PURPOSE: definitive adoption of amending budget No 4 of the European Union for the financial year 2013.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision 2013/690/EU, Euratom.

CONTENT: the European Parliament definitively adopted amending budget 4/2013 in accordance with its resolution of 11 September 2013 (please see the summary of that resolution.)

This Draft amending budget No 4/2013 aims to modify:

· the establishment plans of the European GNSS Agency by adding 20 posts due to the new tasks entrusted to it,

· the establishment plans of the executive agency Education Audiovisual and Culture (EACEA) by adding 2 temporary agents and 13 contract agents due to the extension of its mandate,

· the establishment plans of the Court of Justice by adding 7 posts needed for the additional Advocate General of the Court.

These reinforcements are presented as budgetary neutral .

The European Parliament adopted by 612 votes to 84, with 13 abstentions, a resolution approving, unamended, the Council position on Draft amending budget No 4/2013 of the European Union for the financial year 2013, Section III – Commission, Section IV – Court of Justice of the European Union.

Parliament recalls that the Draft amending budget No 4/2013 aims at:

modifying the establishment plans of the European GNSS Agency by adding 20 posts due to the new tasks entrusted to it, modifying the establishment plans of the executive agency EACEA by adding 2 temporary agents and 13 contract agents due to the extension of its mandate, modifying the establishment plans of the Court of Justice by adding 7 posts needed for the additional Advocate General of the Court.

The proposed reinforcements are presented as budgetary neutral;

Parliament notes with regard to the staff increase for the European GNSS Agency, that the offsetting through reductions in Commission staff will not start immediately in 2013 but will only be fully accomplished in the course of the next MFF period.

It is concerned about the misleading presentation of staff savings with regard to the Commission's establishment plan and notes that 13 contract agents and 2 posts are freed in Commission's direct services but added to the EACEA establishment plan.

Given that all executive agencies are part of Commission's administration, no removal from the Commission's budget, as presented, can be detected . Parliament intends to support the additional posts for the Court of Justice which the Commission omitted in this Draft, in the context of the annual budgetary procedure 2014.

At the same time, the European Parliament approves, unamended, the Council position on Draft amending budget No 4/2013.

The Committee on Budgets adopted the joint report by Giovanni LA VIA (EPPE, IT) and Derek VAUGHAN (S&D, UK) on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 4/2013 of the European Union for the financial year 2013, Section III – Commission, Section IV – Court of Justice of the European Union.

Members recall that the Draft amending budget No 4/2013 aims at :

modifying the establishment plans of the European GNSS Agency by adding 20 posts due to the new tasks entrusted to it, modifying the establishment plans of the executive agency EACEA by adding 2 temporary agents and 13 contract agents due to the extension of its mandate, modifying the establishment plans of the Court of Justice by adding 7 posts needed for the additional Advocate General of the Court.

The proposed reinforcements are presented as budgetary neutral;

Members are concerned about the misleading presentation of staff savings with regard to the Commission's establishment plan and notes that 13 contract agents and 2 posts are freed in Commission's direct services but added to the EACEA establishment plan.

Given that all executive agencies are part of Commission's administration, no removal from the Commission's budget, as presented, can be detected . They intend to support the additional posts for the Court of Justice which the Commission omitted in this Draft, in the context of the annual budgetary procedure 2014.

At the same time, Members call on the European Parliament to approve, unamended, the Council position on Draft amending budget No 4/2013.

On 29 April 2013, the Commission submitted to the Council draft amending budget (DAB) No 4/2013 regarding modifications to the establishment plans of the European GNSS Agency (GSA), the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) and the Court of Justice.

Following the revision of the GSA Regulation, the Agency would need 20 additional AD posts to carry out preparatory tasks for the establishment of the new governance model.

The request relating to EACEA concerns 2 additional AD posts and a transfer of contract agents (13 FTE) from the Commission necessary to pursue the extension of the Agency's mandate.

As regards the Court of Justice, 7 additional posts (4 AD and 3 AST) requested by the Court would be assigned to the private office of the newly created Advocate General.

All these requests are budgetary neutral .

On 15 July 2013, the Council adopted its position on draft amending budget No 4/2013 as set out in the technical annex to the explanatory memorandum of this Council draft amending budget.

On 29 April 2013, the Commission submitted to the Council draft amending budget (DAB) No 4/2013 regarding modifications to the establishment plans of the European GNSS Agency (GSA), the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) and the Court of Justice.

Following the revision of the GSA Regulation, the Agency would need 20 additional AD posts to carry out preparatory tasks for the establishment of the new governance model.

The request relating to EACEA concerns 2 additional AD posts and a transfer of contract agents (13 FTE) from the Commission necessary to pursue the extension of the Agency's mandate.

As regards the Court of Justice, 7 additional posts (4 AD and 3 AST) requested by the Court would be assigned to the private office of the newly created Advocate General.

All these requests are budgetary neutral .

On 15 July 2013, the Council adopted its position on draft amending budget No 4/2013 as set out in the technical annex to the explanatory memorandum of this Council draft amending budget.

PURPOSE : presentation of Draft Amending Budget (DAB) No 4 for the year 2013 which seeks to review Section III – Commission and Section IV – Court of Justice of the European Union – of the European Union budget.

CONTENT : this DAB 4/2013 covers the following :

the modification of the establishment plan of the European GNSS Agency (GSA), reflecting a request for 20 additional establishment plan posts (all AD posts). The corresponding increase in the EU contribution to the GSA amounts to EUR 1 750 000, and is proposed to be financed by internal redeployment of resources within the existing budgetary envelope of the GNSS programme; the modification of the establishment plan of the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), reflecting a request for 2 additional establishment plan posts (both AD posts), offset by 2 freed posts in the Commission’s establishment plan. This is part of an extension of the mandate of the agency, which also entails a transfer of contract agents (13 FTE) from the Commission to the EACEA. This translates into an overall increase in the EU contribution to the running costs of the agency, amounting to EUR 1 516 000, which is proposed to be financed by a corresponding reduction of appropriations for staff and administrative support expenditure in the Commission ; the modification of the establishment plan of the Court of Justice of the European Union , reflecting the creation of an additional Advocate General and a corresponding request for 7 additional establishment plan posts (4 AD and 3 AST posts). This is proposed to be financed by the available appropriations within the Court’s section of the budget .

These adjustments are budgetary neutral , since the proposed reinforcements of the EU contribution to the two agencies are fully offset by corresponding reductions in related expenditure in the Commission’s section of the budget, whereas the additional staff for the Court of Justice is to be financed by the available appropriations within its own section.

PURPOSE : presentation of Draft Amending Budget (DAB) No 4 for the year 2013 which seeks to review Section III – Commission and Section IV – Court of Justice of the European Union – of the European Union budget.

CONTENT : this DAB 4/2013 covers the following :

the modification of the establishment plan of the European GNSS Agency (GSA), reflecting a request for 20 additional establishment plan posts (all AD posts). The corresponding increase in the EU contribution to the GSA amounts to EUR 1 750 000, and is proposed to be financed by internal redeployment of resources within the existing budgetary envelope of the GNSS programme; the modification of the establishment plan of the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), reflecting a request for 2 additional establishment plan posts (both AD posts), offset by 2 freed posts in the Commission’s establishment plan. This is part of an extension of the mandate of the agency, which also entails a transfer of contract agents (13 FTE) from the Commission to the EACEA. This translates into an overall increase in the EU contribution to the running costs of the agency, amounting to EUR 1 516 000, which is proposed to be financed by a corresponding reduction of appropriations for staff and administrative support expenditure in the Commission ; the modification of the establishment plan of the Court of Justice of the European Union , reflecting the creation of an additional Advocate General and a corresponding request for 7 additional establishment plan posts (4 AD and 3 AST posts). This is proposed to be financed by the available appropriations within the Court’s section of the budget .

These adjustments are budgetary neutral , since the proposed reinforcements of the EU contribution to the two agencies are fully offset by corresponding reductions in related expenditure in the Commission’s section of the budget, whereas the additional staff for the Court of Justice is to be financed by the available appropriations within its own section.