L 146/26 Official Journal of the European Communities 16.5.98 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DECISION of 31 March 1998 giving discharge to the Commission in respect of the financial management of the sixth European Development Fund for the financial year 1996 (98/329/EC) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, — Having regard to the EC Treaty, — Having regard to the third ACP-EEC Convention ('), — Having regard to the balance sheets and revenue and expenditure accounts of the sixth and ( ( seventh European Development Funds for the 1996 financial year (SEC(97) 0938 — C4-0274/97), Having regard to the report and the Statement of Assurance of the Court of Auditors concerning the financial year 1996 and the replies of the institutions (3), Having regard to the Recommendation of the Council of 9 March 1998 (C4-0167/98), Having regard to the report of the Committte on Budgetary Control and the opinion of the Committee on Development and Cooperation (A4-0091/98), Gives discharge to the Commission in respect of the financial management of the sixth European Development Fund for the financial year 1996 on the basis of the following amounts: BALANCE SHEET OF THE SIXTH EDF AT 31 DECEMBER 1996 (ECU 1000) SITUATION ASSETS AS AT 31 DECEMBER 1996 Grants 4130078 Loans 924 402 Stabex 1451123 Sysmin 95855 Administrative costs 2340 SUBTOTAL 6 603 798 Liquid assets 402 493 Other current assets 879 573 Items under verification 33816 TOTAL 7 919 680 LIABILITIES Contributions called up 7 560 000 Other income 539 838 Transfers to the seventh EDF — 180158 Amount due to the sixth EDF — Other debtors (interest under verification) — TOTAL 7 919 680 ') OJ L 86, 31. 3. 1986. 2 JO C 348, 18. 11. 1997 (Volume I, Chapter 12 and Volume II, Part II).