On 15 April 2016, the Commission submitted to the Council draft amending budget (DAB) No 2 to the general budget for 2016 concerning the budgeting of the surplus resulting from the implementation of the budget year 2015.

To recall, the implementation of the budget year 2015 shows a surplus of EUR 1 349 116 813.74 resulting from:

• an over-registering in revenue (+ EUR 980 million),
• an under-spending of payment appropriations (+ EUR 187 million),
• a positive balance of monetary exchange (+ EUR 182 million).

The budgeting of this surplus will diminish accordingly the global contribution of Member States to the financing of the EU budget.

On 17 June 2016, the Council adopted its position on DAB No 2 to the general budget for 2016 as set out in the technical annex to its position on the DAB 2/2016.

The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by José Manuel FERNANDES (EPP, PT) on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 2/2016 of the European Union for the financial year 2016: Entering the surplus of the financial year 2015.

Members recalled that the Draft amending budget No 2/2016 aims to enter in the 2016 budget the surplus from the 2015 financial year, amounting to EUR 1 349 million.

The main components of that surplus are a positive outturn on income of EUR 980 million, an under-spending in expenditure of EUR 187 million, and exchange rate differences amounting to EUR 182 million.

Yet again, Members noted that the high rate of implementation in Section III (Commission) underlines the pressure on payment appropriations which still represented a key challenge in 2015 and which is expected to reappear in the last years of the current Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

Members observed that the adoption of Draft amending budget No 2/2016 will reduce the share of GNI contributions from Member States to the Union budget in 2016 by EUR 1 349 million. They urged, once again, the Member States to use the opportunity of such a reflow to honour their pledges in relation to the refugee crisis and to match the Union contribution to the two dedicated Union Trust Funds.

They also noted with concern that in spring 2016 Member States have only contributed EUR 82 million to the Africa Trust Fund and EUR 69 million to the Madad Trust Fund on the Syrian crisis, while the Union's contributions stand at EUR 1.8 billion and more than EUR 500 million respectively.

According to Members, instead of adjusting the GNI contribution, the Union budget should be enabled to reuse any surplus resulting from under-implementation of appropriations or from fines imposed on companies for breaching Union competition law in order to deal with its financing needs, especially in the context of payment shortages.

While hoping that this matter shall be settled as part of the revision of the MFF, Members called on the European Parliament to approve the Council position on Draft amending budget No 2/2016.

PURPOSE: to revise the substance of Council Decision 2003/174/EC establishing the Tripartite Social Summit for Growth and Employment (TSS) and repeal that Decision.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.

CONTENT : in a revised version of the draft decision, the Council decided to amend the substance of Decision 2003/174/EC on the Tripartite Social Summit for Growth and Employment as follows:

Task:  the task of the TSS will be to:

• ensure, in compliance with the TFEU and the TEU and with due regard for the powers of the institutions and bodies of the Union, that there is a continuous concertation between the European Council, the Council, the Commission and the social partners;
• enable the European social partners to contribute, in the context of their social dialogue, to the various components of the Union's strategy for growth and jobs;
• facilitate synergies between the actions of the European Council, the Council, the Commission and the social partners aimed at the promotion of growth, a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion and a high level of education, training and protection of human health.

Composition: the TSS will be comprised of:

• the Presidents of the European Council and the Commission,
• the current Council Presidency represented at the highest level
• the two subsequent Council Presidencies and
• the social partners.

As set out in the initial legislative proposal presented by the Commission on 31.10.2013:

• the social partners’ representatives shall be divided into two delegations of equal size comprising 10 workers’ representatives and 10 employers’ representatives, taking into account the need to ensure a balanced participation between men and women;
• each delegation shall consist of representatives of European cross-industry organisations, either representing general interests or more specific interests of supervisory and managerial staff and small and medium-sized businesses at European level;
• technical coordination shall be provided for the workers’ delegation by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and for the employers’ delegation by the Confederation of European Business (BUSINESSEUROPE).

Technical provisions are set out as regards:

• the preparation of the Summit;
• the operation (the Summit shall meet at least twice a year. The meetings shall be held before the respective spring and autumn sessions of the European Council);
• information on the Summit’s discussions.