 2.0%). The restriction of the increase in the overall level of commitment appropriations to inflation correction (+ 2.0 %) leaves a combined total margin of EUR 2 420.4 million under the various ceilings of the MFF.

For payment appropriations, the total amounts to EUR 137 924.4 million, corresponding to 1.04% of GNI. This is an increase of EUR 8 818.3 million compared to payment appropriations in the 2012 budget (+ 6.8%), and leaves a margin of EUR 6 182.6 million under the ceiling of the MFF.

The main priorities have been established for the 2013 Draft Budget: in 2013. The EU will pursue its support to investment and to actions in favour of job-friendly growth. This key political priority is reflected in the level of commitment appropriations requested in the Draft Budget. Competitiveness for growth and employment, with EUR 16 billion in commitment appropriations, and Cohesion for growth and employment, with EUR 54.5 billion in commitment appropriations, support the EU economy by shaping the conditions for sustainable growth and growth-friendly consolidation, both immediately and in the longer term.

At the present final stage of the current financial framework, the Draft Budget for 2013 is established on the basis of a two-fold approach:

  1. appropriations for programmes and initiatives enhancing Growth and Jobs are maximised within the existing framework. Programmes supporting growth and job creation fall mainly under heading 1a “Competitiveness for growth and employment” and heading 1b “Cohesion for growth and employment”. Overall, the proposed commitment appropriations directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy in 2013 increase by 2.7% to EUR 64.5 billion. In particular, key programmes in support of Growth and Investments, SMEs, Employment and Youth which have proved their efficiency, as well the possible reprogramming of structural funds in eight Member States as announced in the European Council of January 2012, are expected to streamline funding to investments in the most critical areas and reinforce the efforts undertaken to address youth unemployment and support SMEs. These efforts are further complemented by new initiatives, mainly the proposed pilot phase for project bonds in the fields of transport, energy and ICT, as well as the proposed new risk-sharing instrument under the Structural Funds which aims at addressing liquidity problems faced by financial institutions, with a view to facilitating investment and growth;
  2. the allocation of appropriations is guided by the application of efficiency savings and reductions of administrative expenditure. The Commission’s draft budget request for 2013 incorporates a 1% reduction in human resources, in accordance with the Communication “Budget for Europe 2020” which proposes a 5% staff reduction for all institutions over five years.

Other characteristics of the 2013 budget:

  1. a responsible and realistic budget: in the final year of the current financial framework, the required level of payment appropriations is largely determined by the project cycle. Consequently, the 2013 Draft Budget foresees significant increases – compared to 2012 – in payment appropriations for key policy areas geared towards investment, where programmes are now being implemented at full speed. In particular, increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1% to EUR 9 billion) and for the Structural and Cohesion Funds (+ 11.7% to EUR 49 billion);
  2. increased payment appropriations: the proposed increase in the overall level of payment appropriations (+ 6.8%) results from a thorough and rigorous analysis of needs in all policy areas. The proposed level of expenditure is a necessary consequence of the Union’s contractual obligation to honour the growing level of outstanding commitments of current and previous years, now that the actual implementation of major programmes is clearly shifting into a higher gear;
  3. scrutinising performance: the Commission has carried out an in-depth examination of programmes and actions, in particular on the basis of past implementation and performance. The Commission’s proposal reflects the best possible use of the available appropriations for actions that carry the required EU added value, meet the Union’s political objectives and deliver results. A rigorous approach to programmes and actions experiencing implementation difficulties as well as to support expenditure has allowed the Commission to contain the budgetary requests under the various expenditure headings, while refocusing appropriations towards the Union's political priorities such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Youth and Employment and restricting the administrative expenditure including the administrative requirements for the accession of Croatia.

Key aspects of the draft budget 2013 by financial framework headings:

Heading 1: Sustainable growth: this heading covers the expenses relating to competitiveness and employment as well as cohesion:

  • Heading 1a: Competitiveness for growth and employment: this sub-heading comprises the key policies in the implementation of the strategy "Europe 2020". Given the importance of spending on growth, a special effort was made for the Research Framework Programme (increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1% to EUR 9 billion); the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) will see a significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 47.8% to EUR 546.4 million); for the Lifelong Learning programme, a substantial increase in the level of payment appropriations is proposed (+ 15.8% to EUR 1 186.0 million).
  • Commitment appropriations for this heading are set at EUR 16 032.0 million, which is an increase of 4.1% compared to the 2012 budget. This leaves a margin of EUR 91 million. Payment appropriations increase by 17.8% to EUR 13 552.8 million. This significant increase is in part due to additional payment needs to cover pre-financing payments for the growing level of commitment appropriations for research, and in part to cover intermediate and final payments on outstanding commitments;
  • Heading 1b: Cohesion for growth and employment: for 2013, total commitment appropriations for heading 1b amount to EUR 54 498.9 million, an increase of 3.3% relative to 2012. Of these, EUR 42 144.7 million are for the Structural Funds (ERDF and ESF), an amount similar to the 2012 envelope, and EUR 12 354.2 million for the Cohesion Fund. Overall payment appropriations are set at EUR 48 975.0 million, an increase of 11.7% over 2012. The substantial increase in the level of payments shows the momentum of the 2007-2013 Cohesion policy on the ground, with the expected positive impact on investments, economic growth and job creation in the EU.

Heading 2: Preservation and Management of Natural Resources: commitment appropriations of EUR 60 307.5 million are proposed for this heading. This level of funding represents an increase of 0.6% compared to 2012 and leaves a margin of EUR 981.5 million under the ceiling. Payment appropriations amount to EUR 57 964.9 million, which is an increase of 1.6% compared to 2012. Within this heading the amount foreseen for market related expenditure and direct aids reaches EUR 44 130.3 million in commitment appropriations, and EUR 44 112.9 million in payment appropriations.

Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: this heading is split into two sub-headings:

  • Heading 3a: Freedom, Security and Justice: this sub-heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 1.8%, rising to EUR 1 392.2 million, and leaving a margin of EUR 268.8 million. Payment appropriations increase by 11.1% to EUR 928.3 million, mostly due to the four Funds under Solidarity and management of migration flows, which have now reached cruising speed and require substantial pre-financing payments to Member States.
  • Heading 3b: Citizenship: commitment appropriations decrease by 3.6% to EUR 689.4 million, leaving a margin of EUR 25.6 million. Payment appropriations for this heading decrease by 3.1% to EUR 646.3 million. If the EU Solidarity Fund (EUR 18.1 million for commitment and payment appropriations in 2012) is excluded from this comparison, commitment and payment appropriations decrease by 1.2% and 0.4% respectively. The annual ceiling for this heading, which supports various actions close to European citizens, remains broadly stable in the current financial framework.

Heading 4: the EU as a Global Player: this heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 0.7 % to EUR 9 467.2 million, leaving an unallocated margin of EUR 391.9 million available under the ceiling. Payment appropriations on the other hand increase by 5.1 % to EUR 7 311.6 million, mostly due to increases under IPA, ENPI, Humanitarian aid and CFSP, at a time when many instruments are reaching cruising speed.

Heading 5: Administrative expenditure: both commitment and payment appropriations for this heading for all Institutions combined increase by 3.2%, with commitments set at EUR 8 544.4 million and payments at EUR 8 545.5 million. This increase includes additional administrative expenditure related to Croatia’s accession, amounting to EUR 32.9 million for all Institutions. The administrative expenditure related to Croatia is included as from the beginning of 2013, so as to allow recruitments in due time. This remaining margin amounts to EUR 636.6 million.

The Commission continues its efforts to limit its own administrative expenditure by reducing expenditure less affected by automatic adjustments. Moreover, further to its proposals to reduce the staffing numbers of all Institutions and bodies by 5% over the years 2013-2017, the Commission has reduced by 1% the number of posts in its establishment plans and has contained appropriations for its external personnel financed under all headings (including in the six executive agencies), leading to a total staff reduction of 1%. As a result, when excluding pensions and European schools (both of which concern interinstitutional expenditure), the increase in the Commission’s administrative expenditure has been limited to 1.2% (1.5% when including Croatia’s accession) i.e. well below inflation.

The Commission’s strict approach to administration is to a large degree followed by the other Institutions, leading to an overall increase of administrative appropriations for the other Institutions of 2.6% (3.3% including Croatia). The requested increases in expenditure for 2013 (including Croatian enlargement) compared to the 2012 budget range from 1.2% for the Council to 8.4% for the Court of Justice, with most Institutions having an increase (excluding Croatia) of around or below inflation. Similar to the Commission’s approach, a 1% reduction in human resources is also incorporated by the Council, the Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors. When preparing the Draft Budget, the Commission has modified the request of the Committee of the Regions, so as to align its requested increase (excluding the impact of the accession of Croatia) to the expected rate of inflation (+ 1.9%). This has resulted in a reduction of EUR 0.4 million, as compared to the draft statement of estimates of the Committee of the Regions.

In conclusion, the Commission’s approach represents a responsible and coherent budgetary proposal which is refocused on Growth and Jobs. It is coherent with current restraints, efficient spending and the obligations of the Union. It provides a proposal which is both credible for a smooth and timely adoption of the 2013 budget and responsible for the future by containing the accumulation of outstanding commitments.

New

PURPOSE: to present the draft Commission budget for the financial year 2013 (all budget sections).

CONTENT: the Commission adopted the draft EU budget for 2013. It will be the last annual budget of the present Multiannual Financial Framework 2007-2013. Aware of the current economic situation, the Commission presents a budget fully geared to use its funding potential for growth and jobs in line with the Europe 2020 strategy.

Investment is a crucial component of spurring this growth. The EU budget, with its high investment focus, has an important role to play as a leverage tool to Member States’ recovery policies, which will benefit economic activity across the Union.

In preparing its Draft Budget, the Commission has followed a rigorous approach in which:

  • an overall increase in the level of commitment appropriations that is restricted to inflation correction (+ 2.0%) is combined with;
  • a targeted significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 6.8%).

This approach contributes directly to growth and jobs in Europe, and which on the other hand is necessary to allow the EU budget to meet its contractual obligations of current and previous years.

In terms of commitment appropriations, the total expenditure proposed in the draft budget (DB) 2013 is EUR 150 931.7 million, corresponding to 1.13% of GNI, that is EUR 3 031.5 million more than in 2012 (+ 2.0%). The restriction of the increase in the overall level of commitment appropriations to inflation correction (+ 2.0 %) leaves a combined total margin of EUR 2 420.4 million under the various ceilings of the MFF.

For payment appropriations, the total amounts to EUR 137 924.4 million, corresponding to 1.04% of GNI. This is an increase of EUR 8 818.3 million compared to payment appropriations in the 2012 budget (+ 6.8%), and leaves a margin of EUR 6 182.6 million under the ceiling of the MFF.

The main priorities have been established for the 2013 Draft Budget: in 2013. The EU will pursue its support to investment and to actions in favour of job-friendly growth. This key political priority is reflected in the level of commitment appropriations requested in the Draft Budget. Competitiveness for growth and employment, with EUR 16 billion in commitment appropriations, and Cohesion for growth and employment, with EUR 54.5 billion in commitment appropriations, support the EU economy by shaping the conditions for sustainable growth and growth-friendly consolidation, both immediately and in the longer term.

At the present final stage of the current financial framework, the Draft Budget for 2013 is established on the basis of a two-fold approach:

  1. appropriations for programmes and initiatives enhancing Growth and Jobs are maximised within the existing framework. Programmes supporting growth and job creation fall mainly under heading 1a “Competitiveness for growth and employment” and heading 1b “Cohesion for growth and employment”. Overall, the proposed commitment appropriations directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy in 2013 increase by 2.7% to EUR 64.5 billion. In particular, key programmes in support of Growth and Investments, SMEs, Employment and Youth which have proved their efficiency, as well the possible reprogramming of structural funds in eight Member States as announced in the European Council of January 2012, are expected to streamline funding to investments in the most critical areas and reinforce the efforts undertaken to address youth unemployment and support SMEs. These efforts are further complemented by new initiatives, mainly the proposed pilot phase for project bonds in the fields of transport, energy and ICT, as well as the proposed new risk-sharing instrument under the Structural Funds which aims at addressing liquidity problems faced by financial institutions, with a view to facilitating investment and growth;
  2. the allocation of appropriations is guided by the application of efficiency savings and reductions of administrative expenditure. The Commission’s draft budget request for 2013 incorporates a 1% reduction in human resources, in accordance with the Communication “Budget for Europe 2020” which proposes a 5% staff reduction for all institutions over five years.

Other characteristics of the 2013 budget:

  1. a responsible and realistic budget: in the final year of the current financial framework, the required level of payment appropriations is largely determined by the project cycle. Consequently, the 2013 Draft Budget foresees significant increases – compared to 2012 – in payment appropriations for key policy areas geared towards investment, where programmes are now being implemented at full speed. In particular, increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1% to EUR 9 billion) and for the Structural and Cohesion Funds (+ 11.7% to EUR 49 billion);
  2. increased payment appropriations: the proposed increase in the overall level of payment appropriations (+ 6.8%) results from a thorough and rigorous analysis of needs in all policy areas. The proposed level of expenditure is a necessary consequence of the Union’s contractual obligation to honour the growing level of outstanding commitments of current and previous years, now that the actual implementation of major programmes is clearly shifting into a higher gear;
  3. scrutinising performance: the Commission has carried out an in-depth examination of programmes and actions, in particular on the basis of past implementation and performance. The Commission’s proposal reflects the best possible use of the available appropriations for actions that carry the required EU added value, meet the Union’s political objectives and deliver results. A rigorous approach to programmes and actions experiencing implementation difficulties as well as to support expenditure has allowed the Commission to contain the budgetary requests under the various expenditure headings, while refocusing appropriations towards the Union's political priorities such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Youth and Employment and restricting the administrative expenditure including the administrative requirements for the accession of Croatia.

Key aspects of the draft budget 2013 by financial framework headings:

Heading 1: Sustainable growth: this heading covers the expenses relating to competitiveness and employment as well as cohesion:

  • Heading 1a: Competitiveness for growth and employment: this sub-heading comprises the key policies in the implementation of the strategy "Europe 2020". Given the importance of spending on growth, a special effort was made for the Research Framework Programme (increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1% to EUR 9 billion); the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) will see a significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 47.8% to EUR 546.4 million); for the Lifelong Learning programme, a substantial increase in the level of payment appropriations is proposed (+ 15.8% to EUR 1 186.0 million).
  • Commitment appropriations for this heading are set at EUR 16 032.0 million, which is an increase of 4.1% compared to the 2012 budget. This leaves a margin of EUR 91 million. Payment appropriations increase by 17.8% to EUR 13 552.8 million. This significant increase is in part due to additional payment needs to cover pre-financing payments for the growing level of commitment appropriations for research, and in part to cover intermediate and final payments on outstanding commitments;
  • Heading 1b: Cohesion for growth and employment: for 2013, total commitment appropriations for heading 1b amount to EUR 54 498.9 million, an increase of 3.3% relative to 2012. Of these, EUR 42 144.7 million are for the Structural Funds (ERDF and ESF), an amount similar to the 2012 envelope, and EUR 12 354.2 million for the Cohesion Fund. Overall payment appropriations are set at EUR 48 975.0 million, an increase of 11.7% over 2012. The substantial increase in the level of payments shows the momentum of the 2007-2013 Cohesion policy on the ground, with the expected positive impact on investments, economic growth and job creation in the EU.

Heading 2: Preservation and Management of Natural Resources: commitment appropriations of EUR 60 307.5 million are proposed for this heading. This level of funding represents an increase of 0.6% compared to 2012 and leaves a margin of EUR 981.5 million under the ceiling. Payment appropriations amount to EUR 57 964.9 million, which is an increase of 1.6% compared to 2012. Within this heading the amount foreseen for market related expenditure and direct aids reaches EUR 44 130.3 million in commitment appropriations, and EUR 44 112.9 million in payment appropriations.

Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: this heading is split into two sub-headings:

  • Heading 3a: Freedom, Security and Justice: this sub-heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 1.8%, rising to EUR 1 392.2 million, and leaving a margin of EUR 268.8 million. Payment appropriations increase by 11.1% to EUR 928.3 million, mostly due to the four Funds under Solidarity and management of migration flows, which have now reached cruising speed and require substantial pre-financing payments to Member States.
  • Heading 3b: Citizenship: commitment appropriations decrease by 3.6% to EUR 689.4 million, leaving a margin of EUR 25.6 million. Payment appropriations for this heading decrease by 3.1% to EUR 646.3 million. If the EU Solidarity Fund (EUR 18.1 million for commitment and payment appropriations in 2012) is excluded from this comparison, commitment and payment appropriations decrease by 1.2% and 0.4% respectively. The annual ceiling for this heading, which supports various actions close to European citizens, remains broadly stable in the current financial framework.

Heading 4: the EU as a Global Player: this heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 0.7 % to EUR 9 467.2 million, leaving an unallocated margin of EUR 391.9 million available under the ceiling. Payment appropriations on the other hand increase by 5.1 % to EUR 7 311.6 million, mostly due to increases under IPA, ENPI, Humanitarian aid and CFSP, at a time when many instruments are reaching cruising speed.

Heading 5: Administrative expenditure: both commitment and payment appropriations for this heading for all Institutions combined increase by 3.2%, with commitments set at EUR 8 544.4 million and payments at EUR 8 545.5 million. This increase includes additional administrative expenditure related to Croatia’s accession, amounting to EUR 32.9 million for all Institutions. The administrative expenditure related to Croatia is included as from the beginning of 2013, so as to allow recruitments in due time. This remaining margin amounts to EUR 636.6 million.

The Commission continues its efforts to limit its own administrative expenditure by reducing expenditure less affected by automatic adjustments. Moreover, further to its proposals to reduce the staffing numbers of all Institutions and bodies by 5% over the years 2013-2017, the Commission has reduced by 1% the number of posts in its establishment plans and has contained appropriations for its external personnel financed under all headings (including in the six executive agencies), leading to a total staff reduction of 1%. As a result, when excluding pensions and European schools (both of which concern interinstitutional expenditure), the increase in the Commission’s administrative expenditure has been limited to 1.2% (1.5% when including Croatia’s accession) i.e. well below inflation.

The Commission’s strict approach to administration is to a large degree followed by the other Institutions, leading to an overall increase of administrative appropriations for the other Institutions of 2.6% (3.3% including Croatia). The requested increases in expenditure for 2013 (including Croatian enlargement) compared to the 2012 budget range from 1.2% for the Council to 8.4% for the Court of Justice, with most Institutions having an increase (excluding Croatia) of around or below inflation. Similar to the Commission’s approach, a 1% reduction in human resources is also incorporated by the Council, the Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors. When preparing the Draft Budget, the Commission has modified the request of the Committee of the Regions, so as to align its requested increase (excluding the impact of the accession of Croatia) to the expected rate of inflation (+ 1.9%). This has resulted in a reduction of EUR 0.4 million, as compared to the draft statement of estimates of the Committee of the Regions.

In conclusion, the Commission’s approach represents a responsible and coherent budgetary proposal which is refocused on Growth and Jobs. It is coherent with current restraints, efficient spending and the obligations of the Union. It provides a proposal which is both credible for a smooth and timely adoption of the 2013 budget and responsible for the future by containing the accumulation of outstanding commitments.

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The Council adopted its position on the draft budget of the European Union for 2013.

The main features of the position are as follows:

  • EUR 149 776.77 million in commitment appropriations;
  • EUR 132 695.47 million in payment appropriations.

Under the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013, commitment appropriations increase by 1.27% compared to the 2012 budget and payment appropriations increase by 2.79%.

The total amount of payment appropriations provided for in the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013 corresponds to 0.99% of EU GNI.

A. Generalities: the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013:

  • shows due regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline and sound financial management;
  • is within the framework of the budget guidelines established for the 2013 budget in the Council conclusions adopted in February 2012;
  • is an approach resulting in a budget that is both realistic and comprehensively balanced, that meets the conditions of budgetary discipline and sound financial management in seeking to make additional efforts in comparison to the draft budget put forward by the Commission;
  • provides adequate funding for the European Union's various priorities, by determining appropriations on the basis of the budget implementation rate in 2011, budget forecast alerts in 2012 and realistic absorption capacities, given the particularities of the various financial years. This approach was also followed with regard to allocations for administrative expenditures relating to the operational programmes and expenditures of the executive agencies;
  • ensures a limited and controlled growth of payment appropriations in line with 2012 under all headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework, adjusting the amounts on the basis of an analysis of the 2011 budget implementation and the 2012 budget forecast alerts. This approach should be seen in the context of the budgetary constraints applied in all Member States;
  • applies the same approach as that adopted in relation to the institutions’ administrative expenditures to those of the decentralised agencies;
  • leaves adequate margins under the ceilings of the headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework, with the exception of sub-heading 1b, in order to be able to cope with unforeseen situations while respecting, as far as possible, the amounts in commitment appropriations proposed by the Commission regarding co-decided programmes.

Statement on payment appropriations: besides the abovementioned principles, the Council also approved a statement on payment appropriations calling on the Commission to submit as early as possible the letter of amendment for agriculture (including information about the possible carry-over of assigned revenue) and, if necessary, a letter of amendment concerning sub-heading 1b in order to appropriately calibrate the level of resources in heading 2 (Preservation and management of natural resources) and sub-heading 1b in the 2013 budget.

Furthermore, the Council asks the Commission to submit a draft amending budget if the payment appropriations entered in the 2013 budget are insufficient to cover expenditure under:

  • sub-heading 1a (Competitiveness for growth and employment),
  • sub-heading 1b,
  • heading 2 and
  • heading 4 (EU as a global player).

It urges the Commission to present as early as possible updated figures concerning the state of affairs and estimates regarding payment appropriations under sub-heading 1b and, if necessary, to present a draft amending budget for this sole purpose. The Council will take position on the draft amending budget as quickly as possible in order to avoid any shortfall in payment appropriations.

B. Expenditure by heading of the financial framework: as to expenditure under the different headings of the financial framework the Council's position is as follows:

Heading 1: Sustainable growth (EUR 70.055 billion in commitments):

Sub-heading 1a: as regards competitiveness for growth and employment expenditure, the amount of this sub-heading totals EUR 15.563 billion in commitment appropriations, thus a reduction of EUR 469.15 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, of which EUR 35.51 million resulting from the approach taken in regard to administrative expenditure.

The sub-heading is characterised by the following:

  • the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.77 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies(a total of 111 temporary posts are accepted);
  • the setting of the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 1 897.65 million in the appropriations requested in the DB of which EUR 151 million in the field of competitiveness, EUR 63.05 million in the field of transport, EUR 1 237.09 million in the field of research, EUR 104 million in the field of education and training, EUR 13.4 million in the field of social policy, EUR 202 million on budget lines related to the European economic recovery plan, EUR 50 million on the budget line for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund and EUR 77.1 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of an analysis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities.

The margin available under sub-heading 1a would be EUR 560.1 million.

Sub-heading 1b): expenditures on cohesion for growth and employment: the Council has foreseen an amount of EUR 54.492 billion in commitments. The other main points about this sub-heading are the following:

  • the establishment of the level of commitment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 7.4 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines related to administrative expenditure under this subheading;
  • the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1 599.74 million, resulting in an increase of 8.07 % in comparison with 2012. This amount represents a reduction in payment appropriations concentrated in the fields of the European Regional Development Fund (EUR 310 million), the European Social Fund (EUR 831 million) and the Cohesion Fund (EUR 459 million), representing an adjustment on the basis of the available information.

The margin available under sub-heading 1b would be EUR 32.45 million.

Heading 2: expenditure for preservation and management of natural resources: the amount for this heading is set at EUR 59.971 billion in commitment appropriations, thus involving a total reduction of EUR 336 million in commitment appropriations requested in the DB, of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts and EUR 4 million on the budget line for public awareness, on the basis of past and current budget implementation.

Market-related expenditures and direct aids are set at EUR 43.795 billion (in commitment appropriations) by the Council, i.e. a reduction of 0.4% in comparison with 2012.

Other points in regard to this budgetary heading include:

  • the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1.07 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies, (a total of 29 temporary posts accepted);
  • the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 490.57 million, of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts, EUR 100 million in the field of rural development, EUR 38 million in maritime affairs and fisheries, and EUR 20.5 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation. These amounts estimated on the basis of past budget implementation and available information may be reviewed in the light of the Autumn letter of amendment.

The margin available under heading 2 would be EUR 1 317.55 million.

Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: the allocation for this heading has been set at EUR 2.057 billion in commitment appropriations, divided between two sub-headings:

3a) in regard to freedom, security and justice expenditure (EUR 1.377 billion in commitment appropriations), the Council requests:

  • the setting of the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 14.95 million commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities;
  • the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.83 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies (a total of 45 temporary posts accepted);
  • the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 50.97 million in the appropriations requested in the DB on a number of budget lines on the basis of past and current budget implementation;

The margin available under sub-heading 3a would be EUR 283.72 million.

3b) as regards citizenship expenditure (EUR 680 million in commitment appropriations), the Council has sought to:

  • set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 9.52 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities;
  • fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.84 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies;
  • set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 9.55 million the appropriations requested in the DB in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation.

The available margin under sub-heading 3b would be EUR 35.10 million.

Heading 4: the EU as a global player, the Council envisages a total amount of EUR 9.295 billion in commitment appropriations. It thus decided to:

  • set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 171.7 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB on a number of specific budget lines under this heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities;
  • fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.21 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies;
  • set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 1 034.29 million the appropriations requested in the DB, of which on the one hand EUR 924.29 million in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation as well as realistic absorption capacities, while, on the other hand, not retaining the amount of EUR 110 million proposed in the DB for the Emergency Aid Reserve.

The margin available under Heading 4 would be EUR 563.64 million to cover any additional needs at a later stage.

Heading 5: administrative expenditure: these amount to EUR 8.398 billion in commitment appropriations. The Council has decided to:

  • keep under strict control the volume of the administrative expenditure of the EU institutions, in line with the approach followed by the Member States for their national civil service;
  • set the administrative budget of each institution at the appropriate level, taking into account their specificities and real and justified needs, reducing by a total amount of EUR 146.18 million the commitment and payment appropriations requested in the DB;
  • increase the standard flat rate abatement on salaries for certain institutions and offices;
  • not accept the 1.7 % increase related to the 2011 salary adjustment;
  • apply the Commission's proposal to reduce staff by 1% per year as from 2013 to all institutions, with the exception of the very small institutions (European Ombudsman and European Data Protection Supervisor) and the recently created European External Action Service;
  • not accept the new posts requested by the European Ombudsman and the European Data Protection Supervisor;
  • accept the requested conversions, transformations, upgradings and transfers of posts, with the exception of non-obligatory transformations of posts requested by the Court of Justice of the European Union;
  • accept all additional staff requests related to the Croatia enlargement.

This approach has resulted in an appropriate level of administrative expenditure ensuring a proper functioning of the institutions. A margin of EUR 782.77 million remains available under the ceiling of heading 5 of the multiannual financial framework. The Council also focused on administrative expenditure linked to operational programmes and on administrative expenditure of the executive agencies. In this respect, it was decided to carry out targeted reductions on the basis of a similar approach as the one followed for the institutions.

Agencies: as regards the decentralised agencies, the Council also applied a similar approach as for the institutions. Therefore, a 1% reduction was retained in the contribution to Titles 1 and 2 of all agencies. As regards posts, a 1% reduction to the establishment plan was applied for the agencies at "cruising speed". Regarding agencies in charge of new tasks, only half of the new posts requested were accepted. For agencies in the "start-up" phase, the accepted new posts were limited to three-quarters of the requests.

New

The Council adopted its position on the draft budget of the European Union for 2013.

The main features of the position are as follows:

  • EUR 149 776.77 million in commitment appropriations;
  • EUR 132 695.47 million in payment appropriations.

Under the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013, commitment appropriations increase by 1.27% compared to the 2012 budget and payment appropriations increase by 2.79%.

The total amount of payment appropriations provided for in the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013 corresponds to 0.99% of EU GNI.

A. Generalities: the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013:

  • shows due regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline and sound financial management;
  • is within the framework of the budget guidelines established for the 2013 budget in the Council conclusions adopted in February 2012;
  • is an approach resulting in a budget that is both realistic and comprehensively balanced, that meets the conditions of budgetary discipline and sound financial management in seeking to make additional efforts in comparison to the draft budget put forward by the Commission;
  • provides adequate funding for the European Union's various priorities, by determining appropriations on the basis of the budget implementation rate in 2011, budget forecast alerts in 2012 and realistic absorption capacities, given the particularities of the various financial years. This approach was also followed with regard to allocations for administrative expenditures relating to the operational programmes and expenditures of the executive agencies;
  • ensures a limited and controlled growth of payment appropriations in line with 2012 under all headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework, adjusting the amounts on the basis of an analysis of the 2011 budget implementation and the 2012 budget forecast alerts. This approach should be seen in the context of the budgetary constraints applied in all Member States;
  • applies the same approach as that adopted in relation to the institutions’ administrative expenditures to those of the decentralised agencies;
  • leaves adequate margins under the ceilings of the headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework, with the exception of sub-heading 1b, in order to be able to cope with unforeseen situations while respecting, as far as possible, the amounts in commitment appropriations proposed by the Commission regarding co-decided programmes.

Statement on payment appropriations: besides the abovementioned principles, the Council also approved a statement on payment appropriations calling on the Commission to submit as early as possible the letter of amendment for agriculture (including information about the possible carry-over of assigned revenue) and, if necessary, a letter of amendment concerning sub-heading 1b in order to appropriately calibrate the level of resources in heading 2 (Preservation and management of natural resources) and sub-heading 1b in the 2013 budget.

Furthermore, the Council asks the Commission to submit a draft amending budget if the payment appropriations entered in the 2013 budget are insufficient to cover expenditure under:

  • sub-heading 1a (Competitiveness for growth and employment),
  • sub-heading 1b,
  • heading 2 and
  • heading 4 (EU as a global player).

It urges the Commission to present as early as possible updated figures concerning the state of affairs and estimates regarding payment appropriations under sub-heading 1b and, if necessary, to present a draft amending budget for this sole purpose. The Council will take position on the draft amending budget as quickly as possible in order to avoid any shortfall in payment appropriations.

B. Expenditure by heading of the financial framework: as to expenditure under the different headings of the financial framework the Council's position is as follows:

Heading 1: Sustainable growth (EUR 70.055 billion in commitments):

Sub-heading 1a: as regards competitiveness for growth and employment expenditure, the amount of this sub-heading totals EUR 15.563 billion in commitment appropriations, thus a reduction of EUR 469.15 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, of which EUR 35.51 million resulting from the approach taken in regard to administrative expenditure.

The sub-heading is characterised by the following:

  • the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.77 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies(a total of 111 temporary posts are accepted);
  • the setting of the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 1 897.65 million in the appropriations requested in the DB of which EUR 151 million in the field of competitiveness, EUR 63.05 million in the field of transport, EUR 1 237.09 million in the field of research, EUR 104 million in the field of education and training, EUR 13.4 million in the field of social policy, EUR 202 million on budget lines related to the European economic recovery plan, EUR 50 million on the budget line for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund and EUR 77.1 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of an analysis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities.

The margin available under sub-heading 1a would be EUR 560.1 million.

Sub-heading 1b): expenditures on cohesion for growth and employment: the Council has foreseen an amount of EUR 54.492 billion in commitments. The other main points about this sub-heading are the following:

  • the establishment of the level of commitment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 7.4 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines related to administrative expenditure under this subheading;
  • the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1 599.74 million, resulting in an increase of 8.07 % in comparison with 2012. This amount represents a reduction in payment appropriations concentrated in the fields of the European Regional Development Fund (EUR 310 million), the European Social Fund (EUR 831 million) and the Cohesion Fund (EUR 459 million), representing an adjustment on the basis of the available information.

The margin available under sub-heading 1b would be EUR 32.45 million.

Heading 2: expenditure for preservation and management of natural resources: the amount for this heading is set at EUR 59.971 billion in commitment appropriations, thus involving a total reduction of EUR 336 million in commitment appropriations requested in the DB, of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts and EUR 4 million on the budget line for public awareness, on the basis of past and current budget implementation.

Market-related expenditures and direct aids are set at EUR 43.795 billion (in commitment appropriations) by the Council, i.e. a reduction of 0.4% in comparison with 2012.

Other points in regard to this budgetary heading include:

  • the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1.07 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies, (a total of 29 temporary posts accepted);
  • the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 490.57 million, of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts, EUR 100 million in the field of rural development, EUR 38 million in maritime affairs and fisheries, and EUR 20.5 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation. These amounts estimated on the basis of past budget implementation and available information may be reviewed in the light of the Autumn letter of amendment.

The margin available under heading 2 would be EUR 1 317.55 million.

Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: the allocation for this heading has been set at EUR 2.057 billion in commitment appropriations, divided between two sub-headings:

3a) in regard to freedom, security and justice expenditure (EUR 1.377 billion in commitment appropriations), the Council requests:

  • the setting of the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 14.95 million commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities;
  • the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.83 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies (a total of 45 temporary posts accepted);
  • the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 50.97 million in the appropriations requested in the DB on a number of budget lines on the basis of past and current budget implementation;

The margin available under sub-heading 3a would be EUR 283.72 million.

3b) as regards citizenship expenditure (EUR 680 million in commitment appropriations), the Council has sought to:

  • set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 9.52 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities;
  • fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.84 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies;
  • set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 9.55 million the appropriations requested in the DB in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation.

The available margin under sub-heading 3b would be EUR 35.10 million.

Heading 4: the EU as a global player, the Council envisages a total amount of EUR 9.295 billion in commitment appropriations. It thus decided to:

  • set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 171.7 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB on a number of specific budget lines under this heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities;
  • fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.21 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies;
  • set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 1 034.29 million the appropriations requested in the DB, of which on the one hand EUR 924.29 million in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation as well as realistic absorption capacities, while, on the other hand, not retaining the amount of EUR 110 million proposed in the DB for the Emergency Aid Reserve.

The margin available under Heading 4 would be EUR 563.64 million to cover any additional needs at a later stage.

Heading 5: administrative expenditure: these amount to EUR 8.398 billion in commitment appropriations. The Council has decided to:

  • keep under strict control the volume of the administrative expenditure of the EU institutions, in line with the approach followed by the Member States for their national civil service;
  • set the administrative budget of each institution at the appropriate level, taking into account their specificities and real and justified needs, reducing by a total amount of EUR 146.18 million the commitment and payment appropriations requested in the DB;
  • increase the standard flat rate abatement on salaries for certain institutions and offices;
  • not accept the 1.7 % increase related to the 2011 salary adjustment;
  • apply the Commission's proposal to reduce staff by 1% per year as from 2013 to all institutions, with the exception of the very small institutions (European Ombudsman and European Data Protection Supervisor) and the recently created European External Action Service;
  • not accept the new posts requested by the European Ombudsman and the European Data Protection Supervisor;
  • accept the requested conversions, transformations, upgradings and transfers of posts, with the exception of non-obligatory transformations of posts requested by the Court of Justice of the European Union;
  • accept all additional staff requests related to the Croatia enlargement.

This approach has resulted in an appropriate level of administrative expenditure ensuring a proper functioning of the institutions. A margin of EUR 782.77 million remains available under the ceiling of heading 5 of the multiannual financial framework. The Council also focused on administrative expenditure linked to operational programmes and on administrative expenditure of the executive agencies. In this respect, it was decided to carry out targeted reductions on the basis of a similar approach as the one followed for the institutions.

Agencies: as regards the decentralised agencies, the Council also applied a similar approach as for the institutions. Therefore, a 1% reduction was retained in the contribution to Titles 1 and 2 of all agencies. As regards posts, a 1% reduction to the establishment plan was applied for the agencies at "cruising speed". Regarding agencies in charge of new tasks, only half of the new posts requested were accepted. For agencies in the "start-up" phase, the accepted new posts were limited to three-quarters of the requests.

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  • body: EP responsible: False committee: AFCO date: 2012-02-28T00:00:00 committee_full: Constitutional Affairs rapporteur: group: S&D name: GUERRERO SALOM Enrique
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: AFET date: 2012-03-06T00:00:00 committee_full: Foreign Affairs rapporteur: group: ALDE name: JÄÄTTEENMÄKI Anneli
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: AGRI date: 2011-10-05T00:00:00 committee_full: Agriculture and Rural Development rapporteur: group: PPE name: DE LANGE Esther
  • body: EP responsible: True committee: BUDG date: 2012-05-10T00:00:00 2012-05-10T00:00:00 committee_full: Budgets rapporteur: group: PPE name: LA VIA Giovanni group: S&D name: VAUGHAN Derek
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Budgetary Control committee: CONT
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: CULT date: 2012-01-23T00:00:00 committee_full: Culture and Education rapporteur: group: ALDE name: LØKKEGAARD Morten
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: DEVE date: 2012-01-25T00:00:00 committee_full: Development rapporteur: group: PPE name: MITCHELL Gay
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ECON date: 2011-11-29T00:00:00 committee_full: Economic and Monetary Affairs rapporteur: group: ECR name: FOX Ashley
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: EMPL date: 2011-09-15T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: PPE name: BOULLAND Philippe
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ENVI date: 2012-05-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Environment, Public Health and Food Safety rapporteur: group: S&D name: HAUG Jutta
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Women's Rights and Gender Equality committee: FEMM
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: IMCO date: 2012-02-29T00:00:00 committee_full: Internal Market and Consumer Protection rapporteur: group: GUE/NGL name: DE JONG Dennis
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: INTA date: 2012-05-29T00:00:00 committee_full: International Trade rapporteur: group: PPE name: ŠŤASTNÝ Peter
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ITRE date: 2012-06-18T00:00:00 committee_full: Industry, Research and Energy rapporteur: group: Verts/ALE name: BÜTIKOFER Reinhard
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Legal Affairs committee: JURI
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: LIBE date: 2012-03-20T00:00:00 committee_full: Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs rapporteur: group: PPE name: IACOLINO Salvatore
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: PECH date: 2012-01-24T00:00:00 committee_full: Fisheries rapporteur: group: PPE name: RIVELLINI Crescenzio
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: PETI date: 2012-05-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Petitions rapporteur: group: EFD name: SALAVRAKOS Nikolaos
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: REGI date: 2012-01-26T00:00:00 committee_full: Regional Development rapporteur: group: S&D name: STAVRAKAKIS Georgios
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: TRAN date: 2012-01-23T00:00:00 committee_full: Transport and Tourism rapporteur: group: ALDE name: MEISSNER Gesine
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  • url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE496.481 type: Committee draft report title: PE496.481
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Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
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The Committee on Budgets adopted the joint report on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 by Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT) – (section III – Commission) and Derek VAUGHAN (S&D, UK) (other Sections).

Members stress that the priorities expressed in the opinions given by its specialised committees, as well as those which emerged on the occasion of the meetings with the Rapporteurs specialising in budgetary matters, have as far as possible been taken into account in the present draft resolution. 

Section III – Commission: the committee recalls that Parliament’s priorities for the 2013 budget, as detailed in its resolution of 4 July 2012 on the mandate for the trilogue, consist in: support for sustainable growth, competitiveness and employment, particularly for SMEs and youth. It points out that the Commission's draft budget (DB) reflects Parliament's priorities and is aware of the severe difficulties arising from the state of the national economies and of the need for a responsible and realistic reading. Members cannot accept, however, the approach according to which the EU budget is made the source for possible savings with the same proportion and logic applied to the national budgets, given the substantial difference in nature, objectives and structure. They highlight that decreasing EU resources will surely result in a lack of investment and liquidity in the Member States.

Members underline that the EU budget is to be seen as a complementary instrument of support for Member States' economies, capable of concentrating initiatives and investment in areas strategic for growth and the creation of jobs as well as and of bringing about a leverage effect in sectors overcoming national boundaries. Such a role is legitimised by the same Member States, who, together with Parliament, are responsible for the decisions from which most of the EU law stems.

Recalling that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), Members deplore the decision of the Council to proceed again this year with the usual approach of horizontal cuts to the DB, aimed at artificially reducing the level of the EU's resources for 2013 by an overall total of EUR 1 155 million (-0.8%) in commitment appropriations (CA) and EUR 5 228 million (-3.8%) in payment appropriations (PA). 

They are surprised that the Council has not taken into account latest Commission's forecasts for programmes' implementation, based on estimates of the same Member States. The report warns about the severe risk of shortages of payments, in particular under Headings 1a, 1b and 2, entailing a risk that sufficient funds are not made available to enable the EU to honour its debts.

Reductions damaging for growth: Members underline that the current procedures for assessing the real needs for payment appropriations for Member States take place in total obscurity. The committee has examined the Council’s cuts, noting that Headings 1a and 1b are particularly affected as regards payments (-EUR 1.9 billion and -EUR 1.6 billion respectively as compared to the DB), i.e. the headings under which most of the programmes and initiatives responsible for delivery of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are concentrated. It underlines that these cuts are fully at odds with the conclusions of the June 2012 European Council, which identified the EU budget as "a catalyst for growth and jobs across Europe" and decided to concentrate resources, including EUR 55 billion coming from the Structural Funds, on growth-enhancing measures. Members consider that that decision, taken at the highest political level of the EU, needs to be translated into a sufficient level of payments for 2013 in favour of programmes and actions underpinning this priority. They also reject the Council's argument that these cuts correspond to under-implemented or low-performing programmes, (e.g. the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Heading 1a and the Competitiveness and Employment objective under Heading 1b), since such criteria completely disregard the multiannual character of the EU's policies, and of cohesion policy in particular, characterised by a rising profile of payments towards the end of the MFF.

Furthermore, the substantial reduction in the level of payments as compared to commitments set by the Council would logically result in a further increase of the RAL by EUR 4.1 billion, especially considering that the largest shares of the RAL relate to cohesion policy (65.6%) and to R&D sector (10.5%).

Restoring at the level of DB payment appropriations to enable the main EU programmes to function: due to recent experience, the committee does not deem the declaration of payments proposed by the Council in its reading as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will eventually be made available for all headings. The Budgets Committee takes the general approach, therefore, of restoring, at the level of DB payments cut by Council in all headings and increasing payment appropriations over DB on a selected number of lines characterised by high levels of implementation within each heading, in particular Headings 1a and 4, to cover the real needs of the corresponding programmes, as identified by the Commission. It calls on the European Parliament to mandate its delegation for the Budget 2013 conciliation not to accept any level of payments both for the Amending budget 6/2012 and the Budget 2013 that does not fully cover the payment needs for 2012 and 2013, as estimated by the Commission. Members recall that Council completely disregarded Parliament's priorities, as expressed in Parliament's mandate for the trilogue but that Parliament's reading is based instead upon benchmarks arising from that mandate.

More Europe and not less Europe: the report underlines that the answer to the crisis must be ‘more Europe and not less Europe’ in order to restart investment, boost the creation of jobs and help rebuild confidence in the economy. Members cannot, therefore, accept Council's decision to reduce commitment appropriations further down to 1.27% compared to budget 2012. They set the overall level of appropriations for 2013 to:

  • EUR 151 151.84 million in commitment appropriations and
  • EUR 137 898.15 million in payment appropriations.

With regard to each of the budget headings, Members make the following points:

Heading 1a: they deplore that Heading 1a bears practically the totality of the Council's cuts in commitments (-2.9% compared to DB in Heading 1) and is the most affected as regards decreases in payments (-EUR 1.9 billion or -14% compared to DB). They decide to undo almost all cuts by Council and to reinforce above DB in commitment and payment appropriations only a selected number of lines directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. 

Members make the following amendments to the budget:

  • increase commitment and payment appropriations in favour of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and CIP Intelligent Energy Europe;
  • partly compensate decreases to ITER by setting commitments above DB on a selected number of operational FP7 lines directly underpinning the Europe 2020 strategy and characterised by excellent levels of implementation and strong absorption capacity;
  • finance this partial offset above the available margin through the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 50 million;
  • increase appropriations for Lifelong Learning and Erasmus Mundus programmes which, against modest financial envelopes, provide great returns in terms of effective implementation and positive image of the Union vis-à-vis its citizens; 
  • the level of commitments and payments proposed in the DB for projects of common interest in the Trans-European transport network; 
  • restore DB payments for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF).

Heading 1b: Members strongly deplore the substantial cuts in payments (-EUR 1.6 billion or -3.3% as compared to the DB) by the Council affecting the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective (-12.9%), the European Territorial Cooperation objective (-18.7%) and the Cohesion Fund (-4.7%). Recalling the doubts expressed in its mandate for the trilogue as to whether the level of payments proposed in the DB will be sufficient to reimburse the totality of the expected payment claims in the absence of an amending budget this year, the committee rejects the cuts introduced by the Council on Heading 1b, which would lead to a much more serious shortage in payments than already expected and would also lead to a strong increase in the level of RAL by the end of next year. It does not consider the Council's declaration asking the Commission to submit a draft amending budget in case of insufficient payments under Heading 1b as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will be made available in 2013, given that similar commitments have been already undertaken and disregarded by the Council in the past two years. Members ask the Council Presidency to make a public statement and explain the discrepancy between the Council's reading on payments and the actual needs of Member States, as expressed in their estimates.

In sum, the committee decides to restore the DB in commitments and in payments for all budget lines cut by Council under this heading. It urges the Council to agree on Draft amending budget 6/2012 presented by the Commission with the aim to compensate the shortage of payment appropriations this year and to avoid blocking the execution of running projects at the end of the programming period.

Heading 2: Members consider that the Commission’s estimates of budgetary needs are more realistic than the Council’s forecast figures, and restore, therefore, Council's cuts under this Heading to a level of EUR 60 307.51 million, which is 0.6% above the 2012 budget. They reject the increase of the so-called negative expenditure line (clearance of accounts) as this appears to be set artificially high compared to Heading 2 appropriations and partly restores the Commission's proposal, allowing a more realistic approach.

They also make the following adjustments to the budget:

  • granting an adequate level for producer groups for preliminary recognition; 
  • increase in the Union's contribution to the crisis fund within operational funds for producer organisations;
  • increased support for the school milk programme and the continued support for programme concerning school fruit;
  • maintaining the budget allocation dedicated to the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons in the with Members welcoming the effort made by the Commission in finding a political and legal solution to continue with the programme in 2013;
  • continued support on a commensurate level for the LIFE+ programme, 
  • maintaining financing of the CFP at the proposed DB levels, in view of its upcoming reform.

Members state they support the sharp reduction of some budget lines on refunds, and in some cases even to zero, as this instrument is politically controversial.

Heading 3a: Members reject the cuts performed by the Council in payment appropriations in the following areas:

  • European Return Fund (-EUR 18 million),
  • European Refugee Fund (-EUR 1.8 million),
  • European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals (-EUR 3.2 million) and
  • Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (-EUR 1 million).

They decide, therefore, to restore the level of the DB on the corresponding lines. They also increase the payment appropriations of the DAPHNE programme above the level of the DB, emphasising the positive role of the programme. 

Members also reject the Council's unilateral decision to change the legal basis of the proposal on the "Schengen evaluation mechanism" from the ordinary legislative procedure to Article 70 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. They support the Conference of Presidents' decision to block cooperation with the Council on the 2013 budget as regards internal security aspects and endorse, therefore, the position taken by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs to put into the reserve some budgetary lines in Title 18 which relate to internal security (in commitment and payment appropriations) until a satisfactory outcome is achieved on the Schengen governance package.

Heading 3b: emphasising the need to encourage cross-cultural communication and EU citizenship within the next generation, the committee has decided to increase funding for the Youth in Action programme compared to DB. It also reinforces appropriations for the European Year of Citizens 2013 together with the latter’s communication activities.

Heading 4: Members highlight that cut in payments brought by the Council to Heading 4 (-EUR 1 billion or -14.1% as compared to DB) represent approximately 20% of the overall cuts across all headings. They consider that such a massive reduction would impede the Union to respect the commitments to which it has committed itself on the world scene and they decide to restore the level of both commitment and payment appropriations in most budget lines to the levels proposed in the DB.

Members consider, however, that some decreases compared to the DB can be accepted in some budget lines, such as

  • macro-Financial Assistance,
  • membership of international organisations in the field of customs and tax and
  • cooperation with Greenland.

They propose a small increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for budget lines in the areas of geographical development cooperation, as well as for the Electoral Observation Mission and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Pointing out that increased funding for Palestine and UNRWA is crucial for ensuring that UNRWA is given the necessary resources it needs to provide the essential services for which it has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and to safeguard the safety and livelihood of refugees, the committee increases the relevant funding. It also increases appropriations for the support to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot Community. 

Heading 5: taking note of the Council's position decreasing the Commission's proposal on Heading 5 by EUR 146 million overall, despite the institutions' efforts towards budget consolidation of administrative expenditure, Members welcome the efforts of most institutions, including Parliament and the Commission, which complied with and even overstepped their commitment to restrict their administrative budgets to an increase below the expected inflation rate.

For all the institutions, apart from the Council, as well as for the European Schools, they decide to restore (or in the case of the Court of Justice, add) in reserve the amounts corresponding to the 1.7% 2011 salary adjustment for budget year 2013, pending the Court's ruling. This is sound budgeting, given the likelihood of a ruling in favour of the Commission. The committee warns the Council that, in this event, the budgetary authority will need to accommodate the retroactive effect of such ruling for years 2011 and 2012, including late interest.

It also undoes other cuts brought by the Council on specific items of administrative expenditure, notably, within the Commission, on ICT equipment and services and some offices.

While restoring or maintaining the Commission's and, partly, other institutions' requests for posts on the basis of a case-by-case approach, Members call for an in-depth impact assessment to be carried out on the planned staff reductions by 2018, taking full account of, inter alia, the Union's legal obligations and the institutions' new competences.

They note with concern that staff cuts were made within the Commission and ask the Commission to include in its annual staff screening report an assessment of the impact. They also set a number of reserves on some budget lines with a view to obtaining specific information.

Agencies: Members endorse, as a general rule, the Commission's estimates of agencies' budgetary and staff needs and notes that the Commission had already considerably reduced the agencies' initial requests. They consider that any further cuts as proposed by the Council would endanger the proper functioning of the agencies and would not allow them to fulfil the tasks they have been assigned.  They decide to increase the 2013 budget appropriations for the three financial supervision agencies.

Members are aware that certain agencies (such as Europol, EASA, ACER) have to implement additional tasks in 2013 which might not be reflected in the allocated budget or establishment plan for 2013 and request the Commission, in case of necessity, to propose timely an Amending Budget for the relevant agency. They also expect the Commission to present a new financial statement when a legislative procedure has been finalised by Parliament and the Council extending the mandate of an agency.

Other sections

The committee is concerned by the Council's position of a nominal freeze across all EU institutions, believing that each institution should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the needs and specific situation of each institution. It welcomes efforts made by the institutions to find additional savings and restrict their budgets bearing in mind the costs of the enlargement to Croatia. 

European Parliament: Members point out that the level of its 2013 budget is 1.9% above the 2012 budget including the costs for Croatian accession but that due to the current inflation rate of 1.9%, there is a real decrease of the operating budget, despite recently added competences, new posts and actions, the financing of Croatia's accession and the costs for preparing the 2014 elections. They approve the following adjustments to the estimates:

  • reduction in the appropriations in the contingency reserve,
  • internalisation of the security service in a budget-neutral manner,
  • pursuit of the internalisation of ICT activities
  • adjustment in the appropriations for the European Parliamentary Association;
  • reduction of appropriations for the House of European History by EUR 5.3 million.

Members believe that, like every directly elected parliament, the European Parliament should have the right to decide on its own seat and working place arrangements and declare, therefore, that Parliament's seat and places of work for Members and officials should be decided upon by Parliament itself.

They go on to make other remarks on Parliament’s internal organisation, travel, ICT expenditure and translation.

Other institutions: lastly, Members make a series of recommendations on the other institutions and bodies of the EU calling generally for the restoration of certain appropriations allocated to each in order to enable them to carry out their tasks and meet the needs of enlargement to Croatia.

New

The Committee on Budgets adopted the joint report on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 by Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT) – (section III – Commission) and Derek VAUGHAN (S&D, UK) (other Sections).

Members stress that the priorities expressed in the opinions given by its specialised committees, as well as those which emerged on the occasion of the meetings with the Rapporteurs specialising in budgetary matters, have as far as possible been taken into account in the present draft resolution. 

Section III – Commission: the committee recalls that Parliament’s priorities for the 2013 budget, as detailed in its resolution of 4 July 2012 on the mandate for the trilogue, consist in: support for sustainable growth, competitiveness and employment, particularly for SMEs and youth. It points out that the Commission's draft budget (DB) reflects Parliament's priorities and is aware of the severe difficulties arising from the state of the national economies and of the need for a responsible and realistic reading. Members cannot accept, however, the approach according to which the EU budget is made the source for possible savings with the same proportion and logic applied to the national budgets, given the substantial difference in nature, objectives and structure. They highlight that decreasing EU resources will surely result in a lack of investment and liquidity in the Member States.

Members underline that the EU budget is to be seen as a complementary instrument of support for Member States' economies, capable of concentrating initiatives and investment in areas strategic for growth and the creation of jobs as well as and of bringing about a leverage effect in sectors overcoming national boundaries. Such a role is legitimised by the same Member States, who, together with Parliament, are responsible for the decisions from which most of the EU law stems.

Recalling that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), Members deplore the decision of the Council to proceed again this year with the usual approach of horizontal cuts to the DB, aimed at artificially reducing the level of the EU's resources for 2013 by an overall total of EUR 1 155 million (-0.8%) in commitment appropriations (CA) and EUR 5 228 million (-3.8%) in payment appropriations (PA). 

They are surprised that the Council has not taken into account latest Commission's forecasts for programmes' implementation, based on estimates of the same Member States. The report warns about the severe risk of shortages of payments, in particular under Headings 1a, 1b and 2, entailing a risk that sufficient funds are not made available to enable the EU to honour its debts.

Reductions damaging for growth: Members underline that the current procedures for assessing the real needs for payment appropriations for Member States take place in total obscurity. The committee has examined the Council’s cuts, noting that Headings 1a and 1b are particularly affected as regards payments (-EUR 1.9 billion and -EUR 1.6 billion respectively as compared to the DB), i.e. the headings under which most of the programmes and initiatives responsible for delivery of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are concentrated. It underlines that these cuts are fully at odds with the conclusions of the June 2012 European Council, which identified the EU budget as "a catalyst for growth and jobs across Europe" and decided to concentrate resources, including EUR 55 billion coming from the Structural Funds, on growth-enhancing measures. Members consider that that decision, taken at the highest political level of the EU, needs to be translated into a sufficient level of payments for 2013 in favour of programmes and actions underpinning this priority. They also reject the Council's argument that these cuts correspond to under-implemented or low-performing programmes, (e.g. the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Heading 1a and the Competitiveness and Employment objective under Heading 1b), since such criteria completely disregard the multiannual character of the EU's policies, and of cohesion policy in particular, characterised by a rising profile of payments towards the end of the MFF.

Furthermore, the substantial reduction in the level of payments as compared to commitments set by the Council would logically result in a further increase of the RAL by EUR 4.1 billion, especially considering that the largest shares of the RAL relate to cohesion policy (65.6%) and to R&D sector (10.5%).

Restoring at the level of DB payment appropriations to enable the main EU programmes to function: due to recent experience, the committee does not deem the declaration of payments proposed by the Council in its reading as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will eventually be made available for all headings. The Budgets Committee takes the general approach, therefore, of restoring, at the level of DB payments cut by Council in all headings and increasing payment appropriations over DB on a selected number of lines characterised by high levels of implementation within each heading, in particular Headings 1a and 4, to cover the real needs of the corresponding programmes, as identified by the Commission. It calls on the European Parliament to mandate its delegation for the Budget 2013 conciliation not to accept any level of payments both for the Amending budget 6/2012 and the Budget 2013 that does not fully cover the payment needs for 2012 and 2013, as estimated by the Commission. Members recall that Council completely disregarded Parliament's priorities, as expressed in Parliament's mandate for the trilogue but that Parliament's reading is based instead upon benchmarks arising from that mandate.

More Europe and not less Europe: the report underlines that the answer to the crisis must be ‘more Europe and not less Europe’ in order to restart investment, boost the creation of jobs and help rebuild confidence in the economy. Members cannot, therefore, accept Council's decision to reduce commitment appropriations further down to 1.27% compared to budget 2012. They set the overall level of appropriations for 2013 to:

  • EUR 151 151.84 million in commitment appropriations and
  • EUR 137 898.15 million in payment appropriations.

With regard to each of the budget headings, Members make the following points:

Heading 1a: they deplore that Heading 1a bears practically the totality of the Council's cuts in commitments (-2.9% compared to DB in Heading 1) and is the most affected as regards decreases in payments (-EUR 1.9 billion or -14% compared to DB). They decide to undo almost all cuts by Council and to reinforce above DB in commitment and payment appropriations only a selected number of lines directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. 

Members make the following amendments to the budget:

  • increase commitment and payment appropriations in favour of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and CIP Intelligent Energy Europe;
  • partly compensate decreases to ITER by setting commitments above DB on a selected number of operational FP7 lines directly underpinning the Europe 2020 strategy and characterised by excellent levels of implementation and strong absorption capacity;
  • finance this partial offset above the available margin through the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 50 million;
  • increase appropriations for Lifelong Learning and Erasmus Mundus programmes which, against modest financial envelopes, provide great returns in terms of effective implementation and positive image of the Union vis-à-vis its citizens; 
  • the level of commitments and payments proposed in the DB for projects of common interest in the Trans-European transport network; 
  • restore DB payments for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF).

Heading 1b: Members strongly deplore the substantial cuts in payments (-EUR 1.6 billion or -3.3% as compared to the DB) by the Council affecting the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective (-12.9%), the European Territorial Cooperation objective (-18.7%) and the Cohesion Fund (-4.7%). Recalling the doubts expressed in its mandate for the trilogue as to whether the level of payments proposed in the DB will be sufficient to reimburse the totality of the expected payment claims in the absence of an amending budget this year, the committee rejects the cuts introduced by the Council on Heading 1b, which would lead to a much more serious shortage in payments than already expected and would also lead to a strong increase in the level of RAL by the end of next year. It does not consider the Council's declaration asking the Commission to submit a draft amending budget in case of insufficient payments under Heading 1b as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will be made available in 2013, given that similar commitments have been already undertaken and disregarded by the Council in the past two years. Members ask the Council Presidency to make a public statement and explain the discrepancy between the Council's reading on payments and the actual needs of Member States, as expressed in their estimates.

In sum, the committee decides to restore the DB in commitments and in payments for all budget lines cut by Council under this heading. It urges the Council to agree on Draft amending budget 6/2012 presented by the Commission with the aim to compensate the shortage of payment appropriations this year and to avoid blocking the execution of running projects at the end of the programming period.

Heading 2: Members consider that the Commission’s estimates of budgetary needs are more realistic than the Council’s forecast figures, and restore, therefore, Council's cuts under this Heading to a level of EUR 60 307.51 million, which is 0.6% above the 2012 budget. They reject the increase of the so-called negative expenditure line (clearance of accounts) as this appears to be set artificially high compared to Heading 2 appropriations and partly restores the Commission's proposal, allowing a more realistic approach.

They also make the following adjustments to the budget:

  • granting an adequate level for producer groups for preliminary recognition; 
  • increase in the Union's contribution to the crisis fund within operational funds for producer organisations;
  • increased support for the school milk programme and the continued support for programme concerning school fruit;
  • maintaining the budget allocation dedicated to the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons in the with Members welcoming the effort made by the Commission in finding a political and legal solution to continue with the programme in 2013;
  • continued support on a commensurate level for the LIFE+ programme, 
  • maintaining financing of the CFP at the proposed DB levels, in view of its upcoming reform.

Members state they support the sharp reduction of some budget lines on refunds, and in some cases even to zero, as this instrument is politically controversial.

Heading 3a: Members reject the cuts performed by the Council in payment appropriations in the following areas:

  • European Return Fund (-EUR 18 million),
  • European Refugee Fund (-EUR 1.8 million),
  • European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals (-EUR 3.2 million) and
  • Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (-EUR 1 million).

They decide, therefore, to restore the level of the DB on the corresponding lines. They also increase the payment appropriations of the DAPHNE programme above the level of the DB, emphasising the positive role of the programme. 

Members also reject the Council's unilateral decision to change the legal basis of the proposal on the "Schengen evaluation mechanism" from the ordinary legislative procedure to Article 70 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. They support the Conference of Presidents' decision to block cooperation with the Council on the 2013 budget as regards internal security aspects and endorse, therefore, the position taken by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs to put into the reserve some budgetary lines in Title 18 which relate to internal security (in commitment and payment appropriations) until a satisfactory outcome is achieved on the Schengen governance package.

Heading 3b: emphasising the need to encourage cross-cultural communication and EU citizenship within the next generation, the committee has decided to increase funding for the Youth in Action programme compared to DB. It also reinforces appropriations for the European Year of Citizens 2013 together with the latter’s communication activities.

Heading 4: Members highlight that cut in payments brought by the Council to Heading 4 (-EUR 1 billion or -14.1% as compared to DB) represent approximately 20% of the overall cuts across all headings. They consider that such a massive reduction would impede the Union to respect the commitments to which it has committed itself on the world scene and they decide to restore the level of both commitment and payment appropriations in most budget lines to the levels proposed in the DB.

Members consider, however, that some decreases compared to the DB can be accepted in some budget lines, such as

  • macro-Financial Assistance,
  • membership of international organisations in the field of customs and tax and
  • cooperation with Greenland.

They propose a small increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for budget lines in the areas of geographical development cooperation, as well as for the Electoral Observation Mission and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Pointing out that increased funding for Palestine and UNRWA is crucial for ensuring that UNRWA is given the necessary resources it needs to provide the essential services for which it has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and to safeguard the safety and livelihood of refugees, the committee increases the relevant funding. It also increases appropriations for the support to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot Community. 

Heading 5: taking note of the Council's position decreasing the Commission's proposal on Heading 5 by EUR 146 million overall, despite the institutions' efforts towards budget consolidation of administrative expenditure, Members welcome the efforts of most institutions, including Parliament and the Commission, which complied with and even overstepped their commitment to restrict their administrative budgets to an increase below the expected inflation rate.

For all the institutions, apart from the Council, as well as for the European Schools, they decide to restore (or in the case of the Court of Justice, add) in reserve the amounts corresponding to the 1.7% 2011 salary adjustment for budget year 2013, pending the Court's ruling. This is sound budgeting, given the likelihood of a ruling in favour of the Commission. The committee warns the Council that, in this event, the budgetary authority will need to accommodate the retroactive effect of such ruling for years 2011 and 2012, including late interest.

It also undoes other cuts brought by the Council on specific items of administrative expenditure, notably, within the Commission, on ICT equipment and services and some offices.

While restoring or maintaining the Commission's and, partly, other institutions' requests for posts on the basis of a case-by-case approach, Members call for an in-depth impact assessment to be carried out on the planned staff reductions by 2018, taking full account of, inter alia, the Union's legal obligations and the institutions' new competences.

They note with concern that staff cuts were made within the Commission and ask the Commission to include in its annual staff screening report an assessment of the impact. They also set a number of reserves on some budget lines with a view to obtaining specific information.

Agencies: Members endorse, as a general rule, the Commission's estimates of agencies' budgetary and staff needs and notes that the Commission had already considerably reduced the agencies' initial requests. They consider that any further cuts as proposed by the Council would endanger the proper functioning of the agencies and would not allow them to fulfil the tasks they have been assigned.  They decide to increase the 2013 budget appropriations for the three financial supervision agencies.

Members are aware that certain agencies (such as Europol, EASA, ACER) have to implement additional tasks in 2013 which might not be reflected in the allocated budget or establishment plan for 2013 and request the Commission, in case of necessity, to propose timely an Amending Budget for the relevant agency. They also expect the Commission to present a new financial statement when a legislative procedure has been finalised by Parliament and the Council extending the mandate of an agency.

Other sections

The committee is concerned by the Council's position of a nominal freeze across all EU institutions, believing that each institution should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the needs and specific situation of each institution. It welcomes efforts made by the institutions to find additional savings and restrict their budgets bearing in mind the costs of the enlargement to Croatia. 

European Parliament: Members point out that the level of its 2013 budget is 1.9% above the 2012 budget including the costs for Croatian accession but that due to the current inflation rate of 1.9%, there is a real decrease of the operating budget, despite recently added competences, new posts and actions, the financing of Croatia's accession and the costs for preparing the 2014 elections. They approve the following adjustments to the estimates:

  • reduction in the appropriations in the contingency reserve,
  • internalisation of the security service in a budget-neutral manner,
  • pursuit of the internalisation of ICT activities
  • adjustment in the appropriations for the European Parliamentary Association;
  • reduction of appropriations for the House of European History by EUR 5.3 million.

Members believe that, like every directly elected parliament, the European Parliament should have the right to decide on its own seat and working place arrangements and declare, therefore, that Parliament's seat and places of work for Members and officials should be decided upon by Parliament itself.

They go on to make other remarks on Parliament’s internal organisation, travel, ICT expenditure and translation.

Other institutions: lastly, Members make a series of recommendations on the other institutions and bodies of the EU calling generally for the restoration of certain appropriations allocated to each in order to enable them to carry out their tasks and meet the needs of enlargement to Croatia.

activities/5
date
2012-10-10T00:00:00
body
EP
type
Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
committees
activities/5/committees
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: AFCO date: 2012-02-28T00:00:00 committee_full: Constitutional Affairs rapporteur: group: S&D name: GUERRERO SALOM Enrique
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: AFET date: 2012-03-06T00:00:00 committee_full: Foreign Affairs rapporteur: group: ALDE name: JÄÄTTEENMÄKI Anneli
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: AGRI date: 2011-10-05T00:00:00 committee_full: Agriculture and Rural Development rapporteur: group: PPE name: DE LANGE Esther
  • body: EP responsible: True committee: BUDG date: 2012-05-10T00:00:00 2012-05-10T00:00:00 committee_full: Budgets rapporteur: group: PPE name: LA VIA Giovanni group: S&D name: VAUGHAN Derek
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Budgetary Control committee: CONT
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: CULT date: 2012-01-23T00:00:00 committee_full: Culture and Education rapporteur: group: ALDE name: LØKKEGAARD Morten
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: DEVE date: 2012-01-25T00:00:00 committee_full: Development rapporteur: group: PPE name: MITCHELL Gay
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ECON date: 2011-11-29T00:00:00 committee_full: Economic and Monetary Affairs rapporteur: group: ECR name: FOX Ashley
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: EMPL date: 2011-09-15T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: PPE name: BOULLAND Philippe
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ENVI date: 2012-05-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Environment, Public Health and Food Safety rapporteur: group: S&D name: HAUG Jutta
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Women's Rights and Gender Equality committee: FEMM
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: IMCO date: 2012-02-29T00:00:00 committee_full: Internal Market and Consumer Protection rapporteur: group: GUE/NGL name: DE JONG Dennis
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: INTA date: 2012-05-29T00:00:00 committee_full: International Trade rapporteur: group: PPE name: ŠŤASTNÝ Peter
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ITRE date: 2012-06-18T00:00:00 committee_full: Industry, Research and Energy rapporteur: group: Verts/ALE name: BÜTIKOFER Reinhard
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Legal Affairs committee: JURI
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: LIBE date: 2012-03-20T00:00:00 committee_full: Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs rapporteur: group: PPE name: IACOLINO Salvatore
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: PECH date: 2012-01-24T00:00:00 committee_full: Fisheries rapporteur: group: PPE name: RIVELLINI Crescenzio
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: PETI date: 2012-05-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Petitions rapporteur: group: EFD name: SALAVRAKOS Nikolaos
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: REGI date: 2012-01-26T00:00:00 committee_full: Regional Development rapporteur: group: S&D name: STAVRAKAKIS Georgios
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: TRAN date: 2012-01-23T00:00:00 committee_full: Transport and Tourism rapporteur: group: ALDE name: MEISSNER Gesine
activities/5/date
Old
2012-05-10T00:00:00
New
2012-10-22T00:00:00
activities/5/docs
  • url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20121022&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament
activities/5/type
Old
EP officialisation
New
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
activities/6/docs/1/text/0
Old

The European Parliament adopted by 492 to 123 votes, with 82 abstentions, a resolution on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 (all Sections).

Parliament stresses that the priorities expressed in the opinions given by its specialised committees, as well as those which emerged on the occasion of the meetings with the Rapporteurs specialising in budgetary matters, have as far as possible been taken into account in this resolution.

Noting the Amending Letter No 1 to the Draft General Budget 2012, Parliament sets the overall level of appropriations for 2013 at:

  • EUR 151 151 840 000 for commitment appropriations and
  • EUR 137 898 015 000 for payment appropriations.

Parliament’s resolution may be summarised as follows:

Section III – Commission:

Parliament recalls that its priorities for the 2013 budget, as detailed in its resolution of 4 July 2012 have been taken into account: they consist in: support for sustainable growth, competitiveness and employment, particularly for SMEs and youth. It welcomes the fact that the Commission's draft budget (DB) reflects Parliament's priorities and is aware of the severe difficulties arising from the state of the national economies and of the need for a responsible and realistic reading.

Parliament cannot accept, however, the approach according to which the EU budget is made the source for possible savings with the same proportion and logic applied to the national budgets, given the substantial difference in nature, objectives and structure. It considers that decreasing EU resources will surely result in a lack of investment and liquidity in the Member States.

In Parliament’s view, the EU budget is to be seen as a complementary instrument of support for Member States' economies, capable of concentrating initiatives and investment in areas strategic for growth and the creation of jobs as well as and of bringing about a leverage effect in sectors overcoming national boundaries. Such a role is legitimised by the same Member States, who, together with Parliament, are responsible for the decisions from which most of the EU law stems.

Recalling that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), Parliament deplores the decision of the Council to proceed again this year with the usual approach of horizontal cuts to the DB, aimed at artificially reducing the level of the EU's resources for 2013 by an overall total of EUR 1 155 million (-0.8%) in commitment appropriations (CA) and EUR 5 228 million (-3.8%) in payment appropriations (PA).

Parliament is also surprised that the Council has not taken into account the latest Commission's forecasts for programme implementation, based on estimates of the same Member States. It warns about the severe risk of shortages of payments, in particular under Headings 1a, 1b and 2, entailing a risk that sufficient funds are not made available to enable the EU to honour its debts.

Reductions damaging for growth: underlining that the current procedures for assessing the real needs for payment appropriations for Member States take place in total obscurity, Parliament has examined the Council’s cuts, noting that Headings 1a and 1b are particularly affected as regards payments (-EUR 1.9 billion and -EUR 1.6 billion respectively as compared to the DB), i.e. the headings under which most of the programmes and initiatives responsible for delivery of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are concentrated. It underlines that these cuts are fully at odds with the conclusions of the June 2012 European Council, which identified the EU budget as "a catalyst for growth and jobs across Europe" and decided to concentrate resources, including EUR 55 billion coming from the Structural Funds, on growth-enhancing measures. Parliament considers that that decision, taken at the highest political level of the EU, needs to be translated into a sufficient level of payments for 2013 in favour of programmes and actions underpinning this priority.

Parliament also rejects the Council's argument that these cuts correspond to under-implemented or low-performing programmes, (e.g. the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Heading 1a and the Competitiveness and Employment objective under Heading 1b), since such criteria completely disregard the multiannual character of the EU's policies, and of cohesion policy in particular, characterised by a rising profile of payments towards the end of the MFF.

Furthermore, the substantial reduction in the level of payments as compared to commitments set by the Council would logically result in a further increase of the RAL by EUR 4.1 billion, especially considering that the largest shares of the RAL relate to cohesion policy (65.6%) and to R&D sector (10.5%).

Restoring at the level of DB payment appropriations to enable the main EU programmes to function: Parliament doubts that the increase in payments by 6.8 % proposed in the DB will be sufficient to cover reimbursements of payment claims awaited by Member States under the various headings – and in particular for Headings 1a and 1b – in the absence of an amending budget covering payment needs for 2012. It will therefore reject any attempt to reduce the level of payment appropriations as compared to the DB proposal. From experience, Parliament does not deem the declaration of payments proposed by the Council in its reading as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will eventually be made available for all headings. It therefore takes the general approach, therefore, of restoring, at the level of DB payments cut by Council in all headings and increasing payment appropriations over DB on a selected number of lines characterised by high levels of implementation within each heading, in particular Headings 1a and 4, to cover the real needs of the corresponding programmes, as identified by the Commission. It calls on the European Parliament to mandate its delegation for the Budget 2013 conciliation not to accept any level of payments both for the Amending budget 6/2012 and the Budget 2013 that does not fully cover the payment needs for 2012 and 2013, as estimated by the Commission. It recalls that Council completely disregarded Parliament's priorities that it expressed in the trilogue and that Parliament's reading is based instead upon the latest figures and relevant benchmarks.

More Europe and not less Europe: Parliament underlines that the answer to the crisis must be ‘more Europe and not less Europe’ in order to restart investment, boost the creation of jobs and help rebuild confidence in the economy. It cannot, therefore, accept Council's decision to reduce commitment appropriations further down to 1.27% compared to budget 2012. It even intends to increase commitment appropriations above the DB on a few selected budget lines directly related to the delivery of the Europe 2020 priorities and in line with traditional Parliament's priorities;

As far as each of the budgetary headings is concerned, Parliament’s views are as follows:

Heading 1a: Parliament regrets that Heading 1a bears practically the totality of the Council's cuts in commitments (-2.9% compared to DB in Heading 1) and is the most affected as regards decreases in payments (-EUR 1.9 billion or -14% compared to the DB). It has decided to reverse almost all cuts by Council. It introduces the following amendments to the budget:

  • increase commitment and payment appropriations in favour of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and CIP Intelligent Energy Europe;
  • partly compensate decreases to ITER by setting commitments above DB on a selected number of operational FP7 lines directly underpinning the Europe 2020 strategy and characterised by excellent levels of implementation and strong absorption capacity;
  • finance this partial offset above the available margin through the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 50 million;
  • increase appropriations for Lifelong Learning and Erasmus Mundus programmes which, against modest financial envelopes, provide great returns in terms of effective implementation and positive image of the Union vis-à-vis its citizens;
  • maintain the level of commitments and payments proposed in the DB for projects of common interest in the Trans-European transport network; 
  • restore DB payments for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF).

Heading 1b: once again, Parliament strongly regrets the substantial cuts in payments (-EUR 1.6 billion or -3.3% as compared to the DB) by the Council affecting the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective (-12.9%), the European Territorial Cooperation objective (-18.7%) and the Cohesion Fund (-4.7%). According to Parliament, such cuts would definitely hamper the correct execution of projects during the last year of the programming period, with dramatic consequences, especially for the Member States which are already under social, economical and financial constraints, thereby substantially increasing the RAL.

Recalling the doubts expressed in its mandate for the trilogue as to whether the level of payments proposed in the DB will be sufficient to reimburse the totality of the expected payment claims in the absence of an amending budget this year, Parliament rejects the cuts introduced by the Council on Heading 1b, which would lead to a much more serious shortage in payments than already expected and would also lead to a strong increase in the level of RAL by the end of next year. It does not consider the Council's declaration asking the Commission to submit a draft amending budget in case of insufficient payments under Heading 1b as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will be made available in 2013, given that similar commitments have been already undertaken and disregarded by the Council in the past two years. In this context, Parliament asks the Council Presidency to make a public statement and explain the discrepancy between the Council's reading on payments and the actual needs of Member States, as expressed in their estimates. In sum, Parliament decides to restore the DB in commitments and in payments for all budget lines cut by Council under this heading. It urges the Council to agree on Draft amending budget 6/2012 with the aim to compensate the shortage of payment appropriations this year and to avoid blocking the execution of running projects at the end of the programming period.

Parliament also decides to increase commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for the technical assistance to the Baltic Sea Strategy.

Heading 2: Parliament considers that the Commission’s estimates of budgetary needs are more realistic than the Council’s forecast figures, and restores, therefore, Council's cuts under this Heading to a level of EUR 60 307.51 million, which is 0.6% above the 2012 budget. In an amendment adopted in Plenary, Parliament calls on the Commission to increase its efforts to define clear priorities under this Heading that favour sustainable farming systems which preserve biodiversity, protect water resources and soil fertility, respect animal welfare and support employment. It rejects the increase of the so-called negative expenditure line (clearance of accounts) as this appears to be set artificially high compared to Heading 2 appropriations and partly restores the Commission's proposal.

Parliament also makes the following budgetary adjustments:

  • granting an adequate level for producer groups for preliminary recognition; 
  • increase in the Union's contribution to the crisis fund within operational funds for producer organisations;
  • increased support for the school milk programme and the continued support for programme concerning school fruit;
  • maintaining the budget allocation dedicated to the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons in the with Members welcoming the effort made by the Commission in finding a political and legal solution to continue with the programme in 2013;
  • continued support on a commensurate level for the LIFE+ programme, 
  • maintaining financing of the CFP at the proposed DB levels, in view of its upcoming reform.

Parliament supports the sharp reduction of some budget lines on refunds, and in some cases even to zero, as this instrument is politically controversial.

Heading 3a: Parliament rejects the cuts performed by the Council in payment appropriations in the following areas:

  • European Return Fund (-EUR 18 million),
  • European Refugee Fund (-EUR 1.8 million),
  • European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals (-EUR 3.2 million) and
  • Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (-EUR 1 million).

It decides, therefore, to restore the level of the DB on the corresponding lines. It also increases the payment appropriations of the DAPHNE programme above the level of the DB, emphasising the positive role of the programme.

Parliament also rejects the Council's unilateral decision to change the legal basis of the proposal on the "Schengen evaluation mechanism" from the ordinary legislative procedure to Article 70 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It supports the Conference of Presidents' decision to block cooperation with the Council on the 2013 budget as regards internal security aspects and confirms it will place in the reserve some budgetary lines in Title 18 which relate to internal security (in commitment and payment appropriations) until a satisfactory outcome is achieved on the Schengen governance package.

Heading 4: Parliament highlights that cut in payments brought by the Council to Heading 4 (-EUR 1 billion or -14.1% as compared to DB) represent approximately 20% of the overall cuts across all headings. It considers that such a massive reduction would impede the Union to respect the commitments to which it has committed itself on the world scene. It decides, therefore, to restore the level of both commitment and payment appropriations in most budget lines to the levels proposed in the DB.

It considers, however, that some decreases compared to the DB can be accepted in some budget lines, such as

  • macro-Financial Assistance,
  • membership of international organisations in the field of customs and tax and
  • cooperation with Greenland.

It proposes a small increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for budget lines in the areas of geographical development cooperation, as well as for the Electoral Observation Mission and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Pointing out that increased funding for Palestine and UNRWA is crucial for ensuring that UNRWA is given the necessary resources it needs to provide the essential services for which it has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and to safeguard the safety and livelihood of refugees, Parliament increases the relevant funding. It also increases appropriations for the support to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot Community.

Heading 5: taking note of the Council's position decreasing the Commission's proposal on Heading 5 by EUR 146 million overall, despite the institutions' efforts towards budget consolidation of administrative expenditure, Parliament welcomes the efforts of the institutions, including the Commission, which complied with and even overstepped their commitment to restrict their administrative budgets to an increase below the expected inflation rate.

For all the institutions, apart from the Council, as well as for the European Schools, Parliament decides to restore (or in the case of the Court of Justice, add) in reserve the amounts corresponding to the 1.7% 2011 salary adjustment for budget year 2013, pending the Court's ruling. This is sound budgeting, given the likelihood of a ruling in favour of the Commission. Parliament warns the Council that, in this event, the budgetary authority will need to accommodate the retroactive effect of such ruling for years 2011 and 2012, including late interest. Parliament also undoes other cuts brought by the Council on specific items of administrative expenditure, notably, within the Commission, on ICT equipment and services and some offices.

While restoring or maintaining the Commission's and, in part, other institutions' requests for posts on the basis of a case-by-case approach, Parliament calls for an in-depth impact assessment to be carried out on the planned staff reductions by 2018, taking full account of, inter alia, the Union's legal obligations and the institutions' new competences.

Parliament notes with concern that staff cuts were made within the Commission and asks the Commission to include in its annual staff screening report an assessment of the impact. It also sets a number of reserves on some budget lines with a view to obtaining specific information. Lastly, deploring the cuts made by the Council on the administrative and research support lines, Parliament considers underlines that these would be likely to affect the swiftness and quality of budgetary implementation of the multi-annual programmes to which they are related. It decides therefore to restore the DB for those lines.

Agencies: Parliament endorses, as a general rule, the Commission's estimates of agencies' budgetary and staff needs and notes that the Commission had already considerably reduced the agencies' initial requests. Parliament considers that any further cuts as proposed by the Council would endanger the proper functioning of the agencies and would not allow them to fulfil the tasks they have been assigned. They decide to increase the 2013 budget appropriations for the three financial supervision agencies. Aware that certain agencies (such as Europol, EASA, ACER) have to implement additional tasks in 2013 which might not be reflected in the allocated budget or establishment plan for 2013, Parliament requests the Commission, in case of necessity, to propose timely an Amending Budget for the relevant agency. It also expects the Commission to present a new financial statement when a legislative procedure has been finalised by Parliament and the Council extending the mandate of an agency.

Other sections

Parliament is generally concerned by the Council's position of a nominal freeze across all EU institutions, believing that each institution should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the needs and specific situation of each institution. It welcomes efforts made by the institutions to find additional savings and restrict their budgets bearing in mind the costs of the enlargement to Croatia.

European Parliament: concerning its own budget, Parliament points out that the level of its 2013 budget is 1.9% above the 2012 budget including the costs for Croatian accession but that due to the current inflation rate of 1.9%, there is a real decrease of the operating budget, despite recently added competences, new posts and actions, the financing of Croatia's accession and the costs for preparing the 2014 elections. Parliament’s budget is thus set at EUR 1 750 463 939 for 2013.

Parliament approves the following adjustments to the estimates:

  • reduction in the appropriations in the contingency reserve,
  • internalisation of the security service in a budget-neutral manner,
  • pursuit of the internalisation of ICT activities
  • adjustment in the appropriations for the European Parliamentary Association;
  • reduction of appropriations for the House of European History by EUR 5.3 million.

Other specific demands are made in regard to the internal organisation of Parliament’s work, travel and ICT and translation expenditures.

The question of Parliament’s seat: Parliament

Parliament believes that, like every directly elected parliament, the European Parliament should have the right to decide on its own seat and working place arrangements. It declares, therefore, that Parliament's seat and places of work for Members and officials should be decided upon by Parliament itself. It urges the two arms of the budgetary authority (the Council and Parliament), in order to make financial savings and to promote a more sustainable climate- and environmentally-friendly solution, to raise the issue of a single seat and Parliament's working places for Members and officials in the upcoming negotiations on the next MFF for 2014-2020. It urges the Member States to revise the issue of Parliament's seat and working places in the next revision of the Treaty by amending Protocol 6. Furthermore, it calls on the Council to start elaborating a road-map with the Parliament towards a single seat and a more efficient use of Parliament's working places, taking into account specific up-to-date figures detailing the cost of each place of work and working conditions for staff, as well as economic, societal and environmental factors – to be presented in a report by 30 June 2013.

Other institutions: lastly, Parliament makes a series of recommendations on the other institutions and bodies of the EU calling generally for the restoration of certain appropriations allocated to each in order to enable them to carry out their tasks and meet the needs of enlargement to Croatia.

New

The European Parliament adopted by 492 to 123 votes, with 82 abstentions, a resolution on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 (all Sections).

Parliament stresses that the priorities expressed in the opinions given by its specialised committees, as well as those which emerged on the occasion of the meetings with the Rapporteurs specialising in budgetary matters, have as far as possible been taken into account in this resolution.

Noting the Amending Letter No 1 to the Draft General Budget 2012, Parliament sets the overall level of appropriations for 2013 at:

  • EUR 151 151 840 000 for commitment appropriations and
  • EUR 137 898 015 000 for payment appropriations.

Parliament’s resolution may be summarised as follows:

Section III – Commission:

Parliament recalls that its priorities for the 2013 budget, as detailed in its resolution of 4 July 2012 have been taken into account: they consist in: support for sustainable growth, competitiveness and employment, particularly for SMEs and youth. It welcomes the fact that the Commission's draft budget (DB) reflects Parliament's priorities and is aware of the severe difficulties arising from the state of the national economies and of the need for a responsible and realistic reading.

Parliament cannot accept, however, the approach according to which the EU budget is made the source for possible savings with the same proportion and logic applied to the national budgets, given the substantial difference in nature, objectives and structure. It considers that decreasing EU resources will surely result in a lack of investment and liquidity in the Member States.

In Parliament’s view, the EU budget is to be seen as a complementary instrument of support for Member States' economies, capable of concentrating initiatives and investment in areas strategic for growth and the creation of jobs as well as and of bringing about a leverage effect in sectors overcoming national boundaries. Such a role is legitimised by the same Member States, who, together with Parliament, are responsible for the decisions from which most of the EU law stems.

Recalling that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), Parliament deplores the decision of the Council to proceed again this year with the usual approach of horizontal cuts to the DB, aimed at artificially reducing the level of the EU's resources for 2013 by an overall total of EUR 1 155 million (-0.8%) in commitment appropriations (CA) and EUR 5 228 million (-3.8%) in payment appropriations (PA).

Parliament is also surprised that the Council has not taken into account the latest Commission's forecasts for programme implementation, based on estimates of the same Member States. It warns about the severe risk of shortages of payments, in particular under Headings 1a, 1b and 2, entailing a risk that sufficient funds are not made available to enable the EU to honour its debts.

Reductions damaging for growth: underlining that the current procedures for assessing the real needs for payment appropriations for Member States take place in total obscurity, Parliament has examined the Council’s cuts, noting that Headings 1a and 1b are particularly affected as regards payments (-EUR 1.9 billion and -EUR 1.6 billion respectively as compared to the DB), i.e. the headings under which most of the programmes and initiatives responsible for delivery of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are concentrated. It underlines that these cuts are fully at odds with the conclusions of the June 2012 European Council, which identified the EU budget as "a catalyst for growth and jobs across Europe" and decided to concentrate resources, including EUR 55 billion coming from the Structural Funds, on growth-enhancing measures. Parliament considers that that decision, taken at the highest political level of the EU, needs to be translated into a sufficient level of payments for 2013 in favour of programmes and actions underpinning this priority.

Parliament also rejects the Council's argument that these cuts correspond to under-implemented or low-performing programmes, (e.g. the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Heading 1a and the Competitiveness and Employment objective under Heading 1b), since such criteria completely disregard the multiannual character of the EU's policies, and of cohesion policy in particular, characterised by a rising profile of payments towards the end of the MFF.

Furthermore, the substantial reduction in the level of payments as compared to commitments set by the Council would logically result in a further increase of the RAL by EUR 4.1 billion, especially considering that the largest shares of the RAL relate to cohesion policy (65.6%) and to R&D sector (10.5%).

Restoring at the level of DB payment appropriations to enable the main EU programmes to function: Parliament doubts that the increase in payments by 6.8 % proposed in the DB will be sufficient to cover reimbursements of payment claims awaited by Member States under the various headings – and in particular for Headings 1a and 1b – in the absence of an amending budget covering payment needs for 2012. It will therefore reject any attempt to reduce the level of payment appropriations as compared to the DB proposal. From experience, Parliament does not deem the declaration of payments proposed by the Council in its reading as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will eventually be made available for all headings. It therefore takes the general approach, therefore, of restoring, at the level of DB payments cut by Council in all headings and increasing payment appropriations over DB on a selected number of lines characterised by high levels of implementation within each heading, in particular Headings 1a and 4, to cover the real needs of the corresponding programmes, as identified by the Commission. It calls on the European Parliament to mandate its delegation for the Budget 2013 conciliation not to accept any level of payments both for the Amending budget 6/2012 and the Budget 2013 that does not fully cover the payment needs for 2012 and 2013, as estimated by the Commission. It recalls that Council completely disregarded Parliament's priorities that it expressed in the trilogue and that Parliament's reading is based instead upon the latest figures and relevant benchmarks.

More Europe and not less Europe: Parliament underlines that the answer to the crisis must be ‘more Europe and not less Europe’ in order to restart investment, boost the creation of jobs and help rebuild confidence in the economy. It cannot, therefore, accept Council's decision to reduce commitment appropriations further down to 1.27% compared to budget 2012. It even intends to increase commitment appropriations above the DB on a few selected budget lines directly related to the delivery of the Europe 2020 priorities and in line with traditional Parliament's priorities;

As far as each of the budgetary headings is concerned, Parliament’s views are as follows:

Heading 1a: Parliament regrets that Heading 1a bears practically the totality of the Council's cuts in commitments (-2.9% compared to DB in Heading 1) and is the most affected as regards decreases in payments (-EUR 1.9 billion or -14% compared to the DB). It has decided to reverse almost all cuts by Council. It introduces the following amendments to the budget:

  • increase commitment and payment appropriations in favour of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and CIP Intelligent Energy Europe;
  • partly compensate decreases to ITER by setting commitments above DB on a selected number of operational FP7 lines directly underpinning the Europe 2020 strategy and characterised by excellent levels of implementation and strong absorption capacity;
  • finance this partial offset above the available margin through the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 50 million;
  • increase appropriations for Lifelong Learning and Erasmus Mundus programmes which, against modest financial envelopes, provide great returns in terms of effective implementation and positive image of the Union vis-à-vis its citizens;
  • maintain the level of commitments and payments proposed in the DB for projects of common interest in the Trans-European transport network; 
  • restore DB payments for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF).

Heading 1b: once again, Parliament strongly regrets the substantial cuts in payments (-EUR 1.6 billion or -3.3% as compared to the DB) by the Council affecting the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective (-12.9%), the European Territorial Cooperation objective (-18.7%) and the Cohesion Fund (-4.7%). According to Parliament, such cuts would definitely hamper the correct execution of projects during the last year of the programming period, with dramatic consequences, especially for the Member States which are already under social, economical and financial constraints, thereby substantially increasing the RAL.

Recalling the doubts expressed in its mandate for the trilogue as to whether the level of payments proposed in the DB will be sufficient to reimburse the totality of the expected payment claims in the absence of an amending budget this year, Parliament rejects the cuts introduced by the Council on Heading 1b, which would lead to a much more serious shortage in payments than already expected and would also lead to a strong increase in the level of RAL by the end of next year. It does not consider the Council's declaration asking the Commission to submit a draft amending budget in case of insufficient payments under Heading 1b as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will be made available in 2013, given that similar commitments have been already undertaken and disregarded by the Council in the past two years. In this context, Parliament asks the Council Presidency to make a public statement and explain the discrepancy between the Council's reading on payments and the actual needs of Member States, as expressed in their estimates. In sum, Parliament decides to restore the DB in commitments and in payments for all budget lines cut by Council under this heading. It urges the Council to agree on Draft amending budget 6/2012 with the aim to compensate the shortage of payment appropriations this year and to avoid blocking the execution of running projects at the end of the programming period.

Parliament also decides to increase commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for the technical assistance to the Baltic Sea Strategy.

Heading 2: Parliament considers that the Commission’s estimates of budgetary needs are more realistic than the Council’s forecast figures, and restores, therefore, Council's cuts under this Heading to a level of EUR 60 307.51 million, which is 0.6% above the 2012 budget. In an amendment adopted in Plenary, Parliament calls on the Commission to increase its efforts to define clear priorities under this Heading that favour sustainable farming systems which preserve biodiversity, protect water resources and soil fertility, respect animal welfare and support employment. It rejects the increase of the so-called negative expenditure line (clearance of accounts) as this appears to be set artificially high compared to Heading 2 appropriations and partly restores the Commission's proposal.

Parliament also makes the following budgetary adjustments:

  • granting an adequate level for producer groups for preliminary recognition; 
  • increase in the Union's contribution to the crisis fund within operational funds for producer organisations;
  • increased support for the school milk programme and the continued support for programme concerning school fruit;
  • maintaining the budget allocation dedicated to the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons in the with Members welcoming the effort made by the Commission in finding a political and legal solution to continue with the programme in 2013;
  • continued support on a commensurate level for the LIFE+ programme, 
  • maintaining financing of the CFP at the proposed DB levels, in view of its upcoming reform.

Parliament supports the sharp reduction of some budget lines on refunds, and in some cases even to zero, as this instrument is politically controversial.

Heading 3a: Parliament rejects the cuts performed by the Council in payment appropriations in the following areas:

  • European Return Fund (-EUR 18 million),
  • European Refugee Fund (-EUR 1.8 million),
  • European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals (-EUR 3.2 million) and
  • Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (-EUR 1 million).

It decides, therefore, to restore the level of the DB on the corresponding lines. It also increases the payment appropriations of the DAPHNE programme above the level of the DB, emphasising the positive role of the programme.

Parliament also rejects the Council's unilateral decision to change the legal basis of the proposal on the "Schengen evaluation mechanism" from the ordinary legislative procedure to Article 70 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It supports the Conference of Presidents' decision to block cooperation with the Council on the 2013 budget as regards internal security aspects and confirms it will place in the reserve some budgetary lines in Title 18 which relate to internal security (in commitment and payment appropriations) until a satisfactory outcome is achieved on the Schengen governance package.

Heading 4: Parliament highlights that cut in payments brought by the Council to Heading 4 (-EUR 1 billion or -14.1% as compared to DB) represent approximately 20% of the overall cuts across all headings. It considers that such a massive reduction would impede the Union to respect the commitments to which it has committed itself on the world scene. It decides, therefore, to restore the level of both commitment and payment appropriations in most budget lines to the levels proposed in the DB.

It considers, however, that some decreases compared to the DB can be accepted in some budget lines, such as

  • macro-Financial Assistance,
  • membership of international organisations in the field of customs and tax and
  • cooperation with Greenland.

It proposes a small increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for budget lines in the areas of geographical development cooperation, as well as for the Electoral Observation Mission and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Pointing out that increased funding for Palestine and UNRWA is crucial for ensuring that UNRWA is given the necessary resources it needs to provide the essential services for which it has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and to safeguard the safety and livelihood of refugees, Parliament increases the relevant funding. It also increases appropriations for the support to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot Community.

Heading 5: taking note of the Council's position decreasing the Commission's proposal on Heading 5 by EUR 146 million overall, despite the institutions' efforts towards budget consolidation of administrative expenditure, Parliament welcomes the efforts of the institutions, including the Commission, which complied with and even overstepped their commitment to restrict their administrative budgets to an increase below the expected inflation rate.

For all the institutions, apart from the Council, as well as for the European Schools, Parliament decides to restore (or in the case of the Court of Justice, add) in reserve the amounts corresponding to the 1.7% 2011 salary adjustment for budget year 2013, pending the Court's ruling. This is sound budgeting, given the likelihood of a ruling in favour of the Commission. Parliament warns the Council that, in this event, the budgetary authority will need to accommodate the retroactive effect of such ruling for years 2011 and 2012, including late interest. Parliament also undoes other cuts brought by the Council on specific items of administrative expenditure, notably, within the Commission, on ICT equipment and services and some offices.

While restoring or maintaining the Commission's and, in part, other institutions' requests for posts on the basis of a case-by-case approach, Parliament calls for an in-depth impact assessment to be carried out on the planned staff reductions by 2018, taking full account of, inter alia, the Union's legal obligations and the institutions' new competences.

Parliament notes with concern that staff cuts were made within the Commission and asks the Commission to include in its annual staff screening report an assessment of the impact. It also sets a number of reserves on some budget lines with a view to obtaining specific information. Lastly, deploring the cuts made by the Council on the administrative and research support lines, Parliament considers underlines that these would be likely to affect the swiftness and quality of budgetary implementation of the multi-annual programmes to which they are related. It decides therefore to restore the DB for those lines.

Agencies: Parliament endorses, as a general rule, the Commission's estimates of agencies' budgetary and staff needs and notes that the Commission had already considerably reduced the agencies' initial requests. Parliament considers that any further cuts as proposed by the Council would endanger the proper functioning of the agencies and would not allow them to fulfil the tasks they have been assigned. They decide to increase the 2013 budget appropriations for the three financial supervision agencies. Aware that certain agencies (such as Europol, EASA, ACER) have to implement additional tasks in 2013 which might not be reflected in the allocated budget or establishment plan for 2013, Parliament requests the Commission, in case of necessity, to propose timely an Amending Budget for the relevant agency. It also expects the Commission to present a new financial statement when a legislative procedure has been finalised by Parliament and the Council extending the mandate of an agency.

Other sections

Parliament is generally concerned by the Council's position of a nominal freeze across all EU institutions, believing that each institution should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the needs and specific situation of each institution. It welcomes efforts made by the institutions to find additional savings and restrict their budgets bearing in mind the costs of the enlargement to Croatia.

European Parliament: concerning its own budget, Parliament points out that the level of its 2013 budget is 1.9% above the 2012 budget including the costs for Croatian accession but that due to the current inflation rate of 1.9%, there is a real decrease of the operating budget, despite recently added competences, new posts and actions, the financing of Croatia's accession and the costs for preparing the 2014 elections. Parliament’s budget is thus set at EUR 1 750 463 939 for 2013.

Parliament approves the following adjustments to the estimates:

  • reduction in the appropriations in the contingency reserve,
  • internalisation of the security service in a budget-neutral manner,
  • pursuit of the internalisation of ICT activities
  • adjustment in the appropriations for the European Parliamentary Association;
  • reduction of appropriations for the House of European History by EUR 5.3 million.

Other specific demands are made in regard to the internal organisation of Parliament’s work, travel and ICT and translation expenditures.

The question of Parliament’s seat: Parliament

Parliament believes that, like every directly elected parliament, the European Parliament should have the right to decide on its own seat and working place arrangements. It declares, therefore, that Parliament's seat and places of work for Members and officials should be decided upon by Parliament itself. It urges the two arms of the budgetary authority (the Council and Parliament), in order to make financial savings and to promote a more sustainable climate- and environmentally-friendly solution, to raise the issue of a single seat and Parliament's working places for Members and officials in the upcoming negotiations on the next MFF for 2014-2020. It urges the Member States to revise the issue of Parliament's seat and working places in the next revision of the Treaty by amending Protocol 6. Furthermore, it calls on the Council to start elaborating a road-map with the Parliament towards a single seat and a more efficient use of Parliament's working places, taking into account specific up-to-date figures detailing the cost of each place of work and working conditions for staff, as well as economic, societal and environmental factors – to be presented in a report by 30 June 2013.

Other institutions: lastly, Parliament makes a series of recommendations on the other institutions and bodies of the EU calling generally for the restoration of certain appropriations allocated to each in order to enable them to carry out their tasks and meet the needs of enlargement to Croatia.

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  • Blockage on the 2113 Budget negotiations

    The two branches of the budgetary authority, meeting within the Conciliation Committee, could not yet reach agreement on the 2013 EU budget and other related items.

    Key sticking points: despite a certain convergence of views on elements of the package, divergent views persisted in particular as to the extent by which the 2012 EU budget needs to be increased in order to bridge the gap between the payments jointly agreed last year and actual implementation.

    Budget benchmarks:

    ·        in its draft budget, the Commission proposed for 2013 an amount of EUR 150.93 billion in commitments and EUR 137.92 billion in payments, leading to an increase by respectively 2.05% and 6.85% compared to 2012;

    ·        in its position adopted on 24 July, the Council agreed to limit the EU budget for next year to EUR 132.70 billion in payments (corresponding to 0.99% of the EU's Gross National Income (GNI). This represents an increase of 2.79% compared to 2012, which is well above inflation and reflects the fact that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework. As regards commitments, the Council's position amounts to EUR 149.78 billion, representing an increase of 1.27%;

    ·        in its position adopted on 23 October, the European Parliament requested an amount of EUR 151.15 billion in commitments (+2.20%) and EUR 137.90 billion in payments (+6.82%).

    Blockage in conciliation: while the Council and the European Parliament shared the same priority for focusing the EU 2013 budget on growth and jobs-enhancing measures, the Council wished to ensure that the current budgetary constraints of all Member States concerned are also taken into account.

    Divergent views persisted notably on the extent by which the 2012 EU budget needs to be increased in order to bridge the gap between the payments jointly agreed last year and actual implementation (draft amending budget no 6 for 2012 aimed at increasing this year's budget by EUR 9.0 billion in payment appropriations in order to close the gap between the amount agreed last year and the actual implementation) and on the question whether the Commission proposal exploited all possibilities for redeployment.

    However, the Conciliation Committee reached agreement on the mobilisation, as soon as possible, of the EU’s Solidarity Fund in favour of Italy for an amount of EUR 670 million as proposed by the Commission in amending budget no 5 for 2012, which will be finalised in the overall agreement.

    Next steps: the Cypriot Presidency will continue its efforts for finding a compromise. The 21-day-conciliation-period provided for by the Lisbon Treaty expires on 13 November 2012. If an agreement can be reached by then, the Council and the European Parliament have 14 days to formally approve the agreement, following the finalisation of the text. If conciliation fails, the Commission has to present a new draft budget for 2013.

    In line with Article 315 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, should the budget not be adopted at the beginning of 2013, a sum equivalent to not more than one twelfth of the budget appropriations for 2012 or of the draft budget proposed by the Commission, whichever is smaller, may be spent each month for any chapter of the budget.

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  • DG: url: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/budget/ title: Budget Commissioner: LEWANDOWSKI Janusz
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  • PURPOSE: presentation of Amending Letter No 1 to the Draft General Budget 2013 (DB 2013).

    CONTENT: this Amending Letter No 1 to the Draft General Budget 2013 relates to:

    • the line by line updating of the estimated needs for agricultural expenditure. In addition to changing market factors, the AL also incorporates the impact of legislative decisions adopted in the agricultural sector since the DB 2013 was drawn up, revised estimates of needs for some direct payments, as well as any proposals, which are expected to have a significant effect during the coming budget year;
    • an update of the situation for International Fisheries Agreements.

    The budgetary impact of these adjustments is a reduction in commitment and payment appropriations of EUR 25.1 million compared to the Draft Budget 2013.

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  • The European Parliament adopted by 492 to 123 votes, with 82 abstentions, a resolution on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 (all Sections).

    Parliament stresses that the priorities expressed in the opinions given by its specialised committees, as well as those which emerged on the occasion of the meetings with the Rapporteurs specialising in budgetary matters, have as far as possible been taken into account in this resolution.

    Noting the Amending Letter No 1 to the Draft General Budget 2012, Parliament sets the overall level of appropriations for 2013 at:

    • EUR 151 151 840 000 for commitment appropriations and
    • EUR 137 898 015 000 for payment appropriations.

    Parliament’s resolution may be summarised as follows:

    Section III – Commission:

    Parliament recalls that its priorities for the 2013 budget, as detailed in its resolution of 4 July 2012 have been taken into account: they consist in: support for sustainable growth, competitiveness and employment, particularly for SMEs and youth. It welcomes the fact that the Commission's draft budget (DB) reflects Parliament's priorities and is aware of the severe difficulties arising from the state of the national economies and of the need for a responsible and realistic reading.

    Parliament cannot accept, however, the approach according to which the EU budget is made the source for possible savings with the same proportion and logic applied to the national budgets, given the substantial difference in nature, objectives and structure. It considers that decreasing EU resources will surely result in a lack of investment and liquidity in the Member States.

    In Parliament’s view, the EU budget is to be seen as a complementary instrument of support for Member States' economies, capable of concentrating initiatives and investment in areas strategic for growth and the creation of jobs as well as and of bringing about a leverage effect in sectors overcoming national boundaries. Such a role is legitimised by the same Member States, who, together with Parliament, are responsible for the decisions from which most of the EU law stems.

    Recalling that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), Parliament deplores the decision of the Council to proceed again this year with the usual approach of horizontal cuts to the DB, aimed at artificially reducing the level of the EU's resources for 2013 by an overall total of EUR 1 155 million (-0.8%) in commitment appropriations (CA) and EUR 5 228 million (-3.8%) in payment appropriations (PA).

    Parliament is also surprised that the Council has not taken into account the latest Commission's forecasts for programme implementation, based on estimates of the same Member States. It warns about the severe risk of shortages of payments, in particular under Headings 1a, 1b and 2, entailing a risk that sufficient funds are not made available to enable the EU to honour its debts.

    Reductions damaging for growth: underlining that the current procedures for assessing the real needs for payment appropriations for Member States take place in total obscurity, Parliament has examined the Council’s cuts, noting that Headings 1a and 1b are particularly affected as regards payments (-EUR 1.9 billion and -EUR 1.6 billion respectively as compared to the DB), i.e. the headings under which most of the programmes and initiatives responsible for delivery of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are concentrated. It underlines that these cuts are fully at odds with the conclusions of the June 2012 European Council, which identified the EU budget as "a catalyst for growth and jobs across Europe" and decided to concentrate resources, including EUR 55 billion coming from the Structural Funds, on growth-enhancing measures. Parliament considers that that decision, taken at the highest political level of the EU, needs to be translated into a sufficient level of payments for 2013 in favour of programmes and actions underpinning this priority.

    Parliament also rejects the Council's argument that these cuts correspond to under-implemented or low-performing programmes, (e.g. the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Heading 1a and the Competitiveness and Employment objective under Heading 1b), since such criteria completely disregard the multiannual character of the EU's policies, and of cohesion policy in particular, characterised by a rising profile of payments towards the end of the MFF.

    Furthermore, the substantial reduction in the level of payments as compared to commitments set by the Council would logically result in a further increase of the RAL by EUR 4.1 billion, especially considering that the largest shares of the RAL relate to cohesion policy (65.6%) and to R&D sector (10.5%).

    Restoring at the level of DB payment appropriations to enable the main EU programmes to function: Parliament doubts that the increase in payments by 6.8 % proposed in the DB will be sufficient to cover reimbursements of payment claims awaited by Member States under the various headings – and in particular for Headings 1a and 1b – in the absence of an amending budget covering payment needs for 2012. It will therefore reject any attempt to reduce the level of payment appropriations as compared to the DB proposal. From experience, Parliament does not deem the declaration of payments proposed by the Council in its reading as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will eventually be made available for all headings. It therefore takes the general approach, therefore, of restoring, at the level of DB payments cut by Council in all headings and increasing payment appropriations over DB on a selected number of lines characterised by high levels of implementation within each heading, in particular Headings 1a and 4, to cover the real needs of the corresponding programmes, as identified by the Commission. It calls on the European Parliament to mandate its delegation for the Budget 2013 conciliation not to accept any level of payments both for the Amending budget 6/2012 and the Budget 2013 that does not fully cover the payment needs for 2012 and 2013, as estimated by the Commission. It recalls that Council completely disregarded Parliament's priorities that it expressed in the trilogue and that Parliament's reading is based instead upon the latest figures and relevant benchmarks.

    More Europe and not less Europe: Parliament underlines that the answer to the crisis must be ‘more Europe and not less Europe’ in order to restart investment, boost the creation of jobs and help rebuild confidence in the economy. It cannot, therefore, accept Council's decision to reduce commitment appropriations further down to 1.27% compared to budget 2012. It even intends to increase commitment appropriations above the DB on a few selected budget lines directly related to the delivery of the Europe 2020 priorities and in line with traditional Parliament's priorities;

    As far as each of the budgetary headings is concerned, Parliament’s views are as follows:

    Heading 1a: Parliament regrets that Heading 1a bears practically the totality of the Council's cuts in commitments (-2.9% compared to DB in Heading 1) and is the most affected as regards decreases in payments (-EUR 1.9 billion or -14% compared to the DB). It has decided to reverse almost all cuts by Council. It introduces the following amendments to the budget:

    • increase commitment and payment appropriations in favour of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and CIP Intelligent Energy Europe;
    • partly compensate decreases to ITER by setting commitments above DB on a selected number of operational FP7 lines directly underpinning the Europe 2020 strategy and characterised by excellent levels of implementation and strong absorption capacity;
    • finance this partial offset above the available margin through the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 50 million;
    • increase appropriations for Lifelong Learning and Erasmus Mundus programmes which, against modest financial envelopes, provide great returns in terms of effective implementation and positive image of the Union vis-à-vis its citizens;
    • maintain the level of commitments and payments proposed in the DB for projects of common interest in the Trans-European transport network; 
    • restore DB payments for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF).

    Heading 1b: once again, Parliament strongly regrets the substantial cuts in payments (-EUR 1.6 billion or -3.3% as compared to the DB) by the Council affecting the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective (-12.9%), the European Territorial Cooperation objective (-18.7%) and the Cohesion Fund (-4.7%). According to Parliament, such cuts would definitely hamper the correct execution of projects during the last year of the programming period, with dramatic consequences, especially for the Member States which are already under social, economical and financial constraints, thereby substantially increasing the RAL.

    Recalling the doubts expressed in its mandate for the trilogue as to whether the level of payments proposed in the DB will be sufficient to reimburse the totality of the expected payment claims in the absence of an amending budget this year, Parliament rejects the cuts introduced by the Council on Heading 1b, which would lead to a much more serious shortage in payments than already expected and would also lead to a strong increase in the level of RAL by the end of next year. It does not consider the Council's declaration asking the Commission to submit a draft amending budget in case of insufficient payments under Heading 1b as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will be made available in 2013, given that similar commitments have been already undertaken and disregarded by the Council in the past two years. In this context, Parliament asks the Council Presidency to make a public statement and explain the discrepancy between the Council's reading on payments and the actual needs of Member States, as expressed in their estimates. In sum, Parliament decides to restore the DB in commitments and in payments for all budget lines cut by Council under this heading. It urges the Council to agree on Draft amending budget 6/2012 with the aim to compensate the shortage of payment appropriations this year and to avoid blocking the execution of running projects at the end of the programming period.

    Parliament also decides to increase commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for the technical assistance to the Baltic Sea Strategy.

    Heading 2: Parliament considers that the Commission’s estimates of budgetary needs are more realistic than the Council’s forecast figures, and restores, therefore, Council's cuts under this Heading to a level of EUR 60 307.51 million, which is 0.6% above the 2012 budget. In an amendment adopted in Plenary, Parliament calls on the Commission to increase its efforts to define clear priorities under this Heading that favour sustainable farming systems which preserve biodiversity, protect water resources and soil fertility, respect animal welfare and support employment. It rejects the increase of the so-called negative expenditure line (clearance of accounts) as this appears to be set artificially high compared to Heading 2 appropriations and partly restores the Commission's proposal.

    Parliament also makes the following budgetary adjustments:

    • granting an adequate level for producer groups for preliminary recognition; 
    • increase in the Union's contribution to the crisis fund within operational funds for producer organisations;
    • increased support for the school milk programme and the continued support for programme concerning school fruit;
    • maintaining the budget allocation dedicated to the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons in the with Members welcoming the effort made by the Commission in finding a political and legal solution to continue with the programme in 2013;
    • continued support on a commensurate level for the LIFE+ programme, 
    • maintaining financing of the CFP at the proposed DB levels, in view of its upcoming reform.

    Parliament supports the sharp reduction of some budget lines on refunds, and in some cases even to zero, as this instrument is politically controversial.

    Heading 3a: Parliament rejects the cuts performed by the Council in payment appropriations in the following areas:

    • European Return Fund (-EUR 18 million),
    • European Refugee Fund (-EUR 1.8 million),
    • European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals (-EUR 3.2 million) and
    • Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (-EUR 1 million).

    It decides, therefore, to restore the level of the DB on the corresponding lines. It also increases the payment appropriations of the DAPHNE programme above the level of the DB, emphasising the positive role of the programme.

    Parliament also rejects the Council's unilateral decision to change the legal basis of the proposal on the "Schengen evaluation mechanism" from the ordinary legislative procedure to Article 70 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It supports the Conference of Presidents' decision to block cooperation with the Council on the 2013 budget as regards internal security aspects and confirms it will place in the reserve some budgetary lines in Title 18 which relate to internal security (in commitment and payment appropriations) until a satisfactory outcome is achieved on the Schengen governance package.

    Heading 4: Parliament highlights that cut in payments brought by the Council to Heading 4 (-EUR 1 billion or -14.1% as compared to DB) represent approximately 20% of the overall cuts across all headings. It considers that such a massive reduction would impede the Union to respect the commitments to which it has committed itself on the world scene. It decides, therefore, to restore the level of both commitment and payment appropriations in most budget lines to the levels proposed in the DB.

    It considers, however, that some decreases compared to the DB can be accepted in some budget lines, such as

    • macro-Financial Assistance,
    • membership of international organisations in the field of customs and tax and
    • cooperation with Greenland.

    It proposes a small increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for budget lines in the areas of geographical development cooperation, as well as for the Electoral Observation Mission and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

    Pointing out that increased funding for Palestine and UNRWA is crucial for ensuring that UNRWA is given the necessary resources it needs to provide the essential services for which it has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and to safeguard the safety and livelihood of refugees, Parliament increases the relevant funding. It also increases appropriations for the support to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot Community.

    Heading 5: taking note of the Council's position decreasing the Commission's proposal on Heading 5 by EUR 146 million overall, despite the institutions' efforts towards budget consolidation of administrative expenditure, Parliament welcomes the efforts of the institutions, including the Commission, which complied with and even overstepped their commitment to restrict their administrative budgets to an increase below the expected inflation rate.

    For all the institutions, apart from the Council, as well as for the European Schools, Parliament decides to restore (or in the case of the Court of Justice, add) in reserve the amounts corresponding to the 1.7% 2011 salary adjustment for budget year 2013, pending the Court's ruling. This is sound budgeting, given the likelihood of a ruling in favour of the Commission. Parliament warns the Council that, in this event, the budgetary authority will need to accommodate the retroactive effect of such ruling for years 2011 and 2012, including late interest. Parliament also undoes other cuts brought by the Council on specific items of administrative expenditure, notably, within the Commission, on ICT equipment and services and some offices.

    While restoring or maintaining the Commission's and, in part, other institutions' requests for posts on the basis of a case-by-case approach, Parliament calls for an in-depth impact assessment to be carried out on the planned staff reductions by 2018, taking full account of, inter alia, the Union's legal obligations and the institutions' new competences.

    Parliament notes with concern that staff cuts were made within the Commission and asks the Commission to include in its annual staff screening report an assessment of the impact. It also sets a number of reserves on some budget lines with a view to obtaining specific information. Lastly, deploring the cuts made by the Council on the administrative and research support lines, Parliament considers underlines that these would be likely to affect the swiftness and quality of budgetary implementation of the multi-annual programmes to which they are related. It decides therefore to restore the DB for those lines.

    Agencies: Parliament endorses, as a general rule, the Commission's estimates of agencies' budgetary and staff needs and notes that the Commission had already considerably reduced the agencies' initial requests. Parliament considers that any further cuts as proposed by the Council would endanger the proper functioning of the agencies and would not allow them to fulfil the tasks they have been assigned. They decide to increase the 2013 budget appropriations for the three financial supervision agencies. Aware that certain agencies (such as Europol, EASA, ACER) have to implement additional tasks in 2013 which might not be reflected in the allocated budget or establishment plan for 2013, Parliament requests the Commission, in case of necessity, to propose timely an Amending Budget for the relevant agency. It also expects the Commission to present a new financial statement when a legislative procedure has been finalised by Parliament and the Council extending the mandate of an agency.

    Other sections

    Parliament is generally concerned by the Council's position of a nominal freeze across all EU institutions, believing that each institution should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the needs and specific situation of each institution. It welcomes efforts made by the institutions to find additional savings and restrict their budgets bearing in mind the costs of the enlargement to Croatia.

    European Parliament: concerning its own budget, Parliament points out that the level of its 2013 budget is 1.9% above the 2012 budget including the costs for Croatian accession but that due to the current inflation rate of 1.9%, there is a real decrease of the operating budget, despite recently added competences, new posts and actions, the financing of Croatia's accession and the costs for preparing the 2014 elections. Parliament’s budget is thus set at EUR 1 750 463 939 for 2013.

    Parliament approves the following adjustments to the estimates:

    • reduction in the appropriations in the contingency reserve,
    • internalisation of the security service in a budget-neutral manner,
    • pursuit of the internalisation of ICT activities
    • adjustment in the appropriations for the European Parliamentary Association;
    • reduction of appropriations for the House of European History by EUR 5.3 million.

    Other specific demands are made in regard to the internal organisation of Parliament’s work, travel and ICT and translation expenditures.

    The question of Parliament’s seat: Parliament

    Parliament believes that, like every directly elected parliament, the European Parliament should have the right to decide on its own seat and working place arrangements. It declares, therefore, that Parliament's seat and places of work for Members and officials should be decided upon by Parliament itself. It urges the two arms of the budgetary authority (the Council and Parliament), in order to make financial savings and to promote a more sustainable climate- and environmentally-friendly solution, to raise the issue of a single seat and Parliament's working places for Members and officials in the upcoming negotiations on the next MFF for 2014-2020. It urges the Member States to revise the issue of Parliament's seat and working places in the next revision of the Treaty by amending Protocol 6. Furthermore, it calls on the Council to start elaborating a road-map with the Parliament towards a single seat and a more efficient use of Parliament's working places, taking into account specific up-to-date figures detailing the cost of each place of work and working conditions for staff, as well as economic, societal and environmental factors – to be presented in a report by 30 June 2013.

    Other institutions: lastly, Parliament makes a series of recommendations on the other institutions and bodies of the EU calling generally for the restoration of certain appropriations allocated to each in order to enable them to carry out their tasks and meet the needs of enlargement to Croatia.

activities/6/docs/0/text/0
Old

The Committee on Budgets adopted the joint report by Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT) (section III – Commission) and Derek VAUGHAN (S&D, UK) on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 - all sections

Members stress that the priorities expressed in the opinions given by its specialised committees, as well as those which emerged on the occasion of the meetings with the Rapporteurs specialising in budgetary matters, have as far as possible been taken into account in the present draft resolution. 

Section III – Commission: the committee recalls that Parliament’s priorities for the 2013 budget, as detailed in its resolution of 4 July 2012 on the mandate for the trilogue, consist in: support for sustainable growth, competitiveness and employment, particularly for SMEs and youth. It points out that the Commission's draft budget (DB) reflects Parliament's priorities and is aware of the severe difficulties arising from the state of the national economies and of the need for a responsible and realistic reading. Members cannot accept, however, the approach according to which the EU budget is made the source for possible savings with the same proportion and logic applied to the national budgets, given the substantial difference in nature, objectives and structure. They highlight that decreasing EU resources will surely result in a lack of investment and liquidity in the Member States.

Members underline that the EU budget is to be seen as a complementary instrument of support for Member States' economies, capable of concentrating initiatives and investment in areas strategic for growth and the creation of jobs as well as and of bringing about a leverage effect in sectors overcoming national boundaries. Such a role is legitimised by the same Member States, who, together with Parliament, are responsible for the decisions from which most of the EU law stems.

Recalling that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), Members deplore the decision of the Council to proceed again this year with the usual approach of horizontal cuts to the DB, aimed at artificially reducing the level of the EU's resources for 2013 by an overall total of EUR 1 155 million (-0.8%) in commitment appropriations (CA) and EUR 5 228 million (-3.8%) in payment appropriations (PA). 

They are surprised that the Council has not taken into account latest Commission's forecasts for programmes' implementation, based on estimates of the same Member States. The report warns about the severe risk of shortages of payments, in particular under Headings 1a, 1b and 2, entailing a risk that sufficient funds are not made available to enable the EU to honour its debts.

Reductions damaging for growth: underlines that the current procedures for assessing the real needs for payment appropriations for Member States take place in total obscurity. The committee carries out a survey of the Council’s cuts, noting that Headings 1a and 1b are particularly affected as regards payments (-EUR 1.9 billion and -EUR 1.6 billion respectively as compared to the DB), i.e. the headings under which most of the programmes and initiatives responsible for delivery of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are concentrated. It underlines that these cuts are fully at odds with the conclusions of the June 2012 European Council, which identified the EU budget as "a catalyst for growth and jobs across Europe" and decided to concentrate resources, including EUR 55 billion coming from the Structural Funds, on growth-enhancing measures. Members consider that that decision, taken at the highest political level of the EU, needs to be translated into a sufficient level of payments for 2013 in favour of programmes and actions underpinning this priority. They also reject the Council's argument that these cuts correspond to under-implemented or low-performing programmes, (e.g. the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Heading 1a and the Competitiveness and Employment objective under Heading 1b), since such criteria completely disregard the multiannual character of the EU's policies, and of cohesion policy in particular, characterised by a rising profile of payments towards the end of the MFF.

Furthermore, the substantial reduction in the level of payments as compared to commitments set by the Council would logically result in a further increase of the RAL by EUR 4.1 billion, especially considering that the largest shares of the RAL relate to cohesion policy (65.6%) and to R&D sector (10.5%).

Restoring at the level of DB payment appropriations to enable the main EU programmes to function: due to recent experience, the committee does not deem the declaration of payments proposed by the Council in its reading as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will eventually be made available for all headings. The Budgets Committee takes the general approach, therefore, of restoring, at the level of DB payments cut by Council in all headings and increasing payment appropriations over DB on a selected number of lines characterised by high levels of implementation within each heading, in particular Headings 1a and 4, to cover the real needs of the corresponding programmes, as identified by the Commission. It calls on the European Parliament to mandate its delegation for the Budget 2013 conciliation not to accept any level of payments both for the Amending budget 6/2012 and the Budget 2013 that does not fully cover the payment needs for 2012 and 2013, as estimated by the Commission. Members recall that Council completely disregarded Parliament's priorities, as expressed in Parliament's mandate for the trilogue but that Parliament's reading is based instead upon benchmarks arising from that mandate.

More Europe and not less Europe: the report underlines that the answer to the crisis must be ‘more Europe and not less Europe’ in order to restart investment, boost the creation of jobs and help rebuild confidence in the economy. Members cannot, therefore, accept Council's decision to reduce commitment appropriations further down to 1.27% compared to budget 2012. They set the overall level of appropriations for 2013 to:

·        EUR 151 151.84 million in commitment appropriations and

·        EUR 137 898.15 million in payment appropriations.

With regard to each of the budget headings, Members make the following points:

Heading 1: they deplore that Heading 1a bears practically the totality of the Council's cuts in commitments (-2.9% compared to DB in Heading 1) and is the most affected as regards decreases in payments (-EUR 1.9 billion or -14% compared to DB). They decide to undo almost all cuts by Council and to reinforce above DB in commitment and payment appropriations only a selected number of lines directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. 

Members make the following amendments to the budget:

·        increase commitment and payment appropriations in favour of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and CIP Intelligent Energy Europe;

·        partly compensate of decreases to ITER by setting commitments above DB on a selected number of operational FP7 lines directly underpinning the Europe 2020 strategy and characterised by excellent levels of implementation and strong absorption capacity;

·        finance this partial offset above the available margin through the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 50 million;

·        increase appropriations for Lifelong Learning and Erasmus Mundus programmes which, against modest financial envelopes, provide great returns in terms of effective implementation and positive image of the Union vis-à-vis its citizens; 

·        maintain the level of commitments and payments proposed in the DB for projects of common interest in the Trans-European transport network; 

·        restore DB payments for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF); 

Heading 1b: Members strongly deplore the substantial cuts in payments (-EUR 1.6 billion or -3.3% as compared to DB) by the Council affecting the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective (-12.9%), the European Territorial Cooperation objective (-18.7%) and the Cohesion Fund (-4.7%). Recalling the doubts expressed in its mandate for the trilogue as to whether the level of payments proposed in the DB will be sufficient to reimburse the totality of the expected payment claims in the absence of an amending budget this year, the committee rejects the cuts introduced by the Council on Heading 1b, which would lead to a much more serious shortage in payments than already expected and would also lead to a strong increase in the level of RAL by the end of next year. It does not consider the Council's declaration asking the Commission to submit a draft amending budget in case of insufficient payments under Heading 1b as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will be made available in 2013, given that similar commitments have been already undertaken and disregarded by the Council in the past two years. Members ask the Council Presidency to make a public statement and explain the discrepancy between the Council's reading on payments and the actual needs of Member States, as expressed in their estimates.

In sum, the committee decides to restore the DB in commitments and in payments for all budget lines cut by Council under this heading. It urges the Council to agree on Draft amending budget 6/2012 presented by the Commission with the aim to compensate the shortage of payment appropriations this year and to avoid blocking the execution of running projects at the end of the programming period.

Heading 2: Members consider that the Commission’s estimates of budgetary needs are more realistic than the Council’s forecast figures, and restore, therefore, Council's cuts under this Heading to a level of EUR 60 307.51 million, which is 0.6% above the 2012 budget. They reject the increase of the so-called negative expenditure line (clearance of accounts) as this appears to be set artificially high compared to Heading 2 appropriations and partly restores the Commission's proposal, allowing a more realistic approach.

They also make the following adjustments to the budget:

·        granting an adequate level for producer groups for preliminary recognition; 

·        sufficient increase of the Union's contribution to the crisis fund within operational funds for producer organisations;

·        increased support for the school milk programme and the continued support for programme concerning school fruit;

·        maintaining the budget allocation dedicated to the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons in the with Members welcoming the effort made by the Commission in finding a political and legal solution to continue with the programme in 2013;

·        continued support on a commensurate level for the LIFE+ programme, 

·        maintaining financing of the CFP at the proposed DB levels, in view of its upcoming reform.

Members state they support the reduction of some budget lines on refunds drastically, in some cases even to zero, as this instrument is politically controversial.

Heading 3a: Members reject the cuts performed by the Council in payment appropriations in the following areas:

·        European Return Fund (-EUR 18 million),

·        European Refugee Fund (-EUR 1.8 million),

·        European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals (-EUR 3.2 million) and Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (-EUR 1 million).

They decide, therefore, to restore the level of the DB on the corresponding lines. They also increase the payment appropriations of the DAPHNE programme above the level of the DB, emphasising the positive role of the programme. 

Members also reject the Council's unilateral decision to change the legal basis of the proposal on the "Schengen evaluation mechanism" from ordinary legislative procedure to Article 70 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. They support the Conference of Presidents' decision to block cooperation with the Council on the 2013 budget as regards internal security aspects and endorse, therefore, the position taken by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs to put into the reserve some budgetary lines in Title 18 which relate to internal security (in commitment and payment appropriations) until a satisfactory outcome is achieved on the Schengen governance package.

Heading 3b: emphasising the need to encourage cross-cultural communication and EU citizenship within the next generation, the committee has decided to increase funding for the Youth in Action programme compared to DB. It also reinforces appropriations for the European Year of Citizens 2013 together with the latter’s communication activities.

Heading 4: Members highlights that cut in payments brought by the Council to Heading 4 (-EUR 1 billion or -14.1% as compared to DB) represent approximately 20% of the overall cuts across all headings. They consider that such a massive reduction would impede the Union to respect the commitments to which it has committed itself on the world scene and they decide to restore the level of both commitment and payment appropriations in most budget lines to the levels proposed in the DB.

Members considers, however, that some decreases compared to the DB can be accepted in some budget lines, such as

·        macro-Financial Assistance,

·        membership of international organisations in the field of customs and tax and

·        cooperation with Greenland.

They propose a small increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for budget lines in the areas of geographical development cooperation, as well as for the Electoral Observation Mission and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Pointing out that increased funding for Palestine and UNRWA is crucial for ensuring that UNRWA is given the necessary resources it needs to provide the essential services for which it has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and to safeguard the safety and livelihood of refugees, the committee increases the relevant funding. It also increases appropriations for the support to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot Community 

Heading 5: taking note of the Council's position decreasing the Commission's proposal on Heading 5 by EUR 146 million overall, despite the institutions' efforts towards budget consolidation of administrative expenditure, Members welcome the efforts of most institutions, including Parliament and the Commission, which complied with and even overstepped their commitment to restrict their administrative budgets to an increase below the expected inflation rate.

For all the institutions apart from the Council, as well as for the European Schools, they decide to restore (or in the case of the Court of Justice, add) in reserve the amounts corresponding to the 1.7% 2011 salary adjustment for budget year 2013, pending the Court's ruling. This is sound budgeting, given the likelihood of a ruling in favour of the Commission. The committee warns the Council that, in this event, the budgetary authority will need to accommodate the retroactive effect of such ruling for years 2011 and 2012, including late interest.

It also undoes other cuts brought by the Council on specific items of administrative expenditure, notably, within the Commission, on ICT equipment and services and some offices.

While restoring or maintaining the Commission's and, partly, other institutions' requests for posts on the basis of a case-by-case approach, Members call for an in-depth impact assessment to be carried out on the planned staff reductions by 2018, taking full account of, inter alia, the Union's legal obligations and the institutions' new competences.

They note with concern that staff cuts were made within the Commission and ask the Commission to include in its annual staff screening report an assessment of the impact. They also set a number of reserves on some budget lines with a view to obtaining specific information.

Agencies: whilst endorsing, as a general rule, the Commission's estimates of agencies' budgetary and staff needs and noting that the Commission had already considerably reduced the agencies' initial requests) Members consider that any further cuts as proposed by the Council would endanger the proper functioning of the agencies and would not allow them to fulfil the tasks they have been assigned.  They decide to increase the 2013 budget appropriations for the three financial supervision agencies.

Members are aware that certain agencies (such as Europol, EASA, ACER) have to implement additional tasks in 2013 which might not be reflected in the allocated budget or establishment plan for 2013 and request the Commission, in case of necessity, to propose timely an Amending Budget for the relevant agency. They also expect the Commission to present a new financial statement when a legislative procedure has been finalised by Parliament and the Council extending the mandate of an agency.

Other sections

The committee is concerned by the Council's position of a nominal freeze across all EU institutions, believing that each institution should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the needs and specific situation of each institution. It welcomes efforts made by the institutions to find additional savings and restrict their budgets bearing in mind the costs of the enlargement to Croatia. 

European Parliament: Members point out that the level of its 2013 budget is 1.9% above the 2012 budget including the costs for Croatian accession but that due to the current inflation rate of 1.9%, there is a real decrease of the operating budget, despite recently added competences, new posts and actions, the financing of Croatia's accession and the costs for preparing the 2014 elections. They approve the following adjustments to the estimates:

·        reduce the appropriations in the contingency reserve,

·        internalise the security service in a budget-neutral manner,

·        pursue the internalisation of ICT activities

·        adjust the appropriations for the European Parliamentary Association;

·        reduction of appropriations for the House of European History by EUR 5.3 million;

Members believe that, like every directly elected parliament, the European Parliament should have the right to decide on its own seat and working place arrangements and declare, therefore, that Parliament's seat and places of work for Members and officials should be decided upon by Parliament itself.

They go on to make other remarks on Parliament’s internal organisation, travel, ICT expenditure and translation.

Other institutions: lastly, Members make a series of recommendations on the other institutions and bodies of the EU calling generally for the restoration of certain appropriations allocated to each in order to enable them to carry out their tasks and meet the needs of enlargement to Croatia.

New

The Committee on Budgets adopted the joint report on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 by Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT) – (section III – Commission) and Derek VAUGHAN (S&D, UK) (other Sections).

Members stress that the priorities expressed in the opinions given by its specialised committees, as well as those which emerged on the occasion of the meetings with the Rapporteurs specialising in budgetary matters, have as far as possible been taken into account in the present draft resolution. 

Section III – Commission: the committee recalls that Parliament’s priorities for the 2013 budget, as detailed in its resolution of 4 July 2012 on the mandate for the trilogue, consist in: support for sustainable growth, competitiveness and employment, particularly for SMEs and youth. It points out that the Commission's draft budget (DB) reflects Parliament's priorities and is aware of the severe difficulties arising from the state of the national economies and of the need for a responsible and realistic reading. Members cannot accept, however, the approach according to which the EU budget is made the source for possible savings with the same proportion and logic applied to the national budgets, given the substantial difference in nature, objectives and structure. They highlight that decreasing EU resources will surely result in a lack of investment and liquidity in the Member States.

Members underline that the EU budget is to be seen as a complementary instrument of support for Member States' economies, capable of concentrating initiatives and investment in areas strategic for growth and the creation of jobs as well as and of bringing about a leverage effect in sectors overcoming national boundaries. Such a role is legitimised by the same Member States, who, together with Parliament, are responsible for the decisions from which most of the EU law stems.

Recalling that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), Members deplore the decision of the Council to proceed again this year with the usual approach of horizontal cuts to the DB, aimed at artificially reducing the level of the EU's resources for 2013 by an overall total of EUR 1 155 million (-0.8%) in commitment appropriations (CA) and EUR 5 228 million (-3.8%) in payment appropriations (PA). 

They are surprised that the Council has not taken into account latest Commission's forecasts for programmes' implementation, based on estimates of the same Member States. The report warns about the severe risk of shortages of payments, in particular under Headings 1a, 1b and 2, entailing a risk that sufficient funds are not made available to enable the EU to honour its debts.

Reductions damaging for growth: Members underline that the current procedures for assessing the real needs for payment appropriations for Member States take place in total obscurity. The committee has examined the Council’s cuts, noting that Headings 1a and 1b are particularly affected as regards payments (-EUR 1.9 billion and -EUR 1.6 billion respectively as compared to the DB), i.e. the headings under which most of the programmes and initiatives responsible for delivery of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are concentrated. It underlines that these cuts are fully at odds with the conclusions of the June 2012 European Council, which identified the EU budget as "a catalyst for growth and jobs across Europe" and decided to concentrate resources, including EUR 55 billion coming from the Structural Funds, on growth-enhancing measures. Members consider that that decision, taken at the highest political level of the EU, needs to be translated into a sufficient level of payments for 2013 in favour of programmes and actions underpinning this priority. They also reject the Council's argument that these cuts correspond to under-implemented or low-performing programmes, (e.g. the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Heading 1a and the Competitiveness and Employment objective under Heading 1b), since such criteria completely disregard the multiannual character of the EU's policies, and of cohesion policy in particular, characterised by a rising profile of payments towards the end of the MFF.

Furthermore, the substantial reduction in the level of payments as compared to commitments set by the Council would logically result in a further increase of the RAL by EUR 4.1 billion, especially considering that the largest shares of the RAL relate to cohesion policy (65.6%) and to R&D sector (10.5%).

Restoring at the level of DB payment appropriations to enable the main EU programmes to function: due to recent experience, the committee does not deem the declaration of payments proposed by the Council in its reading as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will eventually be made available for all headings. The Budgets Committee takes the general approach, therefore, of restoring, at the level of DB payments cut by Council in all headings and increasing payment appropriations over DB on a selected number of lines characterised by high levels of implementation within each heading, in particular Headings 1a and 4, to cover the real needs of the corresponding programmes, as identified by the Commission. It calls on the European Parliament to mandate its delegation for the Budget 2013 conciliation not to accept any level of payments both for the Amending budget 6/2012 and the Budget 2013 that does not fully cover the payment needs for 2012 and 2013, as estimated by the Commission. Members recall that Council completely disregarded Parliament's priorities, as expressed in Parliament's mandate for the trilogue but that Parliament's reading is based instead upon benchmarks arising from that mandate.

More Europe and not less Europe: the report underlines that the answer to the crisis must be ‘more Europe and not less Europe’ in order to restart investment, boost the creation of jobs and help rebuild confidence in the economy. Members cannot, therefore, accept Council's decision to reduce commitment appropriations further down to 1.27% compared to budget 2012. They set the overall level of appropriations for 2013 to:

  • EUR 151 151.84 million in commitment appropriations and
  • EUR 137 898.15 million in payment appropriations.

With regard to each of the budget headings, Members make the following points:

Heading 1a: they deplore that Heading 1a bears practically the totality of the Council's cuts in commitments (-2.9% compared to DB in Heading 1) and is the most affected as regards decreases in payments (-EUR 1.9 billion or -14% compared to DB). They decide to undo almost all cuts by Council and to reinforce above DB in commitment and payment appropriations only a selected number of lines directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. 

Members make the following amendments to the budget:

  • increase commitment and payment appropriations in favour of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and CIP Intelligent Energy Europe;
  • partly compensate decreases to ITER by setting commitments above DB on a selected number of operational FP7 lines directly underpinning the Europe 2020 strategy and characterised by excellent levels of implementation and strong absorption capacity;
  • finance this partial offset above the available margin through the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 50 million;
  • increase appropriations for Lifelong Learning and Erasmus Mundus programmes which, against modest financial envelopes, provide great returns in terms of effective implementation and positive image of the Union vis-à-vis its citizens; 
  • the level of commitments and payments proposed in the DB for projects of common interest in the Trans-European transport network; 
  • restore DB payments for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF).

Heading 1b: Members strongly deplore the substantial cuts in payments (-EUR 1.6 billion or -3.3% as compared to the DB) by the Council affecting the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective (-12.9%), the European Territorial Cooperation objective (-18.7%) and the Cohesion Fund (-4.7%). Recalling the doubts expressed in its mandate for the trilogue as to whether the level of payments proposed in the DB will be sufficient to reimburse the totality of the expected payment claims in the absence of an amending budget this year, the committee rejects the cuts introduced by the Council on Heading 1b, which would lead to a much more serious shortage in payments than already expected and would also lead to a strong increase in the level of RAL by the end of next year. It does not consider the Council's declaration asking the Commission to submit a draft amending budget in case of insufficient payments under Heading 1b as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will be made available in 2013, given that similar commitments have been already undertaken and disregarded by the Council in the past two years. Members ask the Council Presidency to make a public statement and explain the discrepancy between the Council's reading on payments and the actual needs of Member States, as expressed in their estimates.

In sum, the committee decides to restore the DB in commitments and in payments for all budget lines cut by Council under this heading. It urges the Council to agree on Draft amending budget 6/2012 presented by the Commission with the aim to compensate the shortage of payment appropriations this year and to avoid blocking the execution of running projects at the end of the programming period.

Heading 2: Members consider that the Commission’s estimates of budgetary needs are more realistic than the Council’s forecast figures, and restore, therefore, Council's cuts under this Heading to a level of EUR 60 307.51 million, which is 0.6% above the 2012 budget. They reject the increase of the so-called negative expenditure line (clearance of accounts) as this appears to be set artificially high compared to Heading 2 appropriations and partly restores the Commission's proposal, allowing a more realistic approach.

They also make the following adjustments to the budget:

  • granting an adequate level for producer groups for preliminary recognition; 
  • increase in the Union's contribution to the crisis fund within operational funds for producer organisations;
  • increased support for the school milk programme and the continued support for programme concerning school fruit;
  • maintaining the budget allocation dedicated to the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons in the with Members welcoming the effort made by the Commission in finding a political and legal solution to continue with the programme in 2013;
  • continued support on a commensurate level for the LIFE+ programme, 
  • maintaining financing of the CFP at the proposed DB levels, in view of its upcoming reform.

Members state they support the sharp reduction of some budget lines on refunds, and in some cases even to zero, as this instrument is politically controversial.

Heading 3a: Members reject the cuts performed by the Council in payment appropriations in the following areas:

  • European Return Fund (-EUR 18 million),
  • European Refugee Fund (-EUR 1.8 million),
  • European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals (-EUR 3.2 million) and
  • Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (-EUR 1 million).

They decide, therefore, to restore the level of the DB on the corresponding lines. They also increase the payment appropriations of the DAPHNE programme above the level of the DB, emphasising the positive role of the programme. 

Members also reject the Council's unilateral decision to change the legal basis of the proposal on the "Schengen evaluation mechanism" from the ordinary legislative procedure to Article 70 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. They support the Conference of Presidents' decision to block cooperation with the Council on the 2013 budget as regards internal security aspects and endorse, therefore, the position taken by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs to put into the reserve some budgetary lines in Title 18 which relate to internal security (in commitment and payment appropriations) until a satisfactory outcome is achieved on the Schengen governance package.

Heading 3b: emphasising the need to encourage cross-cultural communication and EU citizenship within the next generation, the committee has decided to increase funding for the Youth in Action programme compared to DB. It also reinforces appropriations for the European Year of Citizens 2013 together with the latter’s communication activities.

Heading 4: Members highlight that cut in payments brought by the Council to Heading 4 (-EUR 1 billion or -14.1% as compared to DB) represent approximately 20% of the overall cuts across all headings. They consider that such a massive reduction would impede the Union to respect the commitments to which it has committed itself on the world scene and they decide to restore the level of both commitment and payment appropriations in most budget lines to the levels proposed in the DB.

Members consider, however, that some decreases compared to the DB can be accepted in some budget lines, such as

  • macro-Financial Assistance,
  • membership of international organisations in the field of customs and tax and
  • cooperation with Greenland.

They propose a small increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for budget lines in the areas of geographical development cooperation, as well as for the Electoral Observation Mission and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Pointing out that increased funding for Palestine and UNRWA is crucial for ensuring that UNRWA is given the necessary resources it needs to provide the essential services for which it has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and to safeguard the safety and livelihood of refugees, the committee increases the relevant funding. It also increases appropriations for the support to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot Community. 

Heading 5: taking note of the Council's position decreasing the Commission's proposal on Heading 5 by EUR 146 million overall, despite the institutions' efforts towards budget consolidation of administrative expenditure, Members welcome the efforts of most institutions, including Parliament and the Commission, which complied with and even overstepped their commitment to restrict their administrative budgets to an increase below the expected inflation rate.

For all the institutions, apart from the Council, as well as for the European Schools, they decide to restore (or in the case of the Court of Justice, add) in reserve the amounts corresponding to the 1.7% 2011 salary adjustment for budget year 2013, pending the Court's ruling. This is sound budgeting, given the likelihood of a ruling in favour of the Commission. The committee warns the Council that, in this event, the budgetary authority will need to accommodate the retroactive effect of such ruling for years 2011 and 2012, including late interest.

It also undoes other cuts brought by the Council on specific items of administrative expenditure, notably, within the Commission, on ICT equipment and services and some offices.

While restoring or maintaining the Commission's and, partly, other institutions' requests for posts on the basis of a case-by-case approach, Members call for an in-depth impact assessment to be carried out on the planned staff reductions by 2018, taking full account of, inter alia, the Union's legal obligations and the institutions' new competences.

They note with concern that staff cuts were made within the Commission and ask the Commission to include in its annual staff screening report an assessment of the impact. They also set a number of reserves on some budget lines with a view to obtaining specific information.

Agencies: Members endorse, as a general rule, the Commission's estimates of agencies' budgetary and staff needs and notes that the Commission had already considerably reduced the agencies' initial requests. They consider that any further cuts as proposed by the Council would endanger the proper functioning of the agencies and would not allow them to fulfil the tasks they have been assigned.  They decide to increase the 2013 budget appropriations for the three financial supervision agencies.

Members are aware that certain agencies (such as Europol, EASA, ACER) have to implement additional tasks in 2013 which might not be reflected in the allocated budget or establishment plan for 2013 and request the Commission, in case of necessity, to propose timely an Amending Budget for the relevant agency. They also expect the Commission to present a new financial statement when a legislative procedure has been finalised by Parliament and the Council extending the mandate of an agency.

Other sections

The committee is concerned by the Council's position of a nominal freeze across all EU institutions, believing that each institution should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the needs and specific situation of each institution. It welcomes efforts made by the institutions to find additional savings and restrict their budgets bearing in mind the costs of the enlargement to Croatia. 

European Parliament: Members point out that the level of its 2013 budget is 1.9% above the 2012 budget including the costs for Croatian accession but that due to the current inflation rate of 1.9%, there is a real decrease of the operating budget, despite recently added competences, new posts and actions, the financing of Croatia's accession and the costs for preparing the 2014 elections. They approve the following adjustments to the estimates:

  • reduction in the appropriations in the contingency reserve,
  • internalisation of the security service in a budget-neutral manner,
  • pursuit of the internalisation of ICT activities
  • adjustment in the appropriations for the European Parliamentary Association;
  • reduction of appropriations for the House of European History by EUR 5.3 million.

Members believe that, like every directly elected parliament, the European Parliament should have the right to decide on its own seat and working place arrangements and declare, therefore, that Parliament's seat and places of work for Members and officials should be decided upon by Parliament itself.

They go on to make other remarks on Parliament’s internal organisation, travel, ICT expenditure and translation.

Other institutions: lastly, Members make a series of recommendations on the other institutions and bodies of the EU calling generally for the restoration of certain appropriations allocated to each in order to enable them to carry out their tasks and meet the needs of enlargement to Croatia.

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  • body: EP responsible: False committee: PETI date: 2012-05-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Petitions rapporteur: group: EFD name: SALAVRAKOS Nikolaos
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  • body: EP responsible: False committee: TRAN date: 2012-01-23T00:00:00 committee_full: Transport and Tourism rapporteur: group: ALDE name: MEISSNER Gesine
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  • The Committee on Budgets adopted the joint report by Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT) (section III – Commission) and Derek VAUGHAN (S&D, UK) on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 - all sections

    Members stress that the priorities expressed in the opinions given by its specialised committees, as well as those which emerged on the occasion of the meetings with the Rapporteurs specialising in budgetary matters, have as far as possible been taken into account in the present draft resolution. 

    Section III – Commission: the committee recalls that Parliament’s priorities for the 2013 budget, as detailed in its resolution of 4 July 2012 on the mandate for the trilogue, consist in: support for sustainable growth, competitiveness and employment, particularly for SMEs and youth. It points out that the Commission's draft budget (DB) reflects Parliament's priorities and is aware of the severe difficulties arising from the state of the national economies and of the need for a responsible and realistic reading. Members cannot accept, however, the approach according to which the EU budget is made the source for possible savings with the same proportion and logic applied to the national budgets, given the substantial difference in nature, objectives and structure. They highlight that decreasing EU resources will surely result in a lack of investment and liquidity in the Member States.

    Members underline that the EU budget is to be seen as a complementary instrument of support for Member States' economies, capable of concentrating initiatives and investment in areas strategic for growth and the creation of jobs as well as and of bringing about a leverage effect in sectors overcoming national boundaries. Such a role is legitimised by the same Member States, who, together with Parliament, are responsible for the decisions from which most of the EU law stems.

    Recalling that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), Members deplore the decision of the Council to proceed again this year with the usual approach of horizontal cuts to the DB, aimed at artificially reducing the level of the EU's resources for 2013 by an overall total of EUR 1 155 million (-0.8%) in commitment appropriations (CA) and EUR 5 228 million (-3.8%) in payment appropriations (PA). 

    They are surprised that the Council has not taken into account latest Commission's forecasts for programmes' implementation, based on estimates of the same Member States. The report warns about the severe risk of shortages of payments, in particular under Headings 1a, 1b and 2, entailing a risk that sufficient funds are not made available to enable the EU to honour its debts.

    Reductions damaging for growth: underlines that the current procedures for assessing the real needs for payment appropriations for Member States take place in total obscurity. The committee carries out a survey of the Council’s cuts, noting that Headings 1a and 1b are particularly affected as regards payments (-EUR 1.9 billion and -EUR 1.6 billion respectively as compared to the DB), i.e. the headings under which most of the programmes and initiatives responsible for delivery of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are concentrated. It underlines that these cuts are fully at odds with the conclusions of the June 2012 European Council, which identified the EU budget as "a catalyst for growth and jobs across Europe" and decided to concentrate resources, including EUR 55 billion coming from the Structural Funds, on growth-enhancing measures. Members consider that that decision, taken at the highest political level of the EU, needs to be translated into a sufficient level of payments for 2013 in favour of programmes and actions underpinning this priority. They also reject the Council's argument that these cuts correspond to under-implemented or low-performing programmes, (e.g. the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Heading 1a and the Competitiveness and Employment objective under Heading 1b), since such criteria completely disregard the multiannual character of the EU's policies, and of cohesion policy in particular, characterised by a rising profile of payments towards the end of the MFF.

    Furthermore, the substantial reduction in the level of payments as compared to commitments set by the Council would logically result in a further increase of the RAL by EUR 4.1 billion, especially considering that the largest shares of the RAL relate to cohesion policy (65.6%) and to R&D sector (10.5%).

    Restoring at the level of DB payment appropriations to enable the main EU programmes to function: due to recent experience, the committee does not deem the declaration of payments proposed by the Council in its reading as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will eventually be made available for all headings. The Budgets Committee takes the general approach, therefore, of restoring, at the level of DB payments cut by Council in all headings and increasing payment appropriations over DB on a selected number of lines characterised by high levels of implementation within each heading, in particular Headings 1a and 4, to cover the real needs of the corresponding programmes, as identified by the Commission. It calls on the European Parliament to mandate its delegation for the Budget 2013 conciliation not to accept any level of payments both for the Amending budget 6/2012 and the Budget 2013 that does not fully cover the payment needs for 2012 and 2013, as estimated by the Commission. Members recall that Council completely disregarded Parliament's priorities, as expressed in Parliament's mandate for the trilogue but that Parliament's reading is based instead upon benchmarks arising from that mandate.

    More Europe and not less Europe: the report underlines that the answer to the crisis must be ‘more Europe and not less Europe’ in order to restart investment, boost the creation of jobs and help rebuild confidence in the economy. Members cannot, therefore, accept Council's decision to reduce commitment appropriations further down to 1.27% compared to budget 2012. They set the overall level of appropriations for 2013 to:

    ·        EUR 151 151.84 million in commitment appropriations and

    ·        EUR 137 898.15 million in payment appropriations.

    With regard to each of the budget headings, Members make the following points:

    Heading 1: they deplore that Heading 1a bears practically the totality of the Council's cuts in commitments (-2.9% compared to DB in Heading 1) and is the most affected as regards decreases in payments (-EUR 1.9 billion or -14% compared to DB). They decide to undo almost all cuts by Council and to reinforce above DB in commitment and payment appropriations only a selected number of lines directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. 

    Members make the following amendments to the budget:

    ·        increase commitment and payment appropriations in favour of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and CIP Intelligent Energy Europe;

    ·        partly compensate of decreases to ITER by setting commitments above DB on a selected number of operational FP7 lines directly underpinning the Europe 2020 strategy and characterised by excellent levels of implementation and strong absorption capacity;

    ·        finance this partial offset above the available margin through the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 50 million;

    ·        increase appropriations for Lifelong Learning and Erasmus Mundus programmes which, against modest financial envelopes, provide great returns in terms of effective implementation and positive image of the Union vis-à-vis its citizens; 

    ·        maintain the level of commitments and payments proposed in the DB for projects of common interest in the Trans-European transport network; 

    ·        restore DB payments for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF); 

    Heading 1b: Members strongly deplore the substantial cuts in payments (-EUR 1.6 billion or -3.3% as compared to DB) by the Council affecting the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective (-12.9%), the European Territorial Cooperation objective (-18.7%) and the Cohesion Fund (-4.7%). Recalling the doubts expressed in its mandate for the trilogue as to whether the level of payments proposed in the DB will be sufficient to reimburse the totality of the expected payment claims in the absence of an amending budget this year, the committee rejects the cuts introduced by the Council on Heading 1b, which would lead to a much more serious shortage in payments than already expected and would also lead to a strong increase in the level of RAL by the end of next year. It does not consider the Council's declaration asking the Commission to submit a draft amending budget in case of insufficient payments under Heading 1b as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will be made available in 2013, given that similar commitments have been already undertaken and disregarded by the Council in the past two years. Members ask the Council Presidency to make a public statement and explain the discrepancy between the Council's reading on payments and the actual needs of Member States, as expressed in their estimates.

    In sum, the committee decides to restore the DB in commitments and in payments for all budget lines cut by Council under this heading. It urges the Council to agree on Draft amending budget 6/2012 presented by the Commission with the aim to compensate the shortage of payment appropriations this year and to avoid blocking the execution of running projects at the end of the programming period.

    Heading 2: Members consider that the Commission’s estimates of budgetary needs are more realistic than the Council’s forecast figures, and restore, therefore, Council's cuts under this Heading to a level of EUR 60 307.51 million, which is 0.6% above the 2012 budget. They reject the increase of the so-called negative expenditure line (clearance of accounts) as this appears to be set artificially high compared to Heading 2 appropriations and partly restores the Commission's proposal, allowing a more realistic approach.

    They also make the following adjustments to the budget:

    ·        granting an adequate level for producer groups for preliminary recognition; 

    ·        sufficient increase of the Union's contribution to the crisis fund within operational funds for producer organisations;

    ·        increased support for the school milk programme and the continued support for programme concerning school fruit;

    ·        maintaining the budget allocation dedicated to the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons in the with Members welcoming the effort made by the Commission in finding a political and legal solution to continue with the programme in 2013;

    ·        continued support on a commensurate level for the LIFE+ programme, 

    ·        maintaining financing of the CFP at the proposed DB levels, in view of its upcoming reform.

    Members state they support the reduction of some budget lines on refunds drastically, in some cases even to zero, as this instrument is politically controversial.

    Heading 3a: Members reject the cuts performed by the Council in payment appropriations in the following areas:

    ·        European Return Fund (-EUR 18 million),

    ·        European Refugee Fund (-EUR 1.8 million),

    ·        European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals (-EUR 3.2 million) and Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (-EUR 1 million).

    They decide, therefore, to restore the level of the DB on the corresponding lines. They also increase the payment appropriations of the DAPHNE programme above the level of the DB, emphasising the positive role of the programme. 

    Members also reject the Council's unilateral decision to change the legal basis of the proposal on the "Schengen evaluation mechanism" from ordinary legislative procedure to Article 70 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. They support the Conference of Presidents' decision to block cooperation with the Council on the 2013 budget as regards internal security aspects and endorse, therefore, the position taken by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs to put into the reserve some budgetary lines in Title 18 which relate to internal security (in commitment and payment appropriations) until a satisfactory outcome is achieved on the Schengen governance package.

    Heading 3b: emphasising the need to encourage cross-cultural communication and EU citizenship within the next generation, the committee has decided to increase funding for the Youth in Action programme compared to DB. It also reinforces appropriations for the European Year of Citizens 2013 together with the latter’s communication activities.

    Heading 4: Members highlights that cut in payments brought by the Council to Heading 4 (-EUR 1 billion or -14.1% as compared to DB) represent approximately 20% of the overall cuts across all headings. They consider that such a massive reduction would impede the Union to respect the commitments to which it has committed itself on the world scene and they decide to restore the level of both commitment and payment appropriations in most budget lines to the levels proposed in the DB.

    Members considers, however, that some decreases compared to the DB can be accepted in some budget lines, such as

    ·        macro-Financial Assistance,

    ·        membership of international organisations in the field of customs and tax and

    ·        cooperation with Greenland.

    They propose a small increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for budget lines in the areas of geographical development cooperation, as well as for the Electoral Observation Mission and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

    Pointing out that increased funding for Palestine and UNRWA is crucial for ensuring that UNRWA is given the necessary resources it needs to provide the essential services for which it has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and to safeguard the safety and livelihood of refugees, the committee increases the relevant funding. It also increases appropriations for the support to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot Community 

    Heading 5: taking note of the Council's position decreasing the Commission's proposal on Heading 5 by EUR 146 million overall, despite the institutions' efforts towards budget consolidation of administrative expenditure, Members welcome the efforts of most institutions, including Parliament and the Commission, which complied with and even overstepped their commitment to restrict their administrative budgets to an increase below the expected inflation rate.

    For all the institutions apart from the Council, as well as for the European Schools, they decide to restore (or in the case of the Court of Justice, add) in reserve the amounts corresponding to the 1.7% 2011 salary adjustment for budget year 2013, pending the Court's ruling. This is sound budgeting, given the likelihood of a ruling in favour of the Commission. The committee warns the Council that, in this event, the budgetary authority will need to accommodate the retroactive effect of such ruling for years 2011 and 2012, including late interest.

    It also undoes other cuts brought by the Council on specific items of administrative expenditure, notably, within the Commission, on ICT equipment and services and some offices.

    While restoring or maintaining the Commission's and, partly, other institutions' requests for posts on the basis of a case-by-case approach, Members call for an in-depth impact assessment to be carried out on the planned staff reductions by 2018, taking full account of, inter alia, the Union's legal obligations and the institutions' new competences.

    They note with concern that staff cuts were made within the Commission and ask the Commission to include in its annual staff screening report an assessment of the impact. They also set a number of reserves on some budget lines with a view to obtaining specific information.

    Agencies: whilst endorsing, as a general rule, the Commission's estimates of agencies' budgetary and staff needs and noting that the Commission had already considerably reduced the agencies' initial requests) Members consider that any further cuts as proposed by the Council would endanger the proper functioning of the agencies and would not allow them to fulfil the tasks they have been assigned.  They decide to increase the 2013 budget appropriations for the three financial supervision agencies.

    Members are aware that certain agencies (such as Europol, EASA, ACER) have to implement additional tasks in 2013 which might not be reflected in the allocated budget or establishment plan for 2013 and request the Commission, in case of necessity, to propose timely an Amending Budget for the relevant agency. They also expect the Commission to present a new financial statement when a legislative procedure has been finalised by Parliament and the Council extending the mandate of an agency.

    Other sections

    The committee is concerned by the Council's position of a nominal freeze across all EU institutions, believing that each institution should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the needs and specific situation of each institution. It welcomes efforts made by the institutions to find additional savings and restrict their budgets bearing in mind the costs of the enlargement to Croatia. 

    European Parliament: Members point out that the level of its 2013 budget is 1.9% above the 2012 budget including the costs for Croatian accession but that due to the current inflation rate of 1.9%, there is a real decrease of the operating budget, despite recently added competences, new posts and actions, the financing of Croatia's accession and the costs for preparing the 2014 elections. They approve the following adjustments to the estimates:

    ·        reduce the appropriations in the contingency reserve,

    ·        internalise the security service in a budget-neutral manner,

    ·        pursue the internalisation of ICT activities

    ·        adjust the appropriations for the European Parliamentary Association;

    ·        reduction of appropriations for the House of European History by EUR 5.3 million;

    Members believe that, like every directly elected parliament, the European Parliament should have the right to decide on its own seat and working place arrangements and declare, therefore, that Parliament's seat and places of work for Members and officials should be decided upon by Parliament itself.

    They go on to make other remarks on Parliament’s internal organisation, travel, ICT expenditure and translation.

    Other institutions: lastly, Members make a series of recommendations on the other institutions and bodies of the EU calling generally for the restoration of certain appropriations allocated to each in order to enable them to carry out their tasks and meet the needs of enlargement to Croatia.

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  • DG: url: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/budget/ title: Budget Commissioner: LEWANDOWSKI Janusz
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PURPOSE: to present the draft Commission budget for the financial year 2013 (all budget sections).

CONTENT: the Commission adopted the draft EU budget for 2013. It will be the last annual budget of the present Multiannual Financial Framework 2007-2013. Aware of the current economic situation, the Commission presents a budget fully geared to use its funding potential for growth and jobs in line with the Europe 2020 strategy.

Investment is a crucial component of spurring this growth. The EU budget, with its high investment focus, has an important role to play as a leverage tool to Member States’ recovery policies, which will benefit economic activity across the Union.

In preparing its Draft Budget, the Commission has followed a rigorous approach in which:

  • an overall increase in the level of commitment appropriations that is restricted to inflation correction (+ 2.0%) is combined with;
  • a targeted significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 6.8%).

This approach contributes directly to growth and jobs in Europe, and which on the other hand is necessary to allow the EU budget to meet its contractual obligations of current and previous years.

In terms of commitment appropriations, the total expenditure proposed in the draft budget (DB) 2013 is EUR 150 931.7 million, corresponding to 1.13% of GNI, that is EUR 3 031.5 million more than in 2012 (+ 2.0%). The restriction of the increase in the overall level of commitment appropriations to inflation correction (+ 2.0 %) leaves a combined total margin of EUR 2 420.4 million under the various ceilings of the MFF.

For payment appropriations, the total amounts to EUR 137 924.4 million, corresponding to 1.04% of GNI. This is an increase of EUR 8 818.3 million compared to payment appropriations in the 2012 budget (+ 6.8%), and leaves a margin of EUR 6 182.6 million under the ceiling of the MFF.

The main priorities have been established for the 2013 Draft Budget: in 2013. The EU will pursue its support to investment and to actions in favour of job-friendly growth. This key political priority is reflected in the level of commitment appropriations requested in the Draft Budget. Competitiveness for growth and employment, with EUR 16 billion in commitment appropriations, and Cohesion for growth and employment, with EUR 54.5 billion in commitment appropriations, support the EU economy by shaping the conditions for sustainable growth and growth-friendly consolidation, both immediately and in the longer term.

At the present final stage of the current financial framework, the Draft Budget for 2013 is established on the basis of a two-fold approach:

  1. appropriations for programmes and initiatives enhancing Growth and Jobs are maximised within the existing framework. Programmes supporting growth and job creation fall mainly under heading 1a “Competitiveness for growth and employment” and heading 1b “Cohesion for growth and employment”. Overall, the proposed commitment appropriations directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy in 2013 increase by 2.7% to EUR 64.5 billion. In particular, key programmes in support of Growth and Investments, SMEs, Employment and Youth which have proved their efficiency, as well the possible reprogramming of structural funds in eight Member States as announced in the European Council of January 2012, are expected to streamline funding to investments in the most critical areas and reinforce the efforts undertaken to address youth unemployment and support SMEs. These efforts are further complemented by new initiatives, mainly the proposed pilot phase for project bonds in the fields of transport, energy and ICT, as well as the proposed new risk-sharing instrument under the Structural Funds which aims at addressing liquidity problems faced by financial institutions, with a view to facilitating investment and growth;
  2. the allocation of appropriations is guided by the application of efficiency savings and reductions of administrative expenditure. The Commission’s draft budget request for 2013 incorporates a 1% reduction in human resources, in accordance with the Communication “Budget for Europe 2020” which proposes a 5% staff reduction for all institutions over five years.

Other characteristics of the 2013 budget:

  1. a responsible and realistic budget: in the final year of the current financial framework, the required level of payment appropriations is largely determined by the project cycle. Consequently, the 2013 Draft Budget foresees significant increases – compared to 2012 – in payment appropriations for key policy areas geared towards investment, where programmes are now being implemented at full speed. In particular, increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1% to EUR 9 billion) and for the Structural and Cohesion Funds (+ 11.7% to EUR 49 billion);
  2. increased payment appropriations: the proposed increase in the overall level of payment appropriations (+ 6.8%) results from a thorough and rigorous analysis of needs in all policy areas. The proposed level of expenditure is a necessary consequence of the Union’s contractual obligation to honour the growing level of outstanding commitments of current and previous years, now that the actual implementation of major programmes is clearly shifting into a higher gear;
  3. scrutinising performance: the Commission has carried out an in-depth examination of programmes and actions, in particular on the basis of past implementation and performance. The Commission’s proposal reflects the best possible use of the available appropriations for actions that carry the required EU added value, meet the Union’s political objectives and deliver results. A rigorous approach to programmes and actions experiencing implementation difficulties as well as to support expenditure has allowed the Commission to contain the budgetary requests under the various expenditure headings, while refocusing appropriations towards the Union's political priorities such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Youth and Employment and restricting the administrative expenditure including the administrative requirements for the accession of Croatia.

Key aspects of the draft budget 2013 by financial framework headings:

Heading 1: Sustainable growth: this heading covers the expenses relating to competitiveness and employment as well as cohesion:

  • Heading 1a: Competitiveness for growth and employment: this sub-heading comprises the key policies in the implementation of the strategy "Europe 2020". Given the importance of spending on growth, a special effort was made for the Research Framework Programme (increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1% to EUR 9 billion); the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) will see a significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 47.8% to EUR 546.4 million); for the Lifelong Learning programme, a substantial increase in the level of payment appropriations is proposed (+ 15.8% to EUR 1 186.0 million).
  • Commitment appropriations for this heading are set at EUR 16 032.0 million, which is an increase of 4.1% compared to the 2012 budget. This leaves a margin of EUR 91 million. Payment appropriations increase by 17.8% to EUR 13 552.8 million. This significant increase is in part due to additional payment needs to cover pre-financing payments for the growing level of commitment appropriations for research, and in part to cover intermediate and final payments on outstanding commitments;
  • Heading 1b: Cohesion for growth and employment: for 2013, total commitment appropriations for heading 1b amount to EUR 54 498.9 million, an increase of 3.3% relative to 2012. Of these, EUR 42 144.7 million are for the Structural Funds (ERDF and ESF), an amount similar to the 2012 envelope, and EUR 12 354.2 million for the Cohesion Fund. Overall payment appropriations are set at EUR 48 975.0 million, an increase of 11.7% over 2012. The substantial increase in the level of payments shows the momentum of the 2007-2013 Cohesion policy on the ground, with the expected positive impact on investments, economic growth and job creation in the EU.

Heading 2: Preservation and Management of Natural Resources: commitment appropriations of EUR 60 307.5 million are proposed for this heading. This level of funding represents an increase of 0.6% compared to 2012 and leaves a margin of EUR 981.5 million under the ceiling. Payment appropriations amount to EUR 57 964.9 million, which is an increase of 1.6% compared to 2012. Within this heading the amount foreseen for market related expenditure and direct aids reaches EUR 44 130.3 million in commitment appropriations, and EUR 44 112.9 million in payment appropriations.

Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: this heading is split into two sub-headings:

  • Heading 3a: Freedom, Security and Justice: this sub-heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 1.8%, rising to EUR 1 392.2 million, and leaving a margin of EUR 268.8 million. Payment appropriations increase by 11.1% to EUR 928.3 million, mostly due to the four Funds under Solidarity and management of migration flows, which have now reached cruising speed and require substantial pre-financing payments to Member States.
  • Heading 3b: Citizenship: commitment appropriations decrease by 3.6% to EUR 689.4 million, leaving a margin of EUR 25.6 million. Payment appropriations for this heading decrease by 3.1% to EUR 646.3 million. If the EU Solidarity Fund (EUR 18.1 million for commitment and payment appropriations in 2012) is excluded from this comparison, commitment and payment appropriations decrease by 1.2% and 0.4% respectively. The annual ceiling for this heading, which supports various actions close to European citizens, remains broadly stable in the current financial framework.

Heading 4: the EU as a Global Player: this heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 0.7 % to EUR 9 467.2 million, leaving an unallocated margin of EUR 391.9 million available under the ceiling. Payment appropriations on the other hand increase by 5.1 % to EUR 7 311.6 million, mostly due to increases under IPA, ENPI, Humanitarian aid and CFSP, at a time when many instruments are reaching cruising speed.

Heading 5: Administrative expenditure: both commitment and payment appropriations for this heading for all Institutions combined increase by 3.2%, with commitments set at EUR 8 544.4 million and payments at EUR 8 545.5 million. This increase includes additional administrative expenditure related to Croatia’s accession, amounting to EUR 32.9 million for all Institutions. The administrative expenditure related to Croatia is included as from the beginning of 2013, so as to allow recruitments in due time. This remaining margin amounts to EUR 636.6 million.

The Commission continues its efforts to limit its own administrative expenditure by reducing expenditure less affected by automatic adjustments. Moreover, further to its proposals to reduce the staffing numbers of all Institutions and bodies by 5% over the years 2013-2017, the Commission has reduced by 1% the number of posts in its establishment plans and has contained appropriations for its external personnel financed under all headings (including in the six executive agencies), leading to a total staff reduction of 1%. As a result, when excluding pensions and European schools (both of which concern interinstitutional expenditure), the increase in the Commission’s administrative expenditure has been limited to 1.2% (1.5% when including Croatia’s accession) i.e. well below inflation.

The Commission’s strict approach to administration is to a large degree followed by the other Institutions, leading to an overall increase of administrative appropriations for the other Institutions of 2.6% (3.3% including Croatia). The requested increases in expenditure for 2013 (including Croatian enlargement) compared to the 2012 budget range from 1.2% for the Council to 8.4% for the Court of Justice, with most Institutions having an increase (excluding Croatia) of around or below inflation. Similar to the Commission’s approach, a 1% reduction in human resources is also incorporated by the Council, the Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors. When preparing the Draft Budget, the Commission has modified the request of the Committee of the Regions, so as to align its requested increase (excluding the impact of the accession of Croatia) to the expected rate of inflation (+ 1.9%). This has resulted in a reduction of EUR 0.4 million, as compared to the draft statement of estimates of the Committee of the Regions.

In conclusion, the Commission’s approach represents a responsible and coherent budgetary proposal which is refocused on Growth and Jobs. It is coherent with current restraints, efficient spending and the obligations of the Union. It provides a proposal which is both credible for a smooth and timely adoption of the 2013 budget and responsible for the future by containing the accumulation of outstanding commitments.

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The Committee on Budgets adopted the joint report by Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT) (section III – Commission) and Derek VAUGHAN (S&D, UK) on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 - all sections

Members stress that the priorities expressed in the opinions given by its specialised committees, as well as those which emerged on the occasion of the meetings with the Rapporteurs specialising in budgetary matters, have as far as possible been taken into account in the present draft resolution. 

Section III – Commission: the committee recalls that Parliament’s priorities for the 2013 budget, as detailed in its resolution of 4 July 2012 on the mandate for the trilogue, consist in: support for sustainable growth, competitiveness and employment, particularly for SMEs and youth. It points out that the Commission's draft budget (DB) reflects Parliament's priorities and is aware of the severe difficulties arising from the state of the national economies and of the need for a responsible and realistic reading. Members cannot accept, however, the approach according to which the EU budget is made the source for possible savings with the same proportion and logic applied to the national budgets, given the substantial difference in nature, objectives and structure. They highlight that decreasing EU resources will surely result in a lack of investment and liquidity in the Member States.

Members underline that the EU budget is to be seen as a complementary instrument of support for Member States' economies, capable of concentrating initiatives and investment in areas strategic for growth and the creation of jobs as well as and of bringing about a leverage effect in sectors overcoming national boundaries. Such a role is legitimised by the same Member States, who, together with Parliament, are responsible for the decisions from which most of the EU law stems.

Recalling that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), Members deplore the decision of the Council to proceed again this year with the usual approach of horizontal cuts to the DB, aimed at artificially reducing the level of the EU's resources for 2013 by an overall total of EUR 1 155 million (-0.8%) in commitment appropriations (CA) and EUR 5 228 million (-3.8%) in payment appropriations (PA). 

They are surprised that the Council has not taken into account latest Commission's forecasts for programmes' implementation, based on estimates of the same Member States. The report warns about the severe risk of shortages of payments, in particular under Headings 1a, 1b and 2, entailing a risk that sufficient funds are not made available to enable the EU to honour its debts.

Reductions damaging for growth: underlines that the current procedures for assessing the real needs for payment appropriations for Member States take place in total obscurity. The committee carries out a survey of the Council’s cuts, noting that Headings 1a and 1b are particularly affected as regards payments (-EUR 1.9 billion and -EUR 1.6 billion respectively as compared to the DB), i.e. the headings under which most of the programmes and initiatives responsible for delivery of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are concentrated. It underlines that these cuts are fully at odds with the conclusions of the June 2012 European Council, which identified the EU budget as "a catalyst for growth and jobs across Europe" and decided to concentrate resources, including EUR 55 billion coming from the Structural Funds, on growth-enhancing measures. Members consider that that decision, taken at the highest political level of the EU, needs to be translated into a sufficient level of payments for 2013 in favour of programmes and actions underpinning this priority. They also reject the Council's argument that these cuts correspond to under-implemented or low-performing programmes, (e.g. the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Heading 1a and the Competitiveness and Employment objective under Heading 1b), since such criteria completely disregard the multiannual character of the EU's policies, and of cohesion policy in particular, characterised by a rising profile of payments towards the end of the MFF.

Furthermore, the substantial reduction in the level of payments as compared to commitments set by the Council would logically result in a further increase of the RAL by EUR 4.1 billion, especially considering that the largest shares of the RAL relate to cohesion policy (65.6%) and to R&D sector (10.5%).

Restoring at the level of DB payment appropriations to enable the main EU programmes to function: due to recent experience, the committee does not deem the declaration of payments proposed by the Council in its reading as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will eventually be made available for all headings. The Budgets Committee takes the general approach, therefore, of restoring, at the level of DB payments cut by Council in all headings and increasing payment appropriations over DB on a selected number of lines characterised by high levels of implementation within each heading, in particular Headings 1a and 4, to cover the real needs of the corresponding programmes, as identified by the Commission. It calls on the European Parliament to mandate its delegation for the Budget 2013 conciliation not to accept any level of payments both for the Amending budget 6/2012 and the Budget 2013 that does not fully cover the payment needs for 2012 and 2013, as estimated by the Commission. Members recall that Council completely disregarded Parliament's priorities, as expressed in Parliament's mandate for the trilogue but that Parliament's reading is based instead upon benchmarks arising from that mandate.

More Europe and not less Europe: the report underlines that the answer to the crisis must be ‘more Europe and not less Europe’ in order to restart investment, boost the creation of jobs and help rebuild confidence in the economy. Members cannot, therefore, accept Council's decision to reduce commitment appropriations further down to 1.27% compared to budget 2012. They set the overall level of appropriations for 2013 to:

·        EUR 151 151.84 million in commitment appropriations and

·        EUR 137 898.15 million in payment appropriations.

With regard to each of the budget headings, Members make the following points:

Heading 1: they deplore that Heading 1a bears practically the totality of the Council's cuts in commitments (-2.9% compared to DB in Heading 1) and is the most affected as regards decreases in payments (-EUR 1.9 billion or -14% compared to DB). They decide to undo almost all cuts by Council and to reinforce above DB in commitment and payment appropriations only a selected number of lines directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. 

Members make the following amendments to the budget:

·        increase commitment and payment appropriations in favour of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and CIP Intelligent Energy Europe;

·        partly compensate of decreases to ITER by setting commitments above DB on a selected number of operational FP7 lines directly underpinning the Europe 2020 strategy and characterised by excellent levels of implementation and strong absorption capacity;

·        finance this partial offset above the available margin through the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 50 million;

·        increase appropriations for Lifelong Learning and Erasmus Mundus programmes which, against modest financial envelopes, provide great returns in terms of effective implementation and positive image of the Union vis-à-vis its citizens; 

·        maintain the level of commitments and payments proposed in the DB for projects of common interest in the Trans-European transport network; 

·        restore DB payments for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF); 

Heading 1b: Members strongly deplore the substantial cuts in payments (-EUR 1.6 billion or -3.3% as compared to DB) by the Council affecting the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective (-12.9%), the European Territorial Cooperation objective (-18.7%) and the Cohesion Fund (-4.7%). Recalling the doubts expressed in its mandate for the trilogue as to whether the level of payments proposed in the DB will be sufficient to reimburse the totality of the expected payment claims in the absence of an amending budget this year, the committee rejects the cuts introduced by the Council on Heading 1b, which would lead to a much more serious shortage in payments than already expected and would also lead to a strong increase in the level of RAL by the end of next year. It does not consider the Council's declaration asking the Commission to submit a draft amending budget in case of insufficient payments under Heading 1b as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will be made available in 2013, given that similar commitments have been already undertaken and disregarded by the Council in the past two years. Members ask the Council Presidency to make a public statement and explain the discrepancy between the Council's reading on payments and the actual needs of Member States, as expressed in their estimates.

In sum, the committee decides to restore the DB in commitments and in payments for all budget lines cut by Council under this heading. It urges the Council to agree on Draft amending budget 6/2012 presented by the Commission with the aim to compensate the shortage of payment appropriations this year and to avoid blocking the execution of running projects at the end of the programming period.

Heading 2: Members consider that the Commission’s estimates of budgetary needs are more realistic than the Council’s forecast figures, and restore, therefore, Council's cuts under this Heading to a level of EUR 60 307.51 million, which is 0.6% above the 2012 budget. They reject the increase of the so-called negative expenditure line (clearance of accounts) as this appears to be set artificially high compared to Heading 2 appropriations and partly restores the Commission's proposal, allowing a more realistic approach.

They also make the following adjustments to the budget:

·        granting an adequate level for producer groups for preliminary recognition; 

·        sufficient increase of the Union's contribution to the crisis fund within operational funds for producer organisations;

·        increased support for the school milk programme and the continued support for programme concerning school fruit;

·        maintaining the budget allocation dedicated to the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons in the with Members welcoming the effort made by the Commission in finding a political and legal solution to continue with the programme in 2013;

·        continued support on a commensurate level for the LIFE+ programme, 

·        maintaining financing of the CFP at the proposed DB levels, in view of its upcoming reform.

Members state they support the reduction of some budget lines on refunds drastically, in some cases even to zero, as this instrument is politically controversial.

Heading 3a: Members reject the cuts performed by the Council in payment appropriations in the following areas:

·        European Return Fund (-EUR 18 million),

·        European Refugee Fund (-EUR 1.8 million),

·        European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals (-EUR 3.2 million) and Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (-EUR 1 million).

They decide, therefore, to restore the level of the DB on the corresponding lines. They also increase the payment appropriations of the DAPHNE programme above the level of the DB, emphasising the positive role of the programme. 

Members also reject the Council's unilateral decision to change the legal basis of the proposal on the "Schengen evaluation mechanism" from ordinary legislative procedure to Article 70 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. They support the Conference of Presidents' decision to block cooperation with the Council on the 2013 budget as regards internal security aspects and endorse, therefore, the position taken by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs to put into the reserve some budgetary lines in Title 18 which relate to internal security (in commitment and payment appropriations) until a satisfactory outcome is achieved on the Schengen governance package.

Heading 3b: emphasising the need to encourage cross-cultural communication and EU citizenship within the next generation, the committee has decided to increase funding for the Youth in Action programme compared to DB. It also reinforces appropriations for the European Year of Citizens 2013 together with the latter’s communication activities.

Heading 4: Members highlights that cut in payments brought by the Council to Heading 4 (-EUR 1 billion or -14.1% as compared to DB) represent approximately 20% of the overall cuts across all headings. They consider that such a massive reduction would impede the Union to respect the commitments to which it has committed itself on the world scene and they decide to restore the level of both commitment and payment appropriations in most budget lines to the levels proposed in the DB.

Members considers, however, that some decreases compared to the DB can be accepted in some budget lines, such as

·        macro-Financial Assistance,

·        membership of international organisations in the field of customs and tax and

·        cooperation with Greenland.

They propose a small increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for budget lines in the areas of geographical development cooperation, as well as for the Electoral Observation Mission and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Pointing out that increased funding for Palestine and UNRWA is crucial for ensuring that UNRWA is given the necessary resources it needs to provide the essential services for which it has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and to safeguard the safety and livelihood of refugees, the committee increases the relevant funding. It also increases appropriations for the support to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot Community 

Heading 5: taking note of the Council's position decreasing the Commission's proposal on Heading 5 by EUR 146 million overall, despite the institutions' efforts towards budget consolidation of administrative expenditure, Members welcome the efforts of most institutions, including Parliament and the Commission, which complied with and even overstepped their commitment to restrict their administrative budgets to an increase below the expected inflation rate.

For all the institutions apart from the Council, as well as for the European Schools, they decide to restore (or in the case of the Court of Justice, add) in reserve the amounts corresponding to the 1.7% 2011 salary adjustment for budget year 2013, pending the Court's ruling. This is sound budgeting, given the likelihood of a ruling in favour of the Commission. The committee warns the Council that, in this event, the budgetary authority will need to accommodate the retroactive effect of such ruling for years 2011 and 2012, including late interest.

It also undoes other cuts brought by the Council on specific items of administrative expenditure, notably, within the Commission, on ICT equipment and services and some offices.

While restoring or maintaining the Commission's and, partly, other institutions' requests for posts on the basis of a case-by-case approach, Members call for an in-depth impact assessment to be carried out on the planned staff reductions by 2018, taking full account of, inter alia, the Union's legal obligations and the institutions' new competences.

They note with concern that staff cuts were made within the Commission and ask the Commission to include in its annual staff screening report an assessment of the impact. They also set a number of reserves on some budget lines with a view to obtaining specific information.

Agencies: whilst endorsing, as a general rule, the Commission's estimates of agencies' budgetary and staff needs and noting that the Commission had already considerably reduced the agencies' initial requests) Members consider that any further cuts as proposed by the Council would endanger the proper functioning of the agencies and would not allow them to fulfil the tasks they have been assigned.  They decide to increase the 2013 budget appropriations for the three financial supervision agencies.

Members are aware that certain agencies (such as Europol, EASA, ACER) have to implement additional tasks in 2013 which might not be reflected in the allocated budget or establishment plan for 2013 and request the Commission, in case of necessity, to propose timely an Amending Budget for the relevant agency. They also expect the Commission to present a new financial statement when a legislative procedure has been finalised by Parliament and the Council extending the mandate of an agency.

Other sections

The committee is concerned by the Council's position of a nominal freeze across all EU institutions, believing that each institution should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the needs and specific situation of each institution. It welcomes efforts made by the institutions to find additional savings and restrict their budgets bearing in mind the costs of the enlargement to Croatia. 

European Parliament: Members point out that the level of its 2013 budget is 1.9% above the 2012 budget including the costs for Croatian accession but that due to the current inflation rate of 1.9%, there is a real decrease of the operating budget, despite recently added competences, new posts and actions, the financing of Croatia's accession and the costs for preparing the 2014 elections. They approve the following adjustments to the estimates:

·        reduce the appropriations in the contingency reserve,

·        internalise the security service in a budget-neutral manner,

·        pursue the internalisation of ICT activities

·        adjust the appropriations for the European Parliamentary Association;

·        reduction of appropriations for the House of European History by EUR 5.3 million;

Members believe that, like every directly elected parliament, the European Parliament should have the right to decide on its own seat and working place arrangements and declare, therefore, that Parliament's seat and places of work for Members and officials should be decided upon by Parliament itself.

They go on to make other remarks on Parliament’s internal organisation, travel, ICT expenditure and translation.

Other institutions: lastly, Members make a series of recommendations on the other institutions and bodies of the EU calling generally for the restoration of certain appropriations allocated to each in order to enable them to carry out their tasks and meet the needs of enlargement to Croatia.

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  • body: EP responsible: False committee: AFET date: 2012-03-06T00:00:00 committee_full: Foreign Affairs rapporteur: group: ALDE name: JÄÄTTEENMÄKI Anneli
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: AGRI date: 2011-10-05T00:00:00 committee_full: Agriculture and Rural Development rapporteur: group: EPP name: DE LANGE Esther
  • body: EP responsible: True committee: BUDG date: 2012-05-10T00:00:00 2012-05-10T00:00:00 committee_full: Budgets rapporteur: group: EPP name: LA VIA Giovanni group: S&D name: VAUGHAN Derek
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  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ECON date: 2011-11-29T00:00:00 committee_full: Economic and Monetary Affairs rapporteur: group: ECR name: FOX Ashley
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: EMPL date: 2011-09-15T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: EPP name: BOULLAND Philippe
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ENVI date: 2012-05-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Environment, Public Health and Food Safety rapporteur: group: S&D name: HAUG Jutta
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  • body: EP responsible: False committee: INTA date: 2012-05-29T00:00:00 committee_full: International Trade rapporteur: group: EPP name: ŠŤASTNÝ Peter
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ITRE date: 2012-06-18T00:00:00 committee_full: Industry, Research and Energy rapporteur: group: Verts/ALE name: BÜTIKOFER Reinhard
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Legal Affairs committee: JURI
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  • body: EP responsible: False committee: PECH date: 2012-01-24T00:00:00 committee_full: Fisheries rapporteur: group: EPP name: RIVELLINI Crescenzio
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: PETI date: 2012-05-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Petitions rapporteur: group: EFD name: SALAVRAKOS Nikolaos
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: REGI date: 2012-01-26T00:00:00 committee_full: Regional Development rapporteur: group: S&D name: STAVRAKAKIS Georgios
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: TRAN date: 2012-01-23T00:00:00 committee_full: Transport and Tourism rapporteur: group: ALDE name: MEISSNER Gesine
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La commission des budgets a adopté le rapport commun de Giovanni LA VIA (PPE, IT) (section III – Commission) et Derek VAUGHAN (S&D, UK) (autres sections) sur la position du Conseil sur le projet de budget général de l'Union européenne pour l'exercice 2013 – toutes sections.      

Les députés soulignent à titre préliminaire que les priorités énoncées dans les avis émis par ses commissions spécialisées ainsi que celles qui se sont dégagées à l'occasion des réunions avec les rapporteurs spécialisés dans les questions budgétaires ont été prises en considération dans toute la mesure du possible dans la présente proposition résolution. Dans ce contexte, ces derniers se prononcent comme suit :

Section III – Commission :

Les députés rappellent que les priorités que le Parlement avait énoncées pour le budget 2013 dans sa résolution du 4 juillet 2012 ont été prises en compte : elles consistaient à soutenir la croissance durable, la compétitivité et l'emploi, particulièrement pour les PME et les jeunes. Ils se félicitent de ce que le projet de budget (PB) de la Commission reflète ces priorités du Parlement, conscients par ailleurs, des graves difficultés dues à l'état des économies nationales et à la nécessité d'une lecture réaliste et responsable du budget.

Les députés refusent toutefois d'accepter la position qui voudrait que le budget de l'Union européenne puisse faire l'objet d'économies de même ampleur et suivant la même logique que celles qui valent pour les budgets nationaux étant donné leurs différences fondamentales en termes de nature, d'objectifs et de structure. Ces derniers considèrent en effet qu'une diminution des moyens de l'Union se traduirait à coup sûr par un manque d'investissements et de liquidités dans les États membres.

Pour les députés, le budget doit être vu comme un instrument complémentaire de soutien aux économies des États membres, à même de canaliser les initiatives et les investissements dans des domaines stratégiques pour la croissance et la création d'emploi ainsi que pour apporter un effet de levier dans des secteurs qui dépassent les frontières nationales. Ce rôle est en outre légitimé par ces mêmes États membres qui, avec le Parlement, sont responsables des décisions qui sont à l'origine de la plupart des textes législatifs européens.

Rappelant que l'exercice 2013 sera le dernier du cadre financier pluriannuel (CFP) actuel, les députés regrettent que le Conseil ait à nouveau procédé cette année aux réductions horizontales habituelles du PB dans le but de faire baisser artificiellement les ressources de l'Union d'un montant global de 1,155 milliards EUR (-0.8%) en crédits d'engagement et de 5,228  milliards EUR (-3,8%) en crédits de paiement par rapport au PB.

Les députés sont également surpris de constater que le Conseil n'ait pas tenu compte des dernières prévisions de la Commission pour la mise en œuvre des programmes, lesquelles se basent sur les estimations mêmes des États membres. Une fois encore, les députés mettent en garde contre un risque élevé de manque de crédits de paiement, notamment aux rubriques 1a, 1b et 2, ce qui risque également de se traduire par des moyens insuffisants pour permettre à l'Union d'honorer ses obligations.

Des réductions de crédits de paiement dommageables à la croissance : mettant en évidence certaines lacunes en matière de transparence des dépenses des États membres, les députés font un état des lieux des réductions effectuées par le Conseil en constant l’impact particulièrement préoccupant de ces réductions pour  les rubriques 1a et 1b (respectivement -1,9 milliard EUR et -1,6 milliard EUR en crédits de paiement par rapport au PB), alors qu'il s'agit de celles qui couvrent la plupart des initiatives et programmes destinés à la réalisation des objectifs de la stratégie Europe 2020. Ils soulignent que ces réductions vont totalement à l'encontre des conclusions du Conseil européen de juin 2012, qui a qualifié le budget de l'Union de "catalyseur de croissance et vecteur d'emploi dans toute l'Europe" et décidé de mobiliser des moyens, dont 55 milliards EUR des fonds structurels, en faveur de mesures destinées à stimuler la croissance. Les députés estiment par conséquent que cette décision, prise au niveau politique le plus élevé de l'Union, doit se traduire, en 2013, par l'octroi de crédits de paiement suffisants aux programmes et actions qui appuient cette priorité.

Les députés ne peuvent en outre pas accepter l'argument du Conseil qui affirme que ces réductions portent sur des programmes peu utilisés ou donnant de mauvais résultats (éducation et de formation tout au long de la vie ou le PIC, etc.) car les critères retenus ne tiennent absolument pas compte de la nature pluriannuelle des politiques de l'Union, et de la politique de cohésion en particulier, qui se caractérisent par une hausse progressive des paiements en fin de CFP.

Par ailleurs, cette diminution importante du niveau des crédits de paiement se traduirait mathématiquement par une nouvelle augmentation des RAL de l'ordre de 4,1 milliards EUR en fin d'exercice, sachant que la majeure partie des RAL se rapporte à la politique de cohésion (65,6%) et aux secteurs liés à la R&D (10,5%).

Rétablir les crédits de paiement du projet de budget pour permettre aux principaux programmes de l’UE de fonctionner : par expérience, les députés ne considèrent pas que la déclaration relative aux crédits de paiement que le Conseil a proposée lors de sa lecture du budget, suffise à garantir la mise à disposition de crédits de paiement suffisants pour toutes les rubriques le moment venu. Par conséquent, la commission des budgets adopte une politique générale de rétablissement, au niveau du PB, des crédits de paiement ayant fait l'objet de réductions par le Conseil ainsi qu'une hausse, par rapport au PB, des crédits de paiement d'une série de lignes caractérisées par un taux d'exécution élevé au sein des diverses rubriques, et notamment des rubriques 1a et 4, afin de couvrir les besoins réels des programmes correspondants tels qu'ils ont été définis par la Commission. Ils appellent le Parlement européen à donner d’ores et déjà mandat à sa délégation chargée de la conciliation sur le budget 2013 de refuser, aussi bien pour le budget rectificatif n° 6/2012 que pour le budget 2013, les paiements dont le niveau ne permettrait pas de couvrir intégralement les besoins de paiements de 2012 et de 2013 tels qu'ils ont été estimés par la Commission. Ils rappellent au passage que le Conseil n'a absolument pas tenu compte des priorités du Parlement au moment du trilogue budgétaire, alors que la lecture du Parlement se fonde, elle, sur les derniers chiffres et données pertinentes.

« Plus d’Europe et non moins d’Europe » : les députés considèrent que pour surmonter la crise il faut plus d'Europe, et non moins d'Europe, et ce, afin de relancer les investissements, de stimuler la création d'emplois et de contribuer à redonner confiance dans l'économie. Ils s’inscrivent donc totalement en faux sur la position du Conseil qui tend à réduire encore les crédits d'engagement pour les limiter à 1,27% par rapport au budget 2012.

Les députés fixent donc le niveau global des crédits de 2013 à :

  • 151,151 84 milliards EUR pour les crédits d'engagement
  • à 137,898 15 milliards EUR pour les crédits de paiement.

En ce qui concerne chacune des rubriques budgétaires, les députés s'expriment comme :

Rubrique 1a : les députés regrettent que la rubrique 1a doive pratiquement supporter la totalité des réductions des crédits d'engagement effectuées par le Conseil à la rubrique 1 (-2,9% par rapport au PB) et qu'il s'agisse de la rubrique la plus touchée par la réduction des crédits de paiement (-1,9 milliard EUR, soit -14% par rapport au PB). Les députés annulent dès lors la plupart des réductions effectuées par le Conseil. Ils opèrent en outre les modifications budgétaires suivantes :

  • relèvement des crédits d'engagement et de paiement du programme "innovation et esprit d'entreprise" du CIP et du programme "énergie intelligente – Europe" du CIP ;
  • compensation partielle des réductions budgétaires effectuées par le Conseil sur le 7ème programme-cadre de R&D pour financer ITER, en relevant au-delà des chiffres du PB les crédits d'engagement d'une série de lignes budgétaires opérationnelles du 7e programme-cadre qui appuient directement la stratégie Europe 2020 et se caractérisent par un excellent taux d'exécution;
  • mobilisation de l’instrument de flexibilité pour financer ce dépassement partiel de la marge disponible pour un montant de 50 millions EUR;
  • augmentation des crédits du programme d'apprentissage tout au long de la vie et du programme Erasmus Mundus;
  • maintien des crédits de paiement et d’engagement pour financer les projets d'intérêt commun du réseau transeuropéen de transport;
  • rétablissement des crédits de paiement du PB pour le Fonds européen d'ajustement à la mondialisation (FEM).

Rubrique 1b : une fois encore, les députés déplorent les restrictions drastiques des crédits de paiement (-1,6 milliard EUR, soit -3,3% par rapport au PB) effectuées par le Conseil dans l'objectif "compétitivité régionale et emploi" (12,9%), l'objectif "coopération territoriale européenne" (-18,7%) et le Fonds de cohésion (-4,7%). Rappelant les doutes exprimés dans son mandat pour le trilogue quant au caractère suffisant du niveau des paiements proposé dans le PB pour rembourser la totalité des créances prévues en l'absence de budget rectificatif cette année, les députés refusent les réductions effectuées par le Conseil à la rubrique 1b car elles entraîneraient une pénurie de crédits de paiement bien plus grave qu'escompté. Cette situation augmenterait en outre de manière drastique le niveau du RAL à la fin de l'année prochaine. Les députés récusent en outre la position du Conseil qui appelle la Commission à présenter un projet de budget rectificatif en cas de crédits de paiement insuffisants, sachant qu'au cours des deux années écoulées, il avait pris des engagements semblables dont il n'avait ensuite plus tenu compte. Dans ce contexte, les députés appellent le Parlement à demander à la présidence du Conseil d'exposer dans une déclaration publique les raisons pour lesquelles les crédits de paiement fixés par le Conseil lors de sa lecture du budget diffèrent des besoins réels des États membres tels qu'ils les ont définis dans leurs prévisions. Dans la foulée, les députés rétablissent le niveau du PB les crédits d'engagement et de paiement de toutes les lignes budgétaires ayant fait l'objet de réductions par le Conseil dans cette rubrique. Ils appellent en outre le Conseil à accepter le projet de budget rectificatif n° 6/2012 afin de compenser le manque de crédits de paiement du présent exercice et de ne pas bloquer l'exécution des projets en cours à la fin de la période de programmation.

Rubrique 2 : les députés estiment que l'estimation des besoins budgétaires par la Commission est plus réaliste que les prévisions du Conseil. Ils rétablissent dès lors les montants réduits par le Conseil dans cette rubrique au niveau de 60.307,51 millions EUR, soit 0,6% au-dessus des chiffres du budget 2012. Ils rejettent l'augmentation de la ligne de dépense négative (apurement des comptes), qui semble artificiellement élevée par rapport aux crédits de la rubrique 2, et rétablissent les chiffres de la proposition de la Commission.

Ils font également les ajustements budgétaires suivants :

  • octroi d’un soutien approprié aux groupements de producteurs pré-reconnus;
  • augmentation de la contribution de l'Union au fonds de crise créé dans le cadre du Fonds opérationnel des organisations de producteurs;
  • renforcement du soutien au programme pour le lait et les fruits dans les écoles :
  • maintien de l'enveloppe budgétaire affectée au programme de distribution alimentaire en faveur des personnes les plus démunies de l'UE (les députés saluent au passage l'action de la Commission qui a permis de trouver une solution politique et juridique pour poursuivre le programme en 2013) ;
  • soutien continu et proportionné au programme LIFE+ ;
  • maintien du financement de la pêche au niveau proposé dans le PB, dans la perspective de la réforme à venir.

Les députés se disent également favorables à la réduction drastique, et dans certains cas à l'annulation, des crédits de certaines lignes budgétaires prévoyant des restitutions car il s'agit d'un instrument politiquement controversé.

Rubrique 3a : les députés rejettent en bloc les réductions effectuées par le Conseil pour les crédits de paiement des domaines suivants de cette rubrique:

  • Fonds européen pour le retour (-18 millions EUR),
  • Fonds européen pour les réfugiés (-1,8 million EUR),
  • Fonds européen pour l'intégration des ressortissants de pays tiers (-3,2 millions EUR) ;
  • Droits fondamentaux et citoyenneté (-1 million EUR).

Ils décident, en conséquence, de rétablir les crédits des lignes correspondantes au niveau du PB. Ils relèvent également les crédits du programme DAPHNE vu l’impact très positif de ce programme au-delà du niveau du PB.

Ils rejettent également la décision unilatérale du Conseil de modifier la base juridique de la proposition relative au mécanisme d'évaluation de Schengen afin qu'elle ne relève plus de la procédure législative ordinaire, mais de l'article 70 du traité sur le fonctionnement de l'Union européenne. Ils soutiennent la décision de la Conférence des présidents de suspendre toute coopération avec le Conseil sur le budget 2013 en ce qui concerne les aspects liés à la sécurité intérieure et confirment la position adoptée par sa commission des libertés civiles, de la justice et des affaires intérieures de placer en réserve les crédits (d'engagement et de paiement) de certaines lignes budgétaires du titre 18 qui ont trait à la sécurité intérieure dans l'attente d'une issue satisfaisante sur les propositions relatives à la gouvernance de l'espace Schengen.

Rubrique 3b : soulignant la nécessité d’encourager la communication entre les cultures ainsi que la citoyenneté de l'Union au cours de la prochaine génération, les députés décident d'augmenter les crédits du programme "Jeunesse en action" par rapport au PB. Ils décident en outre de revoir à la hausse les crédits de l'Année européenne des citoyens 2013 et les activités de communication qui y sont liées.

Rubrique 4 : les députés soulignent que les réductions opérées par le Conseil dans les paiements de la rubrique 4 (-1 milliard EUR, soit -14,1% par rapport au PB) représentent environ 20% de l'ensemble des réductions pour les différentes rubriques. Ils estiment que cette réduction massive risque d'empêcher l'Union de respecter les engagements qu'elle a pris sur la scène internationale. Ils rétablissent dès lors, pour la plupart des lignes budgétaires, le niveau des crédits d'engagement et de paiement proposé dans le PB.

Ils considèrent toutefois que des réductions par rapport au PB peuvent être acceptées dans certaines lignes budgétaires, comme celles relatives à :

  • l'assistance macrofinancière,
  • l'adhésion à des organisations internationales dans le domaine de la douane et de la fiscalité,
  • la coopération avec le Groenland.

Ils proposent une légère augmentation des crédits d'engagement et de paiement par rapport au PB pour les lignes budgétaires relatives aux zones géographiques de coopération au développement ainsi qu'aux missions d'observation électorale et au Fonds mondial de lutte contre le sida, la tuberculose et le paludisme.

Considérant que l'augmentation du financement alloué à la Palestine et à l'UNRWA est capitale pour que ce dernier dispose des moyens indispensables aux services essentiels dont l'assemblée générale des Nations unies l'a chargé et pour assurer la sécurité et la subsistance des réfugiés, les députés renforcent le budget y consacré. Ils augmentent en outre l'enveloppe financière destinée à soutenir la communauté chypriote turque.

Rubrique 5 : prenant acte de la position du Conseil, qui consiste à réduire les montants proposés par la Commission pour les différentes sections de la rubrique 5 d'un montant total de 146 millions EUR, malgré les efforts accomplis par les institutions, en vue de parvenir à un rééquilibrage des dépenses administratives, les députés saluent les efforts des institutions, dont le Parlement et la Commission, qui ont respecté, voire dépassé leurs engagements consistant à maintenir l'augmentation de leurs budgets administratifs en-dessous des prévisions d'inflation.

Pour toutes les institutions, sauf le Conseil, ainsi que pour les écoles européennes, les députés décident de rétablir (ou, dans le cas de la Cour de justice, d'inscrire) en réserve pour l'exercice 2013 les montants correspondant à l'adaptation salariale de 1,7% pour 2011, en attendant l'arrêt de la Cour de justice. Cette mesure répond au principe de bonne gestion budgétaire, compte tenu de la probabilité d'un arrêt favorable à la Commission. Ils avertissent le Conseil que, le cas échéant, l'autorité budgétaire devra appliquer cet arrêt avec effet rétroactif aux exercices 2011 et 2012, avec les intérêts de retard.

Les députés annulent également d'autres réductions réalisées par le Conseil concernant certains postes de dépenses administratives, notamment à la Commission, au niveau des équipements et services informatiques et de certains bureaux.

Tout en rétablissant ou en conservant les demandes de postes présentées par la Commission et, en partie, celles émanant d'autres institutions, après un examen au cas par cas, les députés appellent à la réalisation d'une analyse d'impact approfondie sur les réductions d'effectifs prévues d'ici 2018, en tenant pleinement compte, entre autres, des obligations juridiques de l'Union ainsi que des nouvelles compétences et des nouvelles missions des institutions.

Les députés s’inquiètent en outre de certains réductions d'effectifs opérées au sein de la Commission et appellent à inclure dans son rapport de "screening" annuel des ressources humaines une évaluation des conséquences. Ils appellent également à la constitution de diverses réserves pour certaines lignes budgétaires en attendant d'obtenir des informations spécifiques.

Agences : si les députés approuvent, de manière générale, les estimations des besoins en crédits et en ressources humaines des agences établies par la Commission (qui a déjà considérablement réduit les demandes initiales des agences), ils craignent que toute réduction supplémentaire opérée par le Conseil ne compromette le bon fonctionnement des agences en les empêchant de mener à bien les missions qui leur ont été confiées. Ils décident dès lors d'augmenter les crédits alloués aux trois agences de supervision financière. Conscients que certaines agences (comme Europol, l'EASA, l'ACER) devront, en 2013, s'acquitter de tâches complémentaires qui pourraient ne pas avoir été prises en compte dans le budget qui leur est alloué ou dans le tableau des effectifs pour 2013, les députés appellent en outre la Commission à proposer en temps opportun, en cas de nécessité, un budget rectificatif concernant l'agence concernée. Ils attendent également une nouvelle fiche financière lorsqu'une procédure législative aura été finalisée par le Parlement et le Conseil en vue d'étendre le mandat d'une agence.

Autres sections budgétaires :

D’une manière générale, les députés s'inquiètent de la position adoptée par le Conseil au sujet du gel nominal pour l'ensemble des institutions de l'Union et considèrent que les institutions devraient faire l'objet d'un examen au cas par cas, en tenant compte des besoins et de la situation propres à chacune. Ils se félicitent des efforts consentis par les institutions pour réaliser des économies supplémentaires et de restreindre leur budget, tout en tenant compte des coûts liés à l'élargissement à la Croatie.

Parlement européen : concernant le budget du Parlement, les députés soulignent que le niveau du budget 2013 est supérieur de 1,9% à celui de 2012 si l'on tient compte des coûts liés à l'adhésion de la Croatie mais qu’en réalité, avec le taux d'inflation, il ne s'élève actuellement qu’à 1,9%, si l’on tient compte de l'attribution récente de nouvelles compétences, de l'ajout de nouveaux postes et de nouvelles actions, du financement de l'adhésion de la Croatie ainsi que des coûts liés à la préparation des élections de 2014.

Les députés approuvent en outre :

  • la réduction des crédits de la réserve pour imprévus,
  • l’internalisation du service de sécurité sans incidence sur le budget,
  • la poursuite de l'internalisation des activités dans le domaine des TIC,
  • l’ajustement des crédits alloués à l'Association parlementaire européenne ;
  • la réduction de 5,3 millions EUR les crédits destinés à la Maison de l'histoire européenne.

Les députés estiment par ailleurs qu'à l'instar de tout parlement élu au suffrage direct, le Parlement européen devrait avoir le droit de décider des modalités relatives à son propre siège et à son lieu de travail. Ils déclarent dès lors que le siège du Parlement et les lieux de travail des députés et fonctionnaires devraient être décidés par le Parlement lui-même.

D’autres demandes spécifiques sont faites sur l’organisation interne des travaux parlementaires, des déplacements et les dépenses de TIC et de traduction.

Autres institutions : les députés font enfin une série de recommandations pour les autres institutions et organes de l’Union appelant globalement à rétablir certains crédits alloués à chacune d’elles/eux pour leur permettre de fonctionner au mieux et de faire face à l’adhésion prochaine de la Croatie.

New

The Committee on Budgets adopted the joint report by Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT) (section III – Commission) and Derek VAUGHAN (S&D, UK) on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013 - all sections

Members stress that the priorities expressed in the opinions given by its specialised committees, as well as those which emerged on the occasion of the meetings with the Rapporteurs specialising in budgetary matters, have as far as possible been taken into account in the present draft resolution. 

Section III – Commission: the committee recalls that Parliament’s priorities for the 2013 budget, as detailed in its resolution of 4 July 2012 on the mandate for the trilogue, consist in: support for sustainable growth, competitiveness and employment, particularly for SMEs and youth. It points out that the Commission's draft budget (DB) reflects Parliament's priorities and is aware of the severe difficulties arising from the state of the national economies and of the need for a responsible and realistic reading. Members cannot accept, however, the approach according to which the EU budget is made the source for possible savings with the same proportion and logic applied to the national budgets, given the substantial difference in nature, objectives and structure. They highlight that decreasing EU resources will surely result in a lack of investment and liquidity in the Member States.

Members underline that the EU budget is to be seen as a complementary instrument of support for Member States' economies, capable of concentrating initiatives and investment in areas strategic for growth and the creation of jobs as well as and of bringing about a leverage effect in sectors overcoming national boundaries. Such a role is legitimised by the same Member States, who, together with Parliament, are responsible for the decisions from which most of the EU law stems.

Recalling that 2013 is the last year of the current multiannual financial framework (MFF), Members deplore the decision of the Council to proceed again this year with the usual approach of horizontal cuts to the DB, aimed at artificially reducing the level of the EU's resources for 2013 by an overall total of EUR 1 155 million (-0.8%) in commitment appropriations (CA) and EUR 5 228 million (-3.8%) in payment appropriations (PA). 

They are surprised that the Council has not taken into account latest Commission's forecasts for programmes' implementation, based on estimates of the same Member States. The report warns about the severe risk of shortages of payments, in particular under Headings 1a, 1b and 2, entailing a risk that sufficient funds are not made available to enable the EU to honour its debts.

Reductions damaging for growth: underlines that the current procedures for assessing the real needs for payment appropriations for Member States take place in total obscurity. The committee carries out a survey of the Council’s cuts, noting that Headings 1a and 1b are particularly affected as regards payments (-EUR 1.9 billion and -EUR 1.6 billion respectively as compared to the DB), i.e. the headings under which most of the programmes and initiatives responsible for delivery of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy are concentrated. It underlines that these cuts are fully at odds with the conclusions of the June 2012 European Council, which identified the EU budget as "a catalyst for growth and jobs across Europe" and decided to concentrate resources, including EUR 55 billion coming from the Structural Funds, on growth-enhancing measures. Members consider that that decision, taken at the highest political level of the EU, needs to be translated into a sufficient level of payments for 2013 in favour of programmes and actions underpinning this priority. They also reject the Council's argument that these cuts correspond to under-implemented or low-performing programmes, (e.g. the Lifelong Learning Programme and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) under Heading 1a and the Competitiveness and Employment objective under Heading 1b), since such criteria completely disregard the multiannual character of the EU's policies, and of cohesion policy in particular, characterised by a rising profile of payments towards the end of the MFF.

Furthermore, the substantial reduction in the level of payments as compared to commitments set by the Council would logically result in a further increase of the RAL by EUR 4.1 billion, especially considering that the largest shares of the RAL relate to cohesion policy (65.6%) and to R&D sector (10.5%).

Restoring at the level of DB payment appropriations to enable the main EU programmes to function: due to recent experience, the committee does not deem the declaration of payments proposed by the Council in its reading as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will eventually be made available for all headings. The Budgets Committee takes the general approach, therefore, of restoring, at the level of DB payments cut by Council in all headings and increasing payment appropriations over DB on a selected number of lines characterised by high levels of implementation within each heading, in particular Headings 1a and 4, to cover the real needs of the corresponding programmes, as identified by the Commission. It calls on the European Parliament to mandate its delegation for the Budget 2013 conciliation not to accept any level of payments both for the Amending budget 6/2012 and the Budget 2013 that does not fully cover the payment needs for 2012 and 2013, as estimated by the Commission. Members recall that Council completely disregarded Parliament's priorities, as expressed in Parliament's mandate for the trilogue but that Parliament's reading is based instead upon benchmarks arising from that mandate.

More Europe and not less Europe: the report underlines that the answer to the crisis must be ‘more Europe and not less Europe’ in order to restart investment, boost the creation of jobs and help rebuild confidence in the economy. Members cannot, therefore, accept Council's decision to reduce commitment appropriations further down to 1.27% compared to budget 2012. They set the overall level of appropriations for 2013 to:

·        EUR 151 151.84 million in commitment appropriations and

·        EUR 137 898.15 million in payment appropriations.

With regard to each of the budget headings, Members make the following points:

Heading 1: they deplore that Heading 1a bears practically the totality of the Council's cuts in commitments (-2.9% compared to DB in Heading 1) and is the most affected as regards decreases in payments (-EUR 1.9 billion or -14% compared to DB). They decide to undo almost all cuts by Council and to reinforce above DB in commitment and payment appropriations only a selected number of lines directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy. 

Members make the following amendments to the budget:

·        increase commitment and payment appropriations in favour of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and CIP Intelligent Energy Europe;

·        partly compensate of decreases to ITER by setting commitments above DB on a selected number of operational FP7 lines directly underpinning the Europe 2020 strategy and characterised by excellent levels of implementation and strong absorption capacity;

·        finance this partial offset above the available margin through the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 50 million;

·        increase appropriations for Lifelong Learning and Erasmus Mundus programmes which, against modest financial envelopes, provide great returns in terms of effective implementation and positive image of the Union vis-à-vis its citizens; 

·        maintain the level of commitments and payments proposed in the DB for projects of common interest in the Trans-European transport network; 

·        restore DB payments for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF); 

Heading 1b: Members strongly deplore the substantial cuts in payments (-EUR 1.6 billion or -3.3% as compared to DB) by the Council affecting the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective (-12.9%), the European Territorial Cooperation objective (-18.7%) and the Cohesion Fund (-4.7%). Recalling the doubts expressed in its mandate for the trilogue as to whether the level of payments proposed in the DB will be sufficient to reimburse the totality of the expected payment claims in the absence of an amending budget this year, the committee rejects the cuts introduced by the Council on Heading 1b, which would lead to a much more serious shortage in payments than already expected and would also lead to a strong increase in the level of RAL by the end of next year. It does not consider the Council's declaration asking the Commission to submit a draft amending budget in case of insufficient payments under Heading 1b as a sufficient guarantee that an adequate level of payments will be made available in 2013, given that similar commitments have been already undertaken and disregarded by the Council in the past two years. Members ask the Council Presidency to make a public statement and explain the discrepancy between the Council's reading on payments and the actual needs of Member States, as expressed in their estimates.

In sum, the committee decides to restore the DB in commitments and in payments for all budget lines cut by Council under this heading. It urges the Council to agree on Draft amending budget 6/2012 presented by the Commission with the aim to compensate the shortage of payment appropriations this year and to avoid blocking the execution of running projects at the end of the programming period.

Heading 2: Members consider that the Commission’s estimates of budgetary needs are more realistic than the Council’s forecast figures, and restore, therefore, Council's cuts under this Heading to a level of EUR 60 307.51 million, which is 0.6% above the 2012 budget. They reject the increase of the so-called negative expenditure line (clearance of accounts) as this appears to be set artificially high compared to Heading 2 appropriations and partly restores the Commission's proposal, allowing a more realistic approach.

They also make the following adjustments to the budget:

·        granting an adequate level for producer groups for preliminary recognition; 

·        sufficient increase of the Union's contribution to the crisis fund within operational funds for producer organisations;

·        increased support for the school milk programme and the continued support for programme concerning school fruit;

·        maintaining the budget allocation dedicated to the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons in the with Members welcoming the effort made by the Commission in finding a political and legal solution to continue with the programme in 2013;

·        continued support on a commensurate level for the LIFE+ programme, 

·        maintaining financing of the CFP at the proposed DB levels, in view of its upcoming reform.

Members state they support the reduction of some budget lines on refunds drastically, in some cases even to zero, as this instrument is politically controversial.

Heading 3a: Members reject the cuts performed by the Council in payment appropriations in the following areas:

·        European Return Fund (-EUR 18 million),

·        European Refugee Fund (-EUR 1.8 million),

·        European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals (-EUR 3.2 million) and Fundamental Rights and Citizenship (-EUR 1 million).

They decide, therefore, to restore the level of the DB on the corresponding lines. They also increase the payment appropriations of the DAPHNE programme above the level of the DB, emphasising the positive role of the programme. 

Members also reject the Council's unilateral decision to change the legal basis of the proposal on the "Schengen evaluation mechanism" from ordinary legislative procedure to Article 70 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. They support the Conference of Presidents' decision to block cooperation with the Council on the 2013 budget as regards internal security aspects and endorse, therefore, the position taken by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs to put into the reserve some budgetary lines in Title 18 which relate to internal security (in commitment and payment appropriations) until a satisfactory outcome is achieved on the Schengen governance package.

Heading 3b: emphasising the need to encourage cross-cultural communication and EU citizenship within the next generation, the committee has decided to increase funding for the Youth in Action programme compared to DB. It also reinforces appropriations for the European Year of Citizens 2013 together with the latter’s communication activities.

Heading 4: Members highlights that cut in payments brought by the Council to Heading 4 (-EUR 1 billion or -14.1% as compared to DB) represent approximately 20% of the overall cuts across all headings. They consider that such a massive reduction would impede the Union to respect the commitments to which it has committed itself on the world scene and they decide to restore the level of both commitment and payment appropriations in most budget lines to the levels proposed in the DB.

Members considers, however, that some decreases compared to the DB can be accepted in some budget lines, such as

·        macro-Financial Assistance,

·        membership of international organisations in the field of customs and tax and

·        cooperation with Greenland.

They propose a small increase in the level of commitment and payment appropriations above the DB for budget lines in the areas of geographical development cooperation, as well as for the Electoral Observation Mission and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Pointing out that increased funding for Palestine and UNRWA is crucial for ensuring that UNRWA is given the necessary resources it needs to provide the essential services for which it has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and to safeguard the safety and livelihood of refugees, the committee increases the relevant funding. It also increases appropriations for the support to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot Community 

Heading 5: taking note of the Council's position decreasing the Commission's proposal on Heading 5 by EUR 146 million overall, despite the institutions' efforts towards budget consolidation of administrative expenditure, Members welcome the efforts of most institutions, including Parliament and the Commission, which complied with and even overstepped their commitment to restrict their administrative budgets to an increase below the expected inflation rate.

For all the institutions apart from the Council, as well as for the European Schools, they decide to restore (or in the case of the Court of Justice, add) in reserve the amounts corresponding to the 1.7% 2011 salary adjustment for budget year 2013, pending the Court's ruling. This is sound budgeting, given the likelihood of a ruling in favour of the Commission. The committee warns the Council that, in this event, the budgetary authority will need to accommodate the retroactive effect of such ruling for years 2011 and 2012, including late interest.

It also undoes other cuts brought by the Council on specific items of administrative expenditure, notably, within the Commission, on ICT equipment and services and some offices.

While restoring or maintaining the Commission's and, partly, other institutions' requests for posts on the basis of a case-by-case approach, Members call for an in-depth impact assessment to be carried out on the planned staff reductions by 2018, taking full account of, inter alia, the Union's legal obligations and the institutions' new competences.

They note with concern that staff cuts were made within the Commission and ask the Commission to include in its annual staff screening report an assessment of the impact. They also set a number of reserves on some budget lines with a view to obtaining specific information.

Agencies: whilst endorsing, as a general rule, the Commission's estimates of agencies' budgetary and staff needs and noting that the Commission had already considerably reduced the agencies' initial requests) Members consider that any further cuts as proposed by the Council would endanger the proper functioning of the agencies and would not allow them to fulfil the tasks they have been assigned.  They decide to increase the 2013 budget appropriations for the three financial supervision agencies.

Members are aware that certain agencies (such as Europol, EASA, ACER) have to implement additional tasks in 2013 which might not be reflected in the allocated budget or establishment plan for 2013 and request the Commission, in case of necessity, to propose timely an Amending Budget for the relevant agency. They also expect the Commission to present a new financial statement when a legislative procedure has been finalised by Parliament and the Council extending the mandate of an agency.

Other sections

The committee is concerned by the Council's position of a nominal freeze across all EU institutions, believing that each institution should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the needs and specific situation of each institution. It welcomes efforts made by the institutions to find additional savings and restrict their budgets bearing in mind the costs of the enlargement to Croatia. 

European Parliament: Members point out that the level of its 2013 budget is 1.9% above the 2012 budget including the costs for Croatian accession but that due to the current inflation rate of 1.9%, there is a real decrease of the operating budget, despite recently added competences, new posts and actions, the financing of Croatia's accession and the costs for preparing the 2014 elections. They approve the following adjustments to the estimates:

·        reduce the appropriations in the contingency reserve,

·        internalise the security service in a budget-neutral manner,

·        pursue the internalisation of ICT activities

·        adjust the appropriations for the European Parliamentary Association;

·        reduction of appropriations for the House of European History by EUR 5.3 million;

Members believe that, like every directly elected parliament, the European Parliament should have the right to decide on its own seat and working place arrangements and declare, therefore, that Parliament's seat and places of work for Members and officials should be decided upon by Parliament itself.

They go on to make other remarks on Parliament’s internal organisation, travel, ICT expenditure and translation.

Other institutions: lastly, Members make a series of recommendations on the other institutions and bodies of the EU calling generally for the restoration of certain appropriations allocated to each in order to enable them to carry out their tasks and meet the needs of enlargement to Croatia.

activities/7/docs/0/text
  • La commission des budgets a adopté le rapport commun de Giovanni LA VIA (PPE, IT) (section III – Commission) et Derek VAUGHAN (S&D, UK) (autres sections) sur la position du Conseil sur le projet de budget général de l'Union européenne pour l'exercice 2013 – toutes sections.      

    Les députés soulignent à titre préliminaire que les priorités énoncées dans les avis émis par ses commissions spécialisées ainsi que celles qui se sont dégagées à l'occasion des réunions avec les rapporteurs spécialisés dans les questions budgétaires ont été prises en considération dans toute la mesure du possible dans la présente proposition résolution. Dans ce contexte, ces derniers se prononcent comme suit :

    Section III – Commission :

    Les députés rappellent que les priorités que le Parlement avait énoncées pour le budget 2013 dans sa résolution du 4 juillet 2012 ont été prises en compte : elles consistaient à soutenir la croissance durable, la compétitivité et l'emploi, particulièrement pour les PME et les jeunes. Ils se félicitent de ce que le projet de budget (PB) de la Commission reflète ces priorités du Parlement, conscients par ailleurs, des graves difficultés dues à l'état des économies nationales et à la nécessité d'une lecture réaliste et responsable du budget.

    Les députés refusent toutefois d'accepter la position qui voudrait que le budget de l'Union européenne puisse faire l'objet d'économies de même ampleur et suivant la même logique que celles qui valent pour les budgets nationaux étant donné leurs différences fondamentales en termes de nature, d'objectifs et de structure. Ces derniers considèrent en effet qu'une diminution des moyens de l'Union se traduirait à coup sûr par un manque d'investissements et de liquidités dans les États membres.

    Pour les députés, le budget doit être vu comme un instrument complémentaire de soutien aux économies des États membres, à même de canaliser les initiatives et les investissements dans des domaines stratégiques pour la croissance et la création d'emploi ainsi que pour apporter un effet de levier dans des secteurs qui dépassent les frontières nationales. Ce rôle est en outre légitimé par ces mêmes États membres qui, avec le Parlement, sont responsables des décisions qui sont à l'origine de la plupart des textes législatifs européens.

    Rappelant que l'exercice 2013 sera le dernier du cadre financier pluriannuel (CFP) actuel, les députés regrettent que le Conseil ait à nouveau procédé cette année aux réductions horizontales habituelles du PB dans le but de faire baisser artificiellement les ressources de l'Union d'un montant global de 1,155 milliards EUR (-0.8%) en crédits d'engagement et de 5,228  milliards EUR (-3,8%) en crédits de paiement par rapport au PB.

    Les députés sont également surpris de constater que le Conseil n'ait pas tenu compte des dernières prévisions de la Commission pour la mise en œuvre des programmes, lesquelles se basent sur les estimations mêmes des États membres. Une fois encore, les députés mettent en garde contre un risque élevé de manque de crédits de paiement, notamment aux rubriques 1a, 1b et 2, ce qui risque également de se traduire par des moyens insuffisants pour permettre à l'Union d'honorer ses obligations.

    Des réductions de crédits de paiement dommageables à la croissance : mettant en évidence certaines lacunes en matière de transparence des dépenses des États membres, les députés font un état des lieux des réductions effectuées par le Conseil en constant l’impact particulièrement préoccupant de ces réductions pour  les rubriques 1a et 1b (respectivement -1,9 milliard EUR et -1,6 milliard EUR en crédits de paiement par rapport au PB), alors qu'il s'agit de celles qui couvrent la plupart des initiatives et programmes destinés à la réalisation des objectifs de la stratégie Europe 2020. Ils soulignent que ces réductions vont totalement à l'encontre des conclusions du Conseil européen de juin 2012, qui a qualifié le budget de l'Union de "catalyseur de croissance et vecteur d'emploi dans toute l'Europe" et décidé de mobiliser des moyens, dont 55 milliards EUR des fonds structurels, en faveur de mesures destinées à stimuler la croissance. Les députés estiment par conséquent que cette décision, prise au niveau politique le plus élevé de l'Union, doit se traduire, en 2013, par l'octroi de crédits de paiement suffisants aux programmes et actions qui appuient cette priorité.

    Les députés ne peuvent en outre pas accepter l'argument du Conseil qui affirme que ces réductions portent sur des programmes peu utilisés ou donnant de mauvais résultats (éducation et de formation tout au long de la vie ou le PIC, etc.) car les critères retenus ne tiennent absolument pas compte de la nature pluriannuelle des politiques de l'Union, et de la politique de cohésion en particulier, qui se caractérisent par une hausse progressive des paiements en fin de CFP.

    Par ailleurs, cette diminution importante du niveau des crédits de paiement se traduirait mathématiquement par une nouvelle augmentation des RAL de l'ordre de 4,1 milliards EUR en fin d'exercice, sachant que la majeure partie des RAL se rapporte à la politique de cohésion (65,6%) et aux secteurs liés à la R&D (10,5%).

    Rétablir les crédits de paiement du projet de budget pour permettre aux principaux programmes de l’UE de fonctionner : par expérience, les députés ne considèrent pas que la déclaration relative aux crédits de paiement que le Conseil a proposée lors de sa lecture du budget, suffise à garantir la mise à disposition de crédits de paiement suffisants pour toutes les rubriques le moment venu. Par conséquent, la commission des budgets adopte une politique générale de rétablissement, au niveau du PB, des crédits de paiement ayant fait l'objet de réductions par le Conseil ainsi qu'une hausse, par rapport au PB, des crédits de paiement d'une série de lignes caractérisées par un taux d'exécution élevé au sein des diverses rubriques, et notamment des rubriques 1a et 4, afin de couvrir les besoins réels des programmes correspondants tels qu'ils ont été définis par la Commission. Ils appellent le Parlement européen à donner d’ores et déjà mandat à sa délégation chargée de la conciliation sur le budget 2013 de refuser, aussi bien pour le budget rectificatif n° 6/2012 que pour le budget 2013, les paiements dont le niveau ne permettrait pas de couvrir intégralement les besoins de paiements de 2012 et de 2013 tels qu'ils ont été estimés par la Commission. Ils rappellent au passage que le Conseil n'a absolument pas tenu compte des priorités du Parlement au moment du trilogue budgétaire, alors que la lecture du Parlement se fonde, elle, sur les derniers chiffres et données pertinentes.

    « Plus d’Europe et non moins d’Europe » : les députés considèrent que pour surmonter la crise il faut plus d'Europe, et non moins d'Europe, et ce, afin de relancer les investissements, de stimuler la création d'emplois et de contribuer à redonner confiance dans l'économie. Ils s’inscrivent donc totalement en faux sur la position du Conseil qui tend à réduire encore les crédits d'engagement pour les limiter à 1,27% par rapport au budget 2012.

    Les députés fixent donc le niveau global des crédits de 2013 à :

    • 151,151 84 milliards EUR pour les crédits d'engagement
    • à 137,898 15 milliards EUR pour les crédits de paiement.

    En ce qui concerne chacune des rubriques budgétaires, les députés s'expriment comme :

    Rubrique 1a : les députés regrettent que la rubrique 1a doive pratiquement supporter la totalité des réductions des crédits d'engagement effectuées par le Conseil à la rubrique 1 (-2,9% par rapport au PB) et qu'il s'agisse de la rubrique la plus touchée par la réduction des crédits de paiement (-1,9 milliard EUR, soit -14% par rapport au PB). Les députés annulent dès lors la plupart des réductions effectuées par le Conseil. Ils opèrent en outre les modifications budgétaires suivantes :

    • relèvement des crédits d'engagement et de paiement du programme "innovation et esprit d'entreprise" du CIP et du programme "énergie intelligente – Europe" du CIP ;
    • compensation partielle des réductions budgétaires effectuées par le Conseil sur le 7ème programme-cadre de R&D pour financer ITER, en relevant au-delà des chiffres du PB les crédits d'engagement d'une série de lignes budgétaires opérationnelles du 7e programme-cadre qui appuient directement la stratégie Europe 2020 et se caractérisent par un excellent taux d'exécution;
    • mobilisation de l’instrument de flexibilité pour financer ce dépassement partiel de la marge disponible pour un montant de 50 millions EUR;
    • augmentation des crédits du programme d'apprentissage tout au long de la vie et du programme Erasmus Mundus;
    • maintien des crédits de paiement et d’engagement pour financer les projets d'intérêt commun du réseau transeuropéen de transport;
    • rétablissement des crédits de paiement du PB pour le Fonds européen d'ajustement à la mondialisation (FEM).

    Rubrique 1b : une fois encore, les députés déplorent les restrictions drastiques des crédits de paiement (-1,6 milliard EUR, soit -3,3% par rapport au PB) effectuées par le Conseil dans l'objectif "compétitivité régionale et emploi" (12,9%), l'objectif "coopération territoriale européenne" (-18,7%) et le Fonds de cohésion (-4,7%). Rappelant les doutes exprimés dans son mandat pour le trilogue quant au caractère suffisant du niveau des paiements proposé dans le PB pour rembourser la totalité des créances prévues en l'absence de budget rectificatif cette année, les députés refusent les réductions effectuées par le Conseil à la rubrique 1b car elles entraîneraient une pénurie de crédits de paiement bien plus grave qu'escompté. Cette situation augmenterait en outre de manière drastique le niveau du RAL à la fin de l'année prochaine. Les députés récusent en outre la position du Conseil qui appelle la Commission à présenter un projet de budget rectificatif en cas de crédits de paiement insuffisants, sachant qu'au cours des deux années écoulées, il avait pris des engagements semblables dont il n'avait ensuite plus tenu compte. Dans ce contexte, les députés appellent le Parlement à demander à la présidence du Conseil d'exposer dans une déclaration publique les raisons pour lesquelles les crédits de paiement fixés par le Conseil lors de sa lecture du budget diffèrent des besoins réels des États membres tels qu'ils les ont définis dans leurs prévisions. Dans la foulée, les députés rétablissent le niveau du PB les crédits d'engagement et de paiement de toutes les lignes budgétaires ayant fait l'objet de réductions par le Conseil dans cette rubrique. Ils appellent en outre le Conseil à accepter le projet de budget rectificatif n° 6/2012 afin de compenser le manque de crédits de paiement du présent exercice et de ne pas bloquer l'exécution des projets en cours à la fin de la période de programmation.

    Rubrique 2 : les députés estiment que l'estimation des besoins budgétaires par la Commission est plus réaliste que les prévisions du Conseil. Ils rétablissent dès lors les montants réduits par le Conseil dans cette rubrique au niveau de 60.307,51 millions EUR, soit 0,6% au-dessus des chiffres du budget 2012. Ils rejettent l'augmentation de la ligne de dépense négative (apurement des comptes), qui semble artificiellement élevée par rapport aux crédits de la rubrique 2, et rétablissent les chiffres de la proposition de la Commission.

    Ils font également les ajustements budgétaires suivants :

    • octroi d’un soutien approprié aux groupements de producteurs pré-reconnus;
    • augmentation de la contribution de l'Union au fonds de crise créé dans le cadre du Fonds opérationnel des organisations de producteurs;
    • renforcement du soutien au programme pour le lait et les fruits dans les écoles :
    • maintien de l'enveloppe budgétaire affectée au programme de distribution alimentaire en faveur des personnes les plus démunies de l'UE (les députés saluent au passage l'action de la Commission qui a permis de trouver une solution politique et juridique pour poursuivre le programme en 2013) ;
    • soutien continu et proportionné au programme LIFE+ ;
    • maintien du financement de la pêche au niveau proposé dans le PB, dans la perspective de la réforme à venir.

    Les députés se disent également favorables à la réduction drastique, et dans certains cas à l'annulation, des crédits de certaines lignes budgétaires prévoyant des restitutions car il s'agit d'un instrument politiquement controversé.

    Rubrique 3a : les députés rejettent en bloc les réductions effectuées par le Conseil pour les crédits de paiement des domaines suivants de cette rubrique:

    • Fonds européen pour le retour (-18 millions EUR),
    • Fonds européen pour les réfugiés (-1,8 million EUR),
    • Fonds européen pour l'intégration des ressortissants de pays tiers (-3,2 millions EUR) ;
    • Droits fondamentaux et citoyenneté (-1 million EUR).

    Ils décident, en conséquence, de rétablir les crédits des lignes correspondantes au niveau du PB. Ils relèvent également les crédits du programme DAPHNE vu l’impact très positif de ce programme au-delà du niveau du PB.

    Ils rejettent également la décision unilatérale du Conseil de modifier la base juridique de la proposition relative au mécanisme d'évaluation de Schengen afin qu'elle ne relève plus de la procédure législative ordinaire, mais de l'article 70 du traité sur le fonctionnement de l'Union européenne. Ils soutiennent la décision de la Conférence des présidents de suspendre toute coopération avec le Conseil sur le budget 2013 en ce qui concerne les aspects liés à la sécurité intérieure et confirment la position adoptée par sa commission des libertés civiles, de la justice et des affaires intérieures de placer en réserve les crédits (d'engagement et de paiement) de certaines lignes budgétaires du titre 18 qui ont trait à la sécurité intérieure dans l'attente d'une issue satisfaisante sur les propositions relatives à la gouvernance de l'espace Schengen.

    Rubrique 3b : soulignant la nécessité d’encourager la communication entre les cultures ainsi que la citoyenneté de l'Union au cours de la prochaine génération, les députés décident d'augmenter les crédits du programme "Jeunesse en action" par rapport au PB. Ils décident en outre de revoir à la hausse les crédits de l'Année européenne des citoyens 2013 et les activités de communication qui y sont liées.

    Rubrique 4 : les députés soulignent que les réductions opérées par le Conseil dans les paiements de la rubrique 4 (-1 milliard EUR, soit -14,1% par rapport au PB) représentent environ 20% de l'ensemble des réductions pour les différentes rubriques. Ils estiment que cette réduction massive risque d'empêcher l'Union de respecter les engagements qu'elle a pris sur la scène internationale. Ils rétablissent dès lors, pour la plupart des lignes budgétaires, le niveau des crédits d'engagement et de paiement proposé dans le PB.

    Ils considèrent toutefois que des réductions par rapport au PB peuvent être acceptées dans certaines lignes budgétaires, comme celles relatives à :

    • l'assistance macrofinancière,
    • l'adhésion à des organisations internationales dans le domaine de la douane et de la fiscalité,
    • la coopération avec le Groenland.

    Ils proposent une légère augmentation des crédits d'engagement et de paiement par rapport au PB pour les lignes budgétaires relatives aux zones géographiques de coopération au développement ainsi qu'aux missions d'observation électorale et au Fonds mondial de lutte contre le sida, la tuberculose et le paludisme.

    Considérant que l'augmentation du financement alloué à la Palestine et à l'UNRWA est capitale pour que ce dernier dispose des moyens indispensables aux services essentiels dont l'assemblée générale des Nations unies l'a chargé et pour assurer la sécurité et la subsistance des réfugiés, les députés renforcent le budget y consacré. Ils augmentent en outre l'enveloppe financière destinée à soutenir la communauté chypriote turque.

    Rubrique 5 : prenant acte de la position du Conseil, qui consiste à réduire les montants proposés par la Commission pour les différentes sections de la rubrique 5 d'un montant total de 146 millions EUR, malgré les efforts accomplis par les institutions, en vue de parvenir à un rééquilibrage des dépenses administratives, les députés saluent les efforts des institutions, dont le Parlement et la Commission, qui ont respecté, voire dépassé leurs engagements consistant à maintenir l'augmentation de leurs budgets administratifs en-dessous des prévisions d'inflation.

    Pour toutes les institutions, sauf le Conseil, ainsi que pour les écoles européennes, les députés décident de rétablir (ou, dans le cas de la Cour de justice, d'inscrire) en réserve pour l'exercice 2013 les montants correspondant à l'adaptation salariale de 1,7% pour 2011, en attendant l'arrêt de la Cour de justice. Cette mesure répond au principe de bonne gestion budgétaire, compte tenu de la probabilité d'un arrêt favorable à la Commission. Ils avertissent le Conseil que, le cas échéant, l'autorité budgétaire devra appliquer cet arrêt avec effet rétroactif aux exercices 2011 et 2012, avec les intérêts de retard.

    Les députés annulent également d'autres réductions réalisées par le Conseil concernant certains postes de dépenses administratives, notamment à la Commission, au niveau des équipements et services informatiques et de certains bureaux.

    Tout en rétablissant ou en conservant les demandes de postes présentées par la Commission et, en partie, celles émanant d'autres institutions, après un examen au cas par cas, les députés appellent à la réalisation d'une analyse d'impact approfondie sur les réductions d'effectifs prévues d'ici 2018, en tenant pleinement compte, entre autres, des obligations juridiques de l'Union ainsi que des nouvelles compétences et des nouvelles missions des institutions.

    Les députés s’inquiètent en outre de certains réductions d'effectifs opérées au sein de la Commission et appellent à inclure dans son rapport de "screening" annuel des ressources humaines une évaluation des conséquences. Ils appellent également à la constitution de diverses réserves pour certaines lignes budgétaires en attendant d'obtenir des informations spécifiques.

    Agences : si les députés approuvent, de manière générale, les estimations des besoins en crédits et en ressources humaines des agences établies par la Commission (qui a déjà considérablement réduit les demandes initiales des agences), ils craignent que toute réduction supplémentaire opérée par le Conseil ne compromette le bon fonctionnement des agences en les empêchant de mener à bien les missions qui leur ont été confiées. Ils décident dès lors d'augmenter les crédits alloués aux trois agences de supervision financière. Conscients que certaines agences (comme Europol, l'EASA, l'ACER) devront, en 2013, s'acquitter de tâches complémentaires qui pourraient ne pas avoir été prises en compte dans le budget qui leur est alloué ou dans le tableau des effectifs pour 2013, les députés appellent en outre la Commission à proposer en temps opportun, en cas de nécessité, un budget rectificatif concernant l'agence concernée. Ils attendent également une nouvelle fiche financière lorsqu'une procédure législative aura été finalisée par le Parlement et le Conseil en vue d'étendre le mandat d'une agence.

    Autres sections budgétaires :

    D’une manière générale, les députés s'inquiètent de la position adoptée par le Conseil au sujet du gel nominal pour l'ensemble des institutions de l'Union et considèrent que les institutions devraient faire l'objet d'un examen au cas par cas, en tenant compte des besoins et de la situation propres à chacune. Ils se félicitent des efforts consentis par les institutions pour réaliser des économies supplémentaires et de restreindre leur budget, tout en tenant compte des coûts liés à l'élargissement à la Croatie.

    Parlement européen : concernant le budget du Parlement, les députés soulignent que le niveau du budget 2013 est supérieur de 1,9% à celui de 2012 si l'on tient compte des coûts liés à l'adhésion de la Croatie mais qu’en réalité, avec le taux d'inflation, il ne s'élève actuellement qu’à 1,9%, si l’on tient compte de l'attribution récente de nouvelles compétences, de l'ajout de nouveaux postes et de nouvelles actions, du financement de l'adhésion de la Croatie ainsi que des coûts liés à la préparation des élections de 2014.

    Les députés approuvent en outre :

    • la réduction des crédits de la réserve pour imprévus,
    • l’internalisation du service de sécurité sans incidence sur le budget,
    • la poursuite de l'internalisation des activités dans le domaine des TIC,
    • l’ajustement des crédits alloués à l'Association parlementaire européenne ;
    • la réduction de 5,3 millions EUR les crédits destinés à la Maison de l'histoire européenne.

    Les députés estiment par ailleurs qu'à l'instar de tout parlement élu au suffrage direct, le Parlement européen devrait avoir le droit de décider des modalités relatives à son propre siège et à son lieu de travail. Ils déclarent dès lors que le siège du Parlement et les lieux de travail des députés et fonctionnaires devraient être décidés par le Parlement lui-même.

    D’autres demandes spécifiques sont faites sur l’organisation interne des travaux parlementaires, des déplacements et les dépenses de TIC et de traduction.

    Autres institutions : les députés font enfin une série de recommandations pour les autres institutions et organes de l’Union appelant globalement à rétablir certains crédits alloués à chacune d’elles/eux pour leur permettre de fonctionner au mieux et de faire face à l’adhésion prochaine de la Croatie.

activities/8
date
2012-10-19T00:00:00
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DG: url: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/budget/ title: Budget Commissioner: LEWANDOWSKI Janusz
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activities/7
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2012-10-12T00:00:00
docs
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Budgetary report tabled for plenary, 1st reading
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  • body: EP responsible: False committee: AFCO date: 2012-02-28T00:00:00 committee_full: Constitutional Affairs rapporteur: group: S&D name: GUERRERO SALOM Enrique
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: AFET date: 2012-03-06T00:00:00 committee_full: Foreign Affairs rapporteur: group: ALDE name: JÄÄTTEENMÄKI Anneli
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: AGRI date: 2011-10-05T00:00:00 committee_full: Agriculture and Rural Development rapporteur: group: EPP name: DE LANGE Esther
  • body: EP responsible: True committee: BUDG date: 2012-05-10T00:00:00 2012-05-10T00:00:00 committee_full: Budgets rapporteur: group: EPP name: LA VIA Giovanni group: S&D name: VAUGHAN Derek
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Budgetary Control committee: CONT
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: CULT date: 2012-01-23T00:00:00 committee_full: Culture and Education rapporteur: group: ALDE name: LØKKEGAARD Morten
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: DEVE date: 2012-01-25T00:00:00 committee_full: Development rapporteur: group: EPP name: MITCHELL Gay
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ECON date: 2011-11-29T00:00:00 committee_full: Economic and Monetary Affairs rapporteur: group: ECR name: FOX Ashley
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: EMPL date: 2011-09-15T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: EPP name: BOULLAND Philippe
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ENVI date: 2012-05-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Environment, Public Health and Food Safety rapporteur: group: S&D name: HAUG Jutta
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Women’s Rights and Gender Equality committee: FEMM
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: IMCO date: 2012-02-29T00:00:00 committee_full: Internal Market and Consumer Protection rapporteur: group: GUE/NGL name: DE JONG Cornelis
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: INTA date: 2012-05-29T00:00:00 committee_full: International Trade rapporteur: group: EPP name: ŠŤASTNÝ Peter
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ITRE date: 2012-06-18T00:00:00 committee_full: Industry, Research and Energy rapporteur: group: Verts/ALE name: BÜTIKOFER Reinhard
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Legal Affairs committee: JURI
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: LIBE date: 2012-03-20T00:00:00 committee_full: Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs rapporteur: group: EPP name: IACOLINO Salvatore
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: PECH date: 2012-01-24T00:00:00 committee_full: Fisheries rapporteur: group: EPP name: RIVELLINI Crescenzio
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: PETI date: 2012-05-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Petitions rapporteur: group: EFD name: SALAVRAKOS Nikolaos
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: REGI date: 2012-01-26T00:00:00 committee_full: Regional Development rapporteur: group: S&D name: STAVRAKAKIS Georgios
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: TRAN date: 2012-01-23T00:00:00 committee_full: Transport and Tourism rapporteur: group: ALDE name: MEISSNER Gesine
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Vote scheduled in committee, 1st reading/single reading
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activities/5/docs
  • type: Amendments tabled in committee title: PE497.798
activities/5/type
Old
Deadline Amendments
New
Amendments tabled in committee
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Old

PURPOSE: to present the draft Commission budget for the financial year 2013 (all budget sections).

CONTENT: the Commission adopted the draft EU budget for 2013. It will be the last annual budget of the present Multiannual Financial Framework 2007-2013. Aware of the current economic situation, the Commission will present a budget fully geared to use its funding potential for growth and jobs in line with the Europe 2020 strategy.

Investment is a crucial component of spurring this growth; the EU budget, with its high investment focus, has an important role to play as a leverage tool to Member States’ recovery policies, which will benefit economic activity across the Union.

In preparing its Draft Budget the Commission has followed a rigorous approach, in which:

  • an overall increase in the level of commitment appropriations that is restricted to inflation correction (+ 2.0 %) is combined with;
  • a targeted significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 6.8 %).

This approach contributes directly to growth and jobs in Europe, and which on the other hand is necessary to allow the EU budget to meet its contractual obligations of current and previous years.

In terms of commitment appropriations, the total expenditure proposed in the draft budget (DB) 2013 is EUR 150 931,7 million, corresponding to 1.13 % of GNI5, that is EUR 3 031,5 million more than in 2012 (+ 2.0 %). The restriction of the increase in the overall level of commitment appropriations to inflation correction (+ 2.0 %) leaves a combined total margin of EUR 2 420,4 million under the various ceilings of the MFF.

For payment appropriations, the total amounts to EUR 137 924.4 million, corresponding to 1.04 % of GNI. This is an increase of EUR 8 818.3 million compared to payment  appropriations in the 2012 budget (+ 6.8 %), and leaves a margin of EUR 6 182.6 million under the ceiling of the MFF.

The main priorities have been established for the 2013 Draft Budget: in 2013, the EU will pursue its support to investment and to actions in favour of job-friendly growth. This key political priority is reflected in the level of commitment appropriations requested in the Draft Budget. Competitiveness for growth and employment, with EUR 16 billion in commitment appropriations, and Cohesion for growth and employment, with EUR 54.5 billion in commitment appropriations, support the EU economy by shaping the conditions for sustainable growth and growth-friendly consolidation, both immediately and in the longer term.

At the present final stage of the current financial framework, the Draft Budget for 2013 is established on the basis of a two-fold approach:

  1. appropriations for programmes and initiatives enhancing Growth and Jobs are maximised within the existing framework. Programmes supporting growth and job creation fall mainly under heading 1a ‘Competitiveness for growth and employment’ and heading 1b ‘Cohesion for growth and employment’. Overall, the proposed commitment appropriations directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy in 2013 increase by 2.7 % to EUR 64.5 billion. In particular, key programmes in support of Growth and Investments, SMEs, Employment and Youth which have proved their efficiency, as well the possible reprogramming of structural funds in eight Member States as announced in the European Council of January 2012, are expected to streamline funding to investments in the most critical areas and reinforce the efforts undertaken to address youth unemployment and support SMEs. These efforts are further complemented by new initiatives, mainly the proposed pilot phase for project bonds in the fields of transport, energy and ICT, as well as the proposed new risk-sharing instrument under the structural funds which aims at addressing liquidity problems faced by financial institutions, with a view to facilitate investment and growth;
  2. the allocation of appropriations is guided by the application of efficiency savings and reductions of administrative expenditure. The Commission’s draft budget request for 2013 incorporates a 1 % reduction in human resources, in accordance with the Communication ‘Budget for Europe 2020’ which proposes a 5 % staff reduction for all institutions over five years.

Other characteristics of the 2013 budget:

  • a responsible and realistic budget: in the final year of the current financial framework, the required level of payment appropriations is largely determined by the project cycle. Consequently, the 2013 Draft Budget foresees significant increases – compared to 2012 – in payment appropriations for key policy areas geared towards investment, where programmes are now being implemented at full speed. In particular, increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1 % to EUR 9 billion) and for the structural and cohesion funds (+ 11.7 % to EUR 49 billion);
  • increased payment appropriations: the proposed increase in the overall level of payment appropriations (+ 6.8%) results from a thorough and rigorous analysis of needs in all policy areas. The proposed level of expenditure is a necessary consequence of the Union’s contractual obligation to honour the growing level of outstanding commitments of  current and previous years, now that the actual implementation of major programmes is clearly shifting into higher gear;
  • scrutinising performance: the Commission has carried out an in-depth examination of programmes and actions, in particular on the basis of past implementation and performance. The Commission proposal reflects the best possible use of the available appropriations for actions that carry the required EU added value, meet the Union’s political objectives and deliver results. A rigorous approach to programmes and actions experiencing implementation difficulties as well as to support expenditure has allowed the Commission to contain the budgetary requests under the various expenditure headings, while refocusing appropriations towards the Union's political priorities such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Youth and Employment and restricting the administrative expenditure including the administrative requirements for the accession of Croatia.

Key aspects of the draft budget 2013 by financial framework headings:

Heading 1 : Sustainable growth: this heading covers the expenses relating to competitiveness and employment as well as cohesion:

  • Heading 1a: Competitiveness for growth and employment: this sub-heading comprises the key policies in the implementation of the strategy "Europe 2020". Given the importance of spending on growth, a special effort was made for the Research Framework Programme (increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1 % to EUR 9 billion); the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) will see a significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 47.8 % to EUR 546.4 million); for the Lifelong Learning programme, a substantial increase in the level of payment appropriations is proposed (+ 15.8 % to EUR 1 186.0 million).
  • Commitment appropriations for this heading are set at EUR 16 032.0 million, which is an increase of 4.1 % compared to the 2012 budget. This leaves a margin of EUR 91 million. Payment appropriations increase by 17.8 % to EUR 13 552.8 million. This significant increase is in part due to additional payment needs to cover pre-financing payments for the growing  level of commitment appropriations for research, and in part to cover intermediate and final payments on outstanding commitments;
  • Heading 1b: Cohesion for growth and employment: for 2013, total commitment appropriations for heading 1b amount to EUR 54 498.9 million, an increase of 3.3 % relative to 2012. Of these, EUR 42 144.7 million are for the Structural Funds (ERDF and ESF), an amount similar to the 2012 envelope, and EUR 12 354.2 million for the Cohesion Fund. Overall payment appropriations are set at EUR 48 975.0 million, an increase of 11.7 % over 2012. The substantial increase in the level of payments shows the momentum of the 2007 – 2013 Cohesion policy on the ground, with the expected positive impact on investments, economic growth and job creation in the EU.

Heading 2: Preservation and Management of Natural Resources: commitment appropriations of EUR 60 307.5 million are proposed for this heading. This level of funding represents an increase of 0.6 % compared to 2012 and leaves a margin of EUR 981.5 million under the ceiling. Payment appropriations amount to EUR 57 964.9 million, which is an increase of 1.6 % compared to 2012. Within this heading the amount foreseen for market related expenditure and direct aids reaches EUR 44 130.3 million in commitment appropriations, and EUR 44 112.9 million in payment appropriations.

Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: this heading is split into two sub-headings:

  • Heading 3a: Freedom, Security and Justice: this sub-heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 1.8 %, rising to EUR 1 392.2 million, and leaving a margin of EUR 268.8 million. Payment appropriations increase by 11.1 % to EUR 928.3 million, mostly due to the four Funds under Solidarity and management of migration flows, which have now reached cruising speed and require substantial pre-financing payments to Member States.
  • Heading 3b: Citizenship: commitment appropriations decrease by 3.6 % to EUR 689.4 million, leaving a margin of EUR 25.6 million. Payment appropriations for this heading decrease by 3.1 % to EUR 646.3 million. If the EU Solidarity Fund (EUR 18.1 million for commitment and payment appropriations in 2012) is excluded from this comparison, commitment and payment appropriations decrease by 1.2 % and 0.4 % respectively. The annual ceiling for this heading, which supports various actions close to European citizens, remains broadly stable in the current financial framework.

Heading 4: the EU as a Global Player: this heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 0.7 % to EUR 9 467.2 million, leaving an unallocated margin of EUR 391.9 million available under the ceiling. Payment appropriations on the other hand increase by 5.1 % to EUR 7 311.6 million, mostly due to increases under IPA, ENPI, Humanitarian aid and CFSP, at a time when many instruments are reaching cruising speed.

Heading 5: Administrative expenditure: both commitment and payment appropriations for this heading for all Institutions combined increase by 3.2 %, with commitments set at EUR 8 544.4 million and payments at EUR 8 545.5 million. This increase includes additional administrative expenditure related to Croatia’s accession, amounting to EUR 32.9 million for all Institutions. The administrative expenditure related to Croatia is included as from the beginning of 2013, so as to allow recruitments in due time. This remaining margin amounts to EUR 636.6 million.

The Commission continues its efforts to limit its own administrative expenditure by reducing expenditure less affected by automatic adjustments. Moreover, further to its proposals to reduce the staffing numbers of all Institutions and bodies by 5 % over the years 2013-2017, the Commission has reduced by 1 % the number of posts in its establishment plans and has contained appropriations for its external personnel financed under all headings (including in the six executive agencies), leading to a total staff reduction of 1 %. As a result, when excluding pensions and European schools (both of which concern interinstitutional expenditure), the increase in the Commission’s administrative expenditure has been limited to 1.2 % (1.5 % when including Croatia’s accession) i.e. well below inflation.

The Commission’s strict approach to administration is to a large degree followed by the other Institutions, leading to an overall increase of administrative appropriations for the other Institutions of 2.6 % (3.3 % including Croatia). The requested increases in expenditure for 2013 (including Croatian enlargement) compared to the 2012 budget range from 1.2 % for the Council to 8.4 % for the Court of Justice, with most Institutions having an increase excluding Croatia around or below inflation. Similar to the Commission’s approach, a 1 % reduction in human resources is also incorporated by the Council, the Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors. When preparing the Draft Budget, the Commission has modified the request of the Committee of the Regions, so as to align its requested increase (excluding the impact of the accession of Croatia) to the expected rate of inflation (+ 1.9 %). This has resulted in a reduction of EUR 0.4 million, as compared to the draft statement of estimates of the Committee of the Regions.

In conclusion, the Commission’s approach represents a responsible and coherent budgetary proposal which is refocused on Growth and Jobs. It is coherent with current restraints, efficient spending and the obligations of the Union. It provides a proposal which is both credible for a smooth and timely adoption of the 2013 budget and responsible for the future by containing the accumulation of outstanding commitments.

New

PURPOSE: to present the draft Commission budget for the financial year 2013 (all budget sections).

CONTENT: the Commission adopted the draft EU budget for 2013. It will be the last annual budget of the present Multiannual Financial Framework 2007-2013. Aware of the current economic situation, the Commission presents a budget fully geared to use its funding potential for growth and jobs in line with the Europe 2020 strategy.

Investment is a crucial component of spurring this growth. The EU budget, with its high investment focus, has an important role to play as a leverage tool to Member States’ recovery policies, which will benefit economic activity across the Union.

In preparing its Draft Budget, the Commission has followed a rigorous approach in which:

  • an overall increase in the level of commitment appropriations that is restricted to inflation correction (+ 2.0%) is combined with;
  • a targeted significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 6.8%).

This approach contributes directly to growth and jobs in Europe, and which on the other hand is necessary to allow the EU budget to meet its contractual obligations of current and previous years.

In terms of commitment appropriations, the total expenditure proposed in the draft budget (DB) 2013 is EUR 150 931.7 million, corresponding to 1.13% of GNI, that is EUR 3 031.5 million more than in 2012 (+ 2.0%). The restriction of the increase in the overall level of commitment appropriations to inflation correction (+ 2.0 %) leaves a combined total margin of EUR 2 420.4 million under the various ceilings of the MFF.

For payment appropriations, the total amounts to EUR 137 924.4 million, corresponding to 1.04% of GNI. This is an increase of EUR 8 818.3 million compared to payment appropriations in the 2012 budget (+ 6.8%), and leaves a margin of EUR 6 182.6 million under the ceiling of the MFF.

The main priorities have been established for the 2013 Draft Budget: in 2013. The EU will pursue its support to investment and to actions in favour of job-friendly growth. This key political priority is reflected in the level of commitment appropriations requested in the Draft Budget. Competitiveness for growth and employment, with EUR 16 billion in commitment appropriations, and Cohesion for growth and employment, with EUR 54.5 billion in commitment appropriations, support the EU economy by shaping the conditions for sustainable growth and growth-friendly consolidation, both immediately and in the longer term.

At the present final stage of the current financial framework, the Draft Budget for 2013 is established on the basis of a two-fold approach:

  1. appropriations for programmes and initiatives enhancing Growth and Jobs are maximised within the existing framework. Programmes supporting growth and job creation fall mainly under heading 1a “Competitiveness for growth and employment” and heading 1b “Cohesion for growth and employment”. Overall, the proposed commitment appropriations directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy in 2013 increase by 2.7% to EUR 64.5 billion. In particular, key programmes in support of Growth and Investments, SMEs, Employment and Youth which have proved their efficiency, as well the possible reprogramming of structural funds in eight Member States as announced in the European Council of January 2012, are expected to streamline funding to investments in the most critical areas and reinforce the efforts undertaken to address youth unemployment and support SMEs. These efforts are further complemented by new initiatives, mainly the proposed pilot phase for project bonds in the fields of transport, energy and ICT, as well as the proposed new risk-sharing instrument under the Structural Funds which aims at addressing liquidity problems faced by financial institutions, with a view to facilitating investment and growth;
  2. the allocation of appropriations is guided by the application of efficiency savings and reductions of administrative expenditure. The Commission’s draft budget request for 2013 incorporates a 1% reduction in human resources, in accordance with the Communication “Budget for Europe 2020” which proposes a 5% staff reduction for all institutions over five years.

Other characteristics of the 2013 budget:

  1. a responsible and realistic budget: in the final year of the current financial framework, the required level of payment appropriations is largely determined by the project cycle. Consequently, the 2013 Draft Budget foresees significant increases – compared to 2012 – in payment appropriations for key policy areas geared towards investment, where programmes are now being implemented at full speed. In particular, increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1% to EUR 9 billion) and for the Structural and Cohesion Funds (+ 11.7% to EUR 49 billion);
  2. increased payment appropriations: the proposed increase in the overall level of payment appropriations (+ 6.8%) results from a thorough and rigorous analysis of needs in all policy areas. The proposed level of expenditure is a necessary consequence of the Union’s contractual obligation to honour the growing level of outstanding commitments of current and previous years, now that the actual implementation of major programmes is clearly shifting into a higher gear;
  3. scrutinising performance: the Commission has carried out an in-depth examination of programmes and actions, in particular on the basis of past implementation and performance. The Commission’s proposal reflects the best possible use of the available appropriations for actions that carry the required EU added value, meet the Union’s political objectives and deliver results. A rigorous approach to programmes and actions experiencing implementation difficulties as well as to support expenditure has allowed the Commission to contain the budgetary requests under the various expenditure headings, while refocusing appropriations towards the Union's political priorities such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Youth and Employment and restricting the administrative expenditure including the administrative requirements for the accession of Croatia.

Key aspects of the draft budget 2013 by financial framework headings:

Heading 1: Sustainable growth: this heading covers the expenses relating to competitiveness and employment as well as cohesion:

  • Heading 1a: Competitiveness for growth and employment: this sub-heading comprises the key policies in the implementation of the strategy "Europe 2020". Given the importance of spending on growth, a special effort was made for the Research Framework Programme (increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1% to EUR 9 billion); the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) will see a significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 47.8% to EUR 546.4 million); for the Lifelong Learning programme, a substantial increase in the level of payment appropriations is proposed (+ 15.8% to EUR 1 186.0 million).
  • Commitment appropriations for this heading are set at EUR 16 032.0 million, which is an increase of 4.1% compared to the 2012 budget. This leaves a margin of EUR 91 million. Payment appropriations increase by 17.8% to EUR 13 552.8 million. This significant increase is in part due to additional payment needs to cover pre-financing payments for the growing level of commitment appropriations for research, and in part to cover intermediate and final payments on outstanding commitments;
  • Heading 1b: Cohesion for growth and employment: for 2013, total commitment appropriations for heading 1b amount to EUR 54 498.9 million, an increase of 3.3% relative to 2012. Of these, EUR 42 144.7 million are for the Structural Funds (ERDF and ESF), an amount similar to the 2012 envelope, and EUR 12 354.2 million for the Cohesion Fund. Overall payment appropriations are set at EUR 48 975.0 million, an increase of 11.7% over 2012. The substantial increase in the level of payments shows the momentum of the 2007-2013 Cohesion policy on the ground, with the expected positive impact on investments, economic growth and job creation in the EU.

Heading 2: Preservation and Management of Natural Resources: commitment appropriations of EUR 60 307.5 million are proposed for this heading. This level of funding represents an increase of 0.6% compared to 2012 and leaves a margin of EUR 981.5 million under the ceiling. Payment appropriations amount to EUR 57 964.9 million, which is an increase of 1.6% compared to 2012. Within this heading the amount foreseen for market related expenditure and direct aids reaches EUR 44 130.3 million in commitment appropriations, and EUR 44 112.9 million in payment appropriations.

Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: this heading is split into two sub-headings:

  • Heading 3a: Freedom, Security and Justice: this sub-heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 1.8%, rising to EUR 1 392.2 million, and leaving a margin of EUR 268.8 million. Payment appropriations increase by 11.1% to EUR 928.3 million, mostly due to the four Funds under Solidarity and management of migration flows, which have now reached cruising speed and require substantial pre-financing payments to Member States.
  • Heading 3b: Citizenship: commitment appropriations decrease by 3.6% to EUR 689.4 million, leaving a margin of EUR 25.6 million. Payment appropriations for this heading decrease by 3.1% to EUR 646.3 million. If the EU Solidarity Fund (EUR 18.1 million for commitment and payment appropriations in 2012) is excluded from this comparison, commitment and payment appropriations decrease by 1.2% and 0.4% respectively. The annual ceiling for this heading, which supports various actions close to European citizens, remains broadly stable in the current financial framework.

Heading 4: the EU as a Global Player: this heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 0.7 % to EUR 9 467.2 million, leaving an unallocated margin of EUR 391.9 million available under the ceiling. Payment appropriations on the other hand increase by 5.1 % to EUR 7 311.6 million, mostly due to increases under IPA, ENPI, Humanitarian aid and CFSP, at a time when many instruments are reaching cruising speed.

Heading 5: Administrative expenditure: both commitment and payment appropriations for this heading for all Institutions combined increase by 3.2%, with commitments set at EUR 8 544.4 million and payments at EUR 8 545.5 million. This increase includes additional administrative expenditure related to Croatia’s accession, amounting to EUR 32.9 million for all Institutions. The administrative expenditure related to Croatia is included as from the beginning of 2013, so as to allow recruitments in due time. This remaining margin amounts to EUR 636.6 million.

The Commission continues its efforts to limit its own administrative expenditure by reducing expenditure less affected by automatic adjustments. Moreover, further to its proposals to reduce the staffing numbers of all Institutions and bodies by 5% over the years 2013-2017, the Commission has reduced by 1% the number of posts in its establishment plans and has contained appropriations for its external personnel financed under all headings (including in the six executive agencies), leading to a total staff reduction of 1%. As a result, when excluding pensions and European schools (both of which concern interinstitutional expenditure), the increase in the Commission’s administrative expenditure has been limited to 1.2% (1.5% when including Croatia’s accession) i.e. well below inflation.

The Commission’s strict approach to administration is to a large degree followed by the other Institutions, leading to an overall increase of administrative appropriations for the other Institutions of 2.6% (3.3% including Croatia). The requested increases in expenditure for 2013 (including Croatian enlargement) compared to the 2012 budget range from 1.2% for the Council to 8.4% for the Court of Justice, with most Institutions having an increase (excluding Croatia) of around or below inflation. Similar to the Commission’s approach, a 1% reduction in human resources is also incorporated by the Council, the Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors. When preparing the Draft Budget, the Commission has modified the request of the Committee of the Regions, so as to align its requested increase (excluding the impact of the accession of Croatia) to the expected rate of inflation (+ 1.9%). This has resulted in a reduction of EUR 0.4 million, as compared to the draft statement of estimates of the Committee of the Regions.

In conclusion, the Commission’s approach represents a responsible and coherent budgetary proposal which is refocused on Growth and Jobs. It is coherent with current restraints, efficient spending and the obligations of the Union. It provides a proposal which is both credible for a smooth and timely adoption of the 2013 budget and responsible for the future by containing the accumulation of outstanding commitments.

activities/4/date
Old
2012-09-24T00:00:00
New
2012-10-02T00:00:00
activities/7/type
Old
EP 1R Plenary
New
Debate scheduled
activities/9
date
2012-10-23T00:00:00
body
EP
type
Vote scheduled
activities/7/date
Old
2012-10-23T00:00:00
New
2012-10-22T00:00:00
activities/8/date
Old
2012-10-23T00:00:00
New
2012-10-22T00:00:00
committees/10/date
2012-06-20T00:00:00
committees/10/rapporteur
  • group: S&D name: HONEYBALL Mary
committees/14/date
2012-05-30T00:00:00
committees/14/rapporteur
  • group: Verts/ALE name: LICHTENBERGER Eva
activities/4
date
2012-09-24T00:00:00
docs
type: Committee draft report title: PE496.481
body
EP
type
Committee draft report
activities/3/docs/0/text/0
Old

The Council adopted its position on the draft budget of the European Union for 2013.

The main features of the position are as follows:

  • EUR 149 776.77 million in commitment appropriations;
  • EUR 132 695.47 million in payment appropriations.

Under the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013, commitment appropriations increase by 1.27% compared to the 2012 budget and payment appropriations increase by 2.79%.

The total amount of payment appropriations provided for in the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013 corresponds to 0.99% of EU GNI.

A. Generalities: the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013:

  • shows due regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline and sound financial management;
  • is within the framework of the budget guidelines established for the 2013 budget in the Council conclusions adopted in February 2012;
  • is an approach resulting in a budget that is both realistic and comprehensively balanced, that meets the conditions of budgetary discipline and sound financial management in seeking to make additional efforts in comparison to the draft budget put forward by the Commission;
  • provides adequate funding for the European Union's various priorities, by determining appropriations on the basis of the budget implementation rate in 2011, budget forecast alerts in 2012 and realistic absorption capacities, given the particularities of the various financial years. This approach was also followed with regard to allocations for administrative expenditures relating to the operational programmes and expenditures of the executive agencies;
  • ensures a limited and controlled growth of payment appropriations in line with 2012 under all headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework, adjusting the amounts on the basis of an analysis of the 2011 budget implementation and the 2012 budget forecast alerts. This approach should be seen in the context of the budgetary constraints applied in all Member States;
  • applies the same approach as that adopted in relation to the institutions’ administrative expenditures to those of the decentralised agencies;
  • leaves adequate margins under the ceilings of the headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework, with the exception of sub-heading 1b, in order to be able to cope with unforeseen situations while respecting, as far as possible, the amounts in commitment appropriations proposed by the Commission regarding co-decided programmes.

Statement on payment appropriations: besides the abovementioned principles, the Council also approved a statement on payment appropriations calling on the Commission to submit as early as possible the letter of amendment for agriculture (including information about the possible carry-over of assigned revenue) and, if necessary, a letter of amendment concerning sub-heading 1b in order to appropriately calibrate the level of resources in heading 2 (Preservation and management of natural resources) and sub-heading 1b in the 2013 budget.

Furthermore, the Council asks the Commission to submit a draft amending budget if the payment appropriations entered in the 2013 budget are insufficient to cover expenditure under:

  • sub-heading 1a (Competitiveness for growth and employment),
  • sub-heading 1b,
  • heading 2 and
  • heading 4 (EU as a global player).

It urges the Commission to present as early as possible updated figures concerning the state of affairs and estimates regarding payment appropriations under sub-heading 1b and, if necessary, to present a draft amending budget for this sole purpose. The Council will take position on the draft amending budget as quickly as possible in order to avoid any shortfall in payment appropriations.

B. Expenditure by heading of the financial framework: as to expenditure under the different headings of the financial framework the Council's position is as follows:

Heading 1: Sustainable growth (EUR 70.055 billion in commitments):

Sub-heading 1a: as regards competitiveness for growth and employment expenditure, the amount of this sub-heading totals EUR 15.563 billion in commitment appropriations, thus a reduction of EUR 469.15 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, of which EUR 35.51 million resulting from the approach taken in regard to administrative expenditure.

The sub-heading is characterised by the following:

  • the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.77 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies(a total of 111 temporary posts are accepted);
  • the setting of the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 1 897.65 million in the appropriations requested in the DB of which EUR 151 million in the field of competitiveness, EUR 63.05 million in the field of transport, EUR 1 237.09 million in the field of research, EUR 104 million in the field of education and training, EUR 13.4 million in the field of social policy, EUR 202 million on budget lines related to the European economic recovery plan, EUR 50 million on the budget line for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund and EUR 77.1 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of an analysis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities.

The margin available under sub-heading 1a would be EUR 560.1 million.

Sub-heading 1b): expenditures on cohesion for growth and employment: the Council has foreseen an amount of EUR 54.492 billion in commitments. The other main points about this sub-heading are the following:

  • the establishment of the level of commitment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 7.4 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines related to administrative expenditure under this subheading;
  • the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1 599.74 million, resulting in an increase of 8.07 % in comparison with 2012. This amount represents a reduction in payment appropriations concentrated in the fields of the European Regional Development Fund (EUR 310 million), the European Social Fund (EUR 831 million) and the Cohesion Fund (EUR 459 million), representing an adjustment on the basis of the available information.

The margin available under sub-heading 1b would be EUR 32.45 million.

Heading 2: expenditure for preservation and management of natural resources: the amount for this heading is set at EUR 59.971 billion in commitment appropriations, thus involving a total reduction of EUR 336 million in commitment appropriations requested in the DB, of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts and EUR 4 million on the budget line for public awareness, on the basis of past and current budget implementation.

Market-related expenditures and direct aids are set at EUR 43.795 billion (in commitment appropriations) by the Council, i.e. a reduction of 0.4% in comparison with 2012.

Other points in regard to this budgetary heading include:

  • the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1.07 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies, (a total of 29 temporary posts accepted);
  • the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 490.57 million, of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts, EUR 100 million in the field of rural development, EUR 38 million in maritime affairs and fisheries, and EUR 20.5 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation. These amounts estimated on the basis of past budget implementation and available information may be reviewed in the light of the Autumn letter of amendment.

The margin available under heading 2 would be EUR 1 317.55 million.

Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: the allocation for this heading has been set at EUR 2.057 billion in commitment appropriations, divided between two sub-headings:

3a) in regard to freedom, security and justice expenditure (EUR 1.377 billion in commitment appropriations), the Council requests:

  • the setting of the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 14.95 million commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities;
  • the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.83 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies (a total of 45 temporary posts accepted);
  • the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 50.97 million in the appropriations requested in the DB on a number of budget lines on the basis of past and current budget implementation;

The margin available under sub-heading 3a would be EUR 283.72 million.

3b) as regards citizenship expenditure (EUR 680 million in commitment appropriations), the Council has sought to:

  • set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 9.52 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities;
  • fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.84 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies;
  • set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 9.55 million the appropriations requested in the DB in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation.

The available margin under sub-heading 3b would be EUR 35.10 million.

Heading 4: the EU as a global player, the Council envisages a total amount of EUR 9.295 billion in commitment appropriations. It thus decided to:

  • set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 171.7 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB on a number of specific budget lines under this heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities;
  • fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.21 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies;
  • set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 1 034.29 million the appropriations requested in the DB, of which on the one hand EUR 924.29 million in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation as well as realistic absorption capacities, while, on the other hand, not retaining the amount of EUR 110 million proposed in the DB for the Emergency Aid Reserve.

The margin available under Heading 4 would be EUR 563.64 million to cover any additional needs at a later stage.

Heading 5: administrative expenditure: these amount to EUR 8.398 billion in commitment appropriations. The Council has decided to:

  • keep under strict control the volume of the administrative expenditure of the EU institutions, in line with the approach followed by the Member States for their national civil service;
  • set the administrative budget of each institution at the appropriate level, taking into account their specificities and real and justified needs, reducing by a total amount of EUR 146.18 million the commitment and payment appropriations requested in the DB;
  • increase the standard flat rate abatement on salaries for certain institutions and offices;
  • not accept the 1.7 % increase related to the 2011 salary adjustment;
  • apply the Commission's proposal to reduce staff by 1% per year as from 2013 to all institutions, with the exception of the very small institutions (European Ombudsman and European Data Protection Supervisor) and the recently created European External Action Service;
  • not accept the new posts requested by the European Ombudsman and the European Data Protection Supervisor;
  • accept the requested conversions, transformations, upgradings and transfers of posts, with the exception of non-obligatory transformations of posts requested by the Court of Justice of the European Union;
  • accept all additional staff requests related to the Croatia enlargement.

This approach has resulted in an appropriate level of administrative expenditure ensuring a proper functioning of the institutions. A margin of EUR 782.77 million remains available under the ceiling of heading 5 of the multiannual financial framework. The Council also focused on administrative expenditure linked to operational programmes and on administrative expenditure of the executive agencies. In this respect, it was decided to carry out targeted reductions on the basis of a similar approach as the one followed for the institutions.

Agencies: as regards the decentralised agencies, the Council also applied a similar approach as for the institutions. Therefore, a 1% reduction was retained in the contribution to Titles 1 and 2 of all agencies. As regards posts, a 1% reduction to the establishment plan was applied for the agencies at "cruising speed". Regarding agencies in charge of new tasks, only half of the new posts requested were accepted. For agencies in the "start-up" phase, the accepted new posts were limited to three-quarters of the requests.

New

The Council adopted its position on the draft budget of the European Union for 2013.

The main features of the position are as follows:

  • EUR 149 776.77 million in commitment appropriations;
  • EUR 132 695.47 million in payment appropriations.

Under the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013, commitment appropriations increase by 1.27% compared to the 2012 budget and payment appropriations increase by 2.79%.

The total amount of payment appropriations provided for in the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013 corresponds to 0.99% of EU GNI.

A. Generalities: the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013:

  • shows due regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline and sound financial management;
  • is within the framework of the budget guidelines established for the 2013 budget in the Council conclusions adopted in February 2012;
  • is an approach resulting in a budget that is both realistic and comprehensively balanced, that meets the conditions of budgetary discipline and sound financial management in seeking to make additional efforts in comparison to the draft budget put forward by the Commission;
  • provides adequate funding for the European Union's various priorities, by determining appropriations on the basis of the budget implementation rate in 2011, budget forecast alerts in 2012 and realistic absorption capacities, given the particularities of the various financial years. This approach was also followed with regard to allocations for administrative expenditures relating to the operational programmes and expenditures of the executive agencies;
  • ensures a limited and controlled growth of payment appropriations in line with 2012 under all headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework, adjusting the amounts on the basis of an analysis of the 2011 budget implementation and the 2012 budget forecast alerts. This approach should be seen in the context of the budgetary constraints applied in all Member States;
  • applies the same approach as that adopted in relation to the institutions’ administrative expenditures to those of the decentralised agencies;
  • leaves adequate margins under the ceilings of the headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework, with the exception of sub-heading 1b, in order to be able to cope with unforeseen situations while respecting, as far as possible, the amounts in commitment appropriations proposed by the Commission regarding co-decided programmes.

Statement on payment appropriations: besides the abovementioned principles, the Council also approved a statement on payment appropriations calling on the Commission to submit as early as possible the letter of amendment for agriculture (including information about the possible carry-over of assigned revenue) and, if necessary, a letter of amendment concerning sub-heading 1b in order to appropriately calibrate the level of resources in heading 2 (Preservation and management of natural resources) and sub-heading 1b in the 2013 budget.

Furthermore, the Council asks the Commission to submit a draft amending budget if the payment appropriations entered in the 2013 budget are insufficient to cover expenditure under:

  • sub-heading 1a (Competitiveness for growth and employment),
  • sub-heading 1b,
  • heading 2 and
  • heading 4 (EU as a global player).

It urges the Commission to present as early as possible updated figures concerning the state of affairs and estimates regarding payment appropriations under sub-heading 1b and, if necessary, to present a draft amending budget for this sole purpose. The Council will take position on the draft amending budget as quickly as possible in order to avoid any shortfall in payment appropriations.

B. Expenditure by heading of the financial framework: as to expenditure under the different headings of the financial framework the Council's position is as follows:

Heading 1: Sustainable growth (EUR 70.055 billion in commitments):

Sub-heading 1a: as regards competitiveness for growth and employment expenditure, the amount of this sub-heading totals EUR 15.563 billion in commitment appropriations, thus a reduction of EUR 469.15 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, of which EUR 35.51 million resulting from the approach taken in regard to administrative expenditure.

The sub-heading is characterised by the following:

  • the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.77 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies(a total of 111 temporary posts are accepted);
  • the setting of the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 1 897.65 million in the appropriations requested in the DB of which EUR 151 million in the field of competitiveness, EUR 63.05 million in the field of transport, EUR 1 237.09 million in the field of research, EUR 104 million in the field of education and training, EUR 13.4 million in the field of social policy, EUR 202 million on budget lines related to the European economic recovery plan, EUR 50 million on the budget line for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund and EUR 77.1 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of an analysis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities.

The margin available under sub-heading 1a would be EUR 560.1 million.

Sub-heading 1b): expenditures on cohesion for growth and employment: the Council has foreseen an amount of EUR 54.492 billion in commitments. The other main points about this sub-heading are the following:

  • the establishment of the level of commitment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 7.4 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines related to administrative expenditure under this subheading;
  • the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1 599.74 million, resulting in an increase of 8.07 % in comparison with 2012. This amount represents a reduction in payment appropriations concentrated in the fields of the European Regional Development Fund (EUR 310 million), the European Social Fund (EUR 831 million) and the Cohesion Fund (EUR 459 million), representing an adjustment on the basis of the available information.

The margin available under sub-heading 1b would be EUR 32.45 million.

Heading 2: expenditure for preservation and management of natural resources: the amount for this heading is set at EUR 59.971 billion in commitment appropriations, thus involving a total reduction of EUR 336 million in commitment appropriations requested in the DB, of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts and EUR 4 million on the budget line for public awareness, on the basis of past and current budget implementation.

Market-related expenditures and direct aids are set at EUR 43.795 billion (in commitment appropriations) by the Council, i.e. a reduction of 0.4% in comparison with 2012.

Other points in regard to this budgetary heading include:

  • the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1.07 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies, (a total of 29 temporary posts accepted);
  • the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 490.57 million, of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts, EUR 100 million in the field of rural development, EUR 38 million in maritime affairs and fisheries, and EUR 20.5 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation. These amounts estimated on the basis of past budget implementation and available information may be reviewed in the light of the Autumn letter of amendment.

The margin available under heading 2 would be EUR 1 317.55 million.

Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: the allocation for this heading has been set at EUR 2.057 billion in commitment appropriations, divided between two sub-headings:

3a) in regard to freedom, security and justice expenditure (EUR 1.377 billion in commitment appropriations), the Council requests:

  • the setting of the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 14.95 million commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities;
  • the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.83 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies (a total of 45 temporary posts accepted);
  • the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 50.97 million in the appropriations requested in the DB on a number of budget lines on the basis of past and current budget implementation;

The margin available under sub-heading 3a would be EUR 283.72 million.

3b) as regards citizenship expenditure (EUR 680 million in commitment appropriations), the Council has sought to:

  • set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 9.52 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities;
  • fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.84 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies;
  • set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 9.55 million the appropriations requested in the DB in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation.

The available margin under sub-heading 3b would be EUR 35.10 million.

Heading 4: the EU as a global player, the Council envisages a total amount of EUR 9.295 billion in commitment appropriations. It thus decided to:

  • set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 171.7 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB on a number of specific budget lines under this heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities;
  • fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.21 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies;
  • set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 1 034.29 million the appropriations requested in the DB, of which on the one hand EUR 924.29 million in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation as well as realistic absorption capacities, while, on the other hand, not retaining the amount of EUR 110 million proposed in the DB for the Emergency Aid Reserve.

The margin available under Heading 4 would be EUR 563.64 million to cover any additional needs at a later stage.

Heading 5: administrative expenditure: these amount to EUR 8.398 billion in commitment appropriations. The Council has decided to:

  • keep under strict control the volume of the administrative expenditure of the EU institutions, in line with the approach followed by the Member States for their national civil service;
  • set the administrative budget of each institution at the appropriate level, taking into account their specificities and real and justified needs, reducing by a total amount of EUR 146.18 million the commitment and payment appropriations requested in the DB;
  • increase the standard flat rate abatement on salaries for certain institutions and offices;
  • not accept the 1.7 % increase related to the 2011 salary adjustment;
  • apply the Commission's proposal to reduce staff by 1% per year as from 2013 to all institutions, with the exception of the very small institutions (European Ombudsman and European Data Protection Supervisor) and the recently created European External Action Service;
  • not accept the new posts requested by the European Ombudsman and the European Data Protection Supervisor;
  • accept the requested conversions, transformations, upgradings and transfers of posts, with the exception of non-obligatory transformations of posts requested by the Court of Justice of the European Union;
  • accept all additional staff requests related to the Croatia enlargement.

This approach has resulted in an appropriate level of administrative expenditure ensuring a proper functioning of the institutions. A margin of EUR 782.77 million remains available under the ceiling of heading 5 of the multiannual financial framework. The Council also focused on administrative expenditure linked to operational programmes and on administrative expenditure of the executive agencies. In this respect, it was decided to carry out targeted reductions on the basis of a similar approach as the one followed for the institutions.

Agencies: as regards the decentralised agencies, the Council also applied a similar approach as for the institutions. Therefore, a 1% reduction was retained in the contribution to Titles 1 and 2 of all agencies. As regards posts, a 1% reduction to the establishment plan was applied for the agencies at "cruising speed". Regarding agencies in charge of new tasks, only half of the new posts requested were accepted. For agencies in the "start-up" phase, the accepted new posts were limited to three-quarters of the requests.

activities/3/docs/0/text
  • The Council adopted its position on the draft budget of the European Union for 2013.

    The main features of the position are as follows:

    • EUR 149 776.77 million in commitment appropriations;
    • EUR 132 695.47 million in payment appropriations.

    Under the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013, commitment appropriations increase by 1.27% compared to the 2012 budget and payment appropriations increase by 2.79%.

    The total amount of payment appropriations provided for in the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013 corresponds to 0.99% of EU GNI.

    A. Generalities: the Council's position on the draft budget for 2013:

    • shows due regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline and sound financial management;
    • is within the framework of the budget guidelines established for the 2013 budget in the Council conclusions adopted in February 2012;
    • is an approach resulting in a budget that is both realistic and comprehensively balanced, that meets the conditions of budgetary discipline and sound financial management in seeking to make additional efforts in comparison to the draft budget put forward by the Commission;
    • provides adequate funding for the European Union's various priorities, by determining appropriations on the basis of the budget implementation rate in 2011, budget forecast alerts in 2012 and realistic absorption capacities, given the particularities of the various financial years. This approach was also followed with regard to allocations for administrative expenditures relating to the operational programmes and expenditures of the executive agencies;
    • ensures a limited and controlled growth of payment appropriations in line with 2012 under all headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework, adjusting the amounts on the basis of an analysis of the 2011 budget implementation and the 2012 budget forecast alerts. This approach should be seen in the context of the budgetary constraints applied in all Member States;
    • applies the same approach as that adopted in relation to the institutions’ administrative expenditures to those of the decentralised agencies;
    • leaves adequate margins under the ceilings of the headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial framework, with the exception of sub-heading 1b, in order to be able to cope with unforeseen situations while respecting, as far as possible, the amounts in commitment appropriations proposed by the Commission regarding co-decided programmes.

    Statement on payment appropriations: besides the abovementioned principles, the Council also approved a statement on payment appropriations calling on the Commission to submit as early as possible the letter of amendment for agriculture (including information about the possible carry-over of assigned revenue) and, if necessary, a letter of amendment concerning sub-heading 1b in order to appropriately calibrate the level of resources in heading 2 (Preservation and management of natural resources) and sub-heading 1b in the 2013 budget.

    Furthermore, the Council asks the Commission to submit a draft amending budget if the payment appropriations entered in the 2013 budget are insufficient to cover expenditure under:

    • sub-heading 1a (Competitiveness for growth and employment),
    • sub-heading 1b,
    • heading 2 and
    • heading 4 (EU as a global player).

    It urges the Commission to present as early as possible updated figures concerning the state of affairs and estimates regarding payment appropriations under sub-heading 1b and, if necessary, to present a draft amending budget for this sole purpose. The Council will take position on the draft amending budget as quickly as possible in order to avoid any shortfall in payment appropriations.

    B. Expenditure by heading of the financial framework: as to expenditure under the different headings of the financial framework the Council's position is as follows:

    Heading 1: Sustainable growth (EUR 70.055 billion in commitments):

    Sub-heading 1a: as regards competitiveness for growth and employment expenditure, the amount of this sub-heading totals EUR 15.563 billion in commitment appropriations, thus a reduction of EUR 469.15 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, of which EUR 35.51 million resulting from the approach taken in regard to administrative expenditure.

    The sub-heading is characterised by the following:

    • the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.77 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies(a total of 111 temporary posts are accepted);
    • the setting of the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 1 897.65 million in the appropriations requested in the DB of which EUR 151 million in the field of competitiveness, EUR 63.05 million in the field of transport, EUR 1 237.09 million in the field of research, EUR 104 million in the field of education and training, EUR 13.4 million in the field of social policy, EUR 202 million on budget lines related to the European economic recovery plan, EUR 50 million on the budget line for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund and EUR 77.1 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of an analysis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities.

    The margin available under sub-heading 1a would be EUR 560.1 million.

    Sub-heading 1b): expenditures on cohesion for growth and employment: the Council has foreseen an amount of EUR 54.492 billion in commitments. The other main points about this sub-heading are the following:

    • the establishment of the level of commitment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 7.4 million in the appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines related to administrative expenditure under this subheading;
    • the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1 599.74 million, resulting in an increase of 8.07 % in comparison with 2012. This amount represents a reduction in payment appropriations concentrated in the fields of the European Regional Development Fund (EUR 310 million), the European Social Fund (EUR 831 million) and the Cohesion Fund (EUR 459 million), representing an adjustment on the basis of the available information.

    The margin available under sub-heading 1b would be EUR 32.45 million.

    Heading 2: expenditure for preservation and management of natural resources: the amount for this heading is set at EUR 59.971 billion in commitment appropriations, thus involving a total reduction of EUR 336 million in commitment appropriations requested in the DB, of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts and EUR 4 million on the budget line for public awareness, on the basis of past and current budget implementation.

    Market-related expenditures and direct aids are set at EUR 43.795 billion (in commitment appropriations) by the Council, i.e. a reduction of 0.4% in comparison with 2012.

    Other points in regard to this budgetary heading include:

    • the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1.07 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies, (a total of 29 temporary posts accepted);
    • the setting of the level of payment appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 490.57 million, of which EUR 67 million in the field of agriculture, EUR 264 million on the budget line for clearance of accounts, EUR 100 million in the field of rural development, EUR 38 million in maritime affairs and fisheries, and EUR 20.5 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation. These amounts estimated on the basis of past budget implementation and available information may be reviewed in the light of the Autumn letter of amendment.

    The margin available under heading 2 would be EUR 1 317.55 million.

    Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: the allocation for this heading has been set at EUR 2.057 billion in commitment appropriations, divided between two sub-headings:

    3a) in regard to freedom, security and justice expenditure (EUR 1.377 billion in commitment appropriations), the Council requests:

    • the setting of the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 14.95 million commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities;
    • the fixing of the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 2.83 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies (a total of 45 temporary posts accepted);
    • the level of payment appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 50.97 million in the appropriations requested in the DB on a number of budget lines on the basis of past and current budget implementation;

    The margin available under sub-heading 3a would be EUR 283.72 million.

    3b) as regards citizenship expenditure (EUR 680 million in commitment appropriations), the Council has sought to:

    • set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 9.52 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines under this sub-heading on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities;
    • fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.84 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies;
    • set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 9.55 million the appropriations requested in the DB in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation.

    The available margin under sub-heading 3b would be EUR 35.10 million.

    Heading 4: the EU as a global player, the Council envisages a total amount of EUR 9.295 billion in commitment appropriations. It thus decided to:

    • set the level of commitment appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 171.7 million the commitment appropriations requested in the DB on a number of specific budget lines under this heading, on the basis of past and current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities;
    • fix the level of the appropriations for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.21 million in commitments and payments as a result of the approach followed for these agencies;
    • set the level of payment appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 1 034.29 million the appropriations requested in the DB, of which on the one hand EUR 924.29 million in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation as well as realistic absorption capacities, while, on the other hand, not retaining the amount of EUR 110 million proposed in the DB for the Emergency Aid Reserve.

    The margin available under Heading 4 would be EUR 563.64 million to cover any additional needs at a later stage.

    Heading 5: administrative expenditure: these amount to EUR 8.398 billion in commitment appropriations. The Council has decided to:

    • keep under strict control the volume of the administrative expenditure of the EU institutions, in line with the approach followed by the Member States for their national civil service;
    • set the administrative budget of each institution at the appropriate level, taking into account their specificities and real and justified needs, reducing by a total amount of EUR 146.18 million the commitment and payment appropriations requested in the DB;
    • increase the standard flat rate abatement on salaries for certain institutions and offices;
    • not accept the 1.7 % increase related to the 2011 salary adjustment;
    • apply the Commission's proposal to reduce staff by 1% per year as from 2013 to all institutions, with the exception of the very small institutions (European Ombudsman and European Data Protection Supervisor) and the recently created European External Action Service;
    • not accept the new posts requested by the European Ombudsman and the European Data Protection Supervisor;
    • accept the requested conversions, transformations, upgradings and transfers of posts, with the exception of non-obligatory transformations of posts requested by the Court of Justice of the European Union;
    • accept all additional staff requests related to the Croatia enlargement.

    This approach has resulted in an appropriate level of administrative expenditure ensuring a proper functioning of the institutions. A margin of EUR 782.77 million remains available under the ceiling of heading 5 of the multiannual financial framework. The Council also focused on administrative expenditure linked to operational programmes and on administrative expenditure of the executive agencies. In this respect, it was decided to carry out targeted reductions on the basis of a similar approach as the one followed for the institutions.

    Agencies: as regards the decentralised agencies, the Council also applied a similar approach as for the institutions. Therefore, a 1% reduction was retained in the contribution to Titles 1 and 2 of all agencies. As regards posts, a 1% reduction to the establishment plan was applied for the agencies at "cruising speed". Regarding agencies in charge of new tasks, only half of the new posts requested were accepted. For agencies in the "start-up" phase, the accepted new posts were limited to three-quarters of the requests.

activities/6/type
Old
Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading
New
EP 1R Plenary
activities/7
body
EC
date
2012-10-23T00:00:00
type
Prev DG PRES
commission
DG: url: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/budget/ title: Budget Commissioner: LEWANDOWSKI Janusz
procedure/summary
  • See also
activities/3
date
2012-07-25T00:00:00
docs
url: http://register.consilium.europa.eu/servlet/driver?page=Result&lang=EN&typ=Advanced&cmsid=639&ff_COTE_DOCUMENT=12749%2F12&fc=REGAISEN&srm=25&md=100 type: Council position on draft budget published title: 12749/2012
body
CSL
type
Council position on draft budget
committees/11/date
2012-02-29T00:00:00
committees/11/rapporteur
  • group: GUE/NGL name: DE JONG Cornelis
activities/2/docs/0/text
  • PURPOSE: to present the draft Commission budget for the financial year 2013 (all budget sections).

    CONTENT: the Commission adopted the draft EU budget for 2013. It will be the last annual budget of the present Multiannual Financial Framework 2007-2013. Aware of the current economic situation, the Commission will present a budget fully geared to use its funding potential for growth and jobs in line with the Europe 2020 strategy.

    Investment is a crucial component of spurring this growth; the EU budget, with its high investment focus, has an important role to play as a leverage tool to Member States’ recovery policies, which will benefit economic activity across the Union.

    In preparing its Draft Budget the Commission has followed a rigorous approach, in which:

    • an overall increase in the level of commitment appropriations that is restricted to inflation correction (+ 2.0 %) is combined with;
    • a targeted significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 6.8 %).

    This approach contributes directly to growth and jobs in Europe, and which on the other hand is necessary to allow the EU budget to meet its contractual obligations of current and previous years.

    In terms of commitment appropriations, the total expenditure proposed in the draft budget (DB) 2013 is EUR 150 931,7 million, corresponding to 1.13 % of GNI5, that is EUR 3 031,5 million more than in 2012 (+ 2.0 %). The restriction of the increase in the overall level of commitment appropriations to inflation correction (+ 2.0 %) leaves a combined total margin of EUR 2 420,4 million under the various ceilings of the MFF.

    For payment appropriations, the total amounts to EUR 137 924.4 million, corresponding to 1.04 % of GNI. This is an increase of EUR 8 818.3 million compared to payment  appropriations in the 2012 budget (+ 6.8 %), and leaves a margin of EUR 6 182.6 million under the ceiling of the MFF.

    The main priorities have been established for the 2013 Draft Budget: in 2013, the EU will pursue its support to investment and to actions in favour of job-friendly growth. This key political priority is reflected in the level of commitment appropriations requested in the Draft Budget. Competitiveness for growth and employment, with EUR 16 billion in commitment appropriations, and Cohesion for growth and employment, with EUR 54.5 billion in commitment appropriations, support the EU economy by shaping the conditions for sustainable growth and growth-friendly consolidation, both immediately and in the longer term.

    At the present final stage of the current financial framework, the Draft Budget for 2013 is established on the basis of a two-fold approach:

    1. appropriations for programmes and initiatives enhancing Growth and Jobs are maximised within the existing framework. Programmes supporting growth and job creation fall mainly under heading 1a ‘Competitiveness for growth and employment’ and heading 1b ‘Cohesion for growth and employment’. Overall, the proposed commitment appropriations directly linked to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy in 2013 increase by 2.7 % to EUR 64.5 billion. In particular, key programmes in support of Growth and Investments, SMEs, Employment and Youth which have proved their efficiency, as well the possible reprogramming of structural funds in eight Member States as announced in the European Council of January 2012, are expected to streamline funding to investments in the most critical areas and reinforce the efforts undertaken to address youth unemployment and support SMEs. These efforts are further complemented by new initiatives, mainly the proposed pilot phase for project bonds in the fields of transport, energy and ICT, as well as the proposed new risk-sharing instrument under the structural funds which aims at addressing liquidity problems faced by financial institutions, with a view to facilitate investment and growth;
    2. the allocation of appropriations is guided by the application of efficiency savings and reductions of administrative expenditure. The Commission’s draft budget request for 2013 incorporates a 1 % reduction in human resources, in accordance with the Communication ‘Budget for Europe 2020’ which proposes a 5 % staff reduction for all institutions over five years.

    Other characteristics of the 2013 budget:

    • a responsible and realistic budget: in the final year of the current financial framework, the required level of payment appropriations is largely determined by the project cycle. Consequently, the 2013 Draft Budget foresees significant increases – compared to 2012 – in payment appropriations for key policy areas geared towards investment, where programmes are now being implemented at full speed. In particular, increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1 % to EUR 9 billion) and for the structural and cohesion funds (+ 11.7 % to EUR 49 billion);
    • increased payment appropriations: the proposed increase in the overall level of payment appropriations (+ 6.8%) results from a thorough and rigorous analysis of needs in all policy areas. The proposed level of expenditure is a necessary consequence of the Union’s contractual obligation to honour the growing level of outstanding commitments of  current and previous years, now that the actual implementation of major programmes is clearly shifting into higher gear;
    • scrutinising performance: the Commission has carried out an in-depth examination of programmes and actions, in particular on the basis of past implementation and performance. The Commission proposal reflects the best possible use of the available appropriations for actions that carry the required EU added value, meet the Union’s political objectives and deliver results. A rigorous approach to programmes and actions experiencing implementation difficulties as well as to support expenditure has allowed the Commission to contain the budgetary requests under the various expenditure headings, while refocusing appropriations towards the Union's political priorities such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Youth and Employment and restricting the administrative expenditure including the administrative requirements for the accession of Croatia.

    Key aspects of the draft budget 2013 by financial framework headings:

    Heading 1 : Sustainable growth: this heading covers the expenses relating to competitiveness and employment as well as cohesion:

    • Heading 1a: Competitiveness for growth and employment: this sub-heading comprises the key policies in the implementation of the strategy "Europe 2020". Given the importance of spending on growth, a special effort was made for the Research Framework Programme (increased payment levels for the Research Framework Programmes (+ 28.1 % to EUR 9 billion); the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) will see a significant increase in the level of payment appropriations (+ 47.8 % to EUR 546.4 million); for the Lifelong Learning programme, a substantial increase in the level of payment appropriations is proposed (+ 15.8 % to EUR 1 186.0 million).
    • Commitment appropriations for this heading are set at EUR 16 032.0 million, which is an increase of 4.1 % compared to the 2012 budget. This leaves a margin of EUR 91 million. Payment appropriations increase by 17.8 % to EUR 13 552.8 million. This significant increase is in part due to additional payment needs to cover pre-financing payments for the growing  level of commitment appropriations for research, and in part to cover intermediate and final payments on outstanding commitments;
    • Heading 1b: Cohesion for growth and employment: for 2013, total commitment appropriations for heading 1b amount to EUR 54 498.9 million, an increase of 3.3 % relative to 2012. Of these, EUR 42 144.7 million are for the Structural Funds (ERDF and ESF), an amount similar to the 2012 envelope, and EUR 12 354.2 million for the Cohesion Fund. Overall payment appropriations are set at EUR 48 975.0 million, an increase of 11.7 % over 2012. The substantial increase in the level of payments shows the momentum of the 2007 – 2013 Cohesion policy on the ground, with the expected positive impact on investments, economic growth and job creation in the EU.

    Heading 2: Preservation and Management of Natural Resources: commitment appropriations of EUR 60 307.5 million are proposed for this heading. This level of funding represents an increase of 0.6 % compared to 2012 and leaves a margin of EUR 981.5 million under the ceiling. Payment appropriations amount to EUR 57 964.9 million, which is an increase of 1.6 % compared to 2012. Within this heading the amount foreseen for market related expenditure and direct aids reaches EUR 44 130.3 million in commitment appropriations, and EUR 44 112.9 million in payment appropriations.

    Heading 3: Citizenship, freedom, security and justice: this heading is split into two sub-headings:

    • Heading 3a: Freedom, Security and Justice: this sub-heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 1.8 %, rising to EUR 1 392.2 million, and leaving a margin of EUR 268.8 million. Payment appropriations increase by 11.1 % to EUR 928.3 million, mostly due to the four Funds under Solidarity and management of migration flows, which have now reached cruising speed and require substantial pre-financing payments to Member States.
    • Heading 3b: Citizenship: commitment appropriations decrease by 3.6 % to EUR 689.4 million, leaving a margin of EUR 25.6 million. Payment appropriations for this heading decrease by 3.1 % to EUR 646.3 million. If the EU Solidarity Fund (EUR 18.1 million for commitment and payment appropriations in 2012) is excluded from this comparison, commitment and payment appropriations decrease by 1.2 % and 0.4 % respectively. The annual ceiling for this heading, which supports various actions close to European citizens, remains broadly stable in the current financial framework.

    Heading 4: the EU as a Global Player: this heading sees an increase in commitment appropriations of 0.7 % to EUR 9 467.2 million, leaving an unallocated margin of EUR 391.9 million available under the ceiling. Payment appropriations on the other hand increase by 5.1 % to EUR 7 311.6 million, mostly due to increases under IPA, ENPI, Humanitarian aid and CFSP, at a time when many instruments are reaching cruising speed.

    Heading 5: Administrative expenditure: both commitment and payment appropriations for this heading for all Institutions combined increase by 3.2 %, with commitments set at EUR 8 544.4 million and payments at EUR 8 545.5 million. This increase includes additional administrative expenditure related to Croatia’s accession, amounting to EUR 32.9 million for all Institutions. The administrative expenditure related to Croatia is included as from the beginning of 2013, so as to allow recruitments in due time. This remaining margin amounts to EUR 636.6 million.

    The Commission continues its efforts to limit its own administrative expenditure by reducing expenditure less affected by automatic adjustments. Moreover, further to its proposals to reduce the staffing numbers of all Institutions and bodies by 5 % over the years 2013-2017, the Commission has reduced by 1 % the number of posts in its establishment plans and has contained appropriations for its external personnel financed under all headings (including in the six executive agencies), leading to a total staff reduction of 1 %. As a result, when excluding pensions and European schools (both of which concern interinstitutional expenditure), the increase in the Commission’s administrative expenditure has been limited to 1.2 % (1.5 % when including Croatia’s accession) i.e. well below inflation.

    The Commission’s strict approach to administration is to a large degree followed by the other Institutions, leading to an overall increase of administrative appropriations for the other Institutions of 2.6 % (3.3 % including Croatia). The requested increases in expenditure for 2013 (including Croatian enlargement) compared to the 2012 budget range from 1.2 % for the Council to 8.4 % for the Court of Justice, with most Institutions having an increase excluding Croatia around or below inflation. Similar to the Commission’s approach, a 1 % reduction in human resources is also incorporated by the Council, the Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors. When preparing the Draft Budget, the Commission has modified the request of the Committee of the Regions, so as to align its requested increase (excluding the impact of the accession of Croatia) to the expected rate of inflation (+ 1.9 %). This has resulted in a reduction of EUR 0.4 million, as compared to the draft statement of estimates of the Committee of the Regions.

    In conclusion, the Commission’s approach represents a responsible and coherent budgetary proposal which is refocused on Growth and Jobs. It is coherent with current restraints, efficient spending and the obligations of the Union. It provides a proposal which is both credible for a smooth and timely adoption of the 2013 budget and responsible for the future by containing the accumulation of outstanding commitments.

committees/10/date
2012-06-20T00:00:00
committees/10/rapporteur
  • group: S&D name: HONEYBALL Mary
committees/13/date
2012-06-18T00:00:00
committees/13/rapporteur
  • group: Verts/ALE name: BÜTIKOFER Reinhard
committees/15/date
2012-03-20T00:00:00
committees/15/rapporteur
  • group: EPP name: IACOLINO Salvatore
committees/19/date
2012-01-23T00:00:00
committees/19/rapporteur
  • group: ALDE name: MEISSNER Gesine
committees/6/date
2012-01-25T00:00:00
committees/6/rapporteur
  • group: EPP name: MITCHELL Gay
committees/18/date
2012-01-26T00:00:00
committees/18/rapporteur
  • group: S&D name: STAVRAKAKIS Georgios
activities
  • body: EP date: 2012-05-10T00:00:00 type: EP officialisation
  • date: 2012-05-15T00:00:00 body: CSL type: Council Meeting council: Economic and Financial Affairs ECOFIN meeting_id: 3167
  • date: 2012-05-25T00:00:00 docs: url: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=EN&type_doc=COMfinal&an_doc=2012&nu_doc=300 type: Commission draft budget published title: COM(2012)0300 body: EC commission: DG: url: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/budget/ title: Budget Commissioner: LEWANDOWSKI Janusz type: Commission draft budget
  • body: EP date: 2012-10-08T00:00:00 type: Deadline Amendments
  • date: 2012-10-10T00:00:00 body: EP type: Vote scheduled in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • date: 2012-10-23T00:00:00 body: EP type: Indicative plenary sitting date, 1st reading/single reading
committees
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: AFCO date: 2012-02-28T00:00:00 committee_full: Constitutional Affairs rapporteur: group: S&D name: GUERRERO SALOM Enrique
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: AFET date: 2012-03-06T00:00:00 committee_full: Foreign Affairs rapporteur: group: ALDE name: JÄÄTTEENMÄKI Anneli
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: AGRI date: 2011-10-05T00:00:00 committee_full: Agriculture and Rural Development rapporteur: group: EPP name: DE LANGE Esther
  • body: EP responsible: True committee: BUDG date: 2012-05-10T00:00:00 2012-05-10T00:00:00 committee_full: Budgets rapporteur: group: EPP name: LA VIA Giovanni group: S&D name: VAUGHAN Derek
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Budgetary Control committee: CONT
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: CULT date: 2012-01-23T00:00:00 committee_full: Culture and Education rapporteur: group: ALDE name: LØKKEGAARD Morten
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Development committee: DEVE
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ECON date: 2011-11-29T00:00:00 committee_full: Economic and Monetary Affairs rapporteur: group: ECR name: FOX Ashley
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: EMPL date: 2011-09-15T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: EPP name: BOULLAND Philippe
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: ENVI date: 2012-05-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Environment, Public Health and Food Safety rapporteur: group: S&D name: HAUG Jutta
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Women’s Rights and Gender Equality committee: FEMM
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Internal Market and Consumer Protection committee: IMCO
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: INTA date: 2012-05-29T00:00:00 committee_full: International Trade rapporteur: group: EPP name: ŠŤASTNÝ Peter
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Industry, Research and Energy committee: ITRE
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: JURI date: 2012-05-30T00:00:00 committee_full: Legal Affairs rapporteur: group: Verts/ALE name: LICHTENBERGER Eva
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs committee: LIBE
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: PECH date: 2012-01-24T00:00:00 committee_full: Fisheries rapporteur: group: EPP name: RIVELLINI Crescenzio
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: PETI date: 2012-05-08T00:00:00 committee_full: Petitions rapporteur: group: EFD name: SALAVRAKOS Nikolaos
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Regional Development committee: REGI
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Transport and Tourism committee: TRAN
links
other
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/budget/ title: Budget commissioner: LEWANDOWSKI Janusz
procedure
reference
2012/2092(BUD)
title
2013 general budget: all sections
stage_reached
Preparatory phase in Parliament
subtype
Budget
type
BUD - Budgetary procedure
subject
8.70.14 2013 budget