3.7.1999 L 168/19 Official Journal of the European Communities DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT of 4 May 1999 giving discharge in respect of the implementation of the budget for the financial year 1997 — Section IV: Court of Justice — Section V: Court of Auditors — Section VI, Part B: Committee of the Regions (1999/428/EC) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, 6. Considers that certain activities (Chapter 15), for which the appropriations allocated were judged insuf- ficient by the Court of Auditors, could have benefited from the large volume of funds arising partly as a — Having regard to Article 272(10) of the EC Treaty, — Having regard to Article 22(2) and (3) of the Financial Regulation, — Having regard to the revenue and expenditure account and the balance sheet for the 1997 financial year (SEC(98)0521 — C4-0353/98), — Having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control (A4-0199/99), Court of Justice 1. Notes the significant savings obtained by the conclu- result of the favourable movement in the ecu-Luxem- bourg franc conversion rate, thus helping to reduce the amount of appropriations cancelled; Committee of the Regions 7. Expresses its displeasure at the haphazard program- ming of the activities of the Committee of the Regions, which necessitated a major article-to-article transfer at the very beginning of the 1997 financial year; sion of a supplementary agreement to the leasing 8. Calls on the Committee of the Regions to improve agreement concerning the annexes to the Court significantly the quality of its budgetary forecasting to building, following the early payment of ECU 50 enable optimum use to be made of the financial million during the previous financial year; resources allocated to it by the budgetary authority; . Notes the undertaking by the Luxembourg Govern- 9. Recalls its request to the Court of Aud'itors to investi- ment to bear the cost of rehousing the occupants of gate the appropriateness and effectiveness of the the Court building in a replacement office block for measures taken by the Committee of the Regions, to the duration of the restoration and extension work on ensure that the irregularities identified in the 1996 the Court building, and the cost of removals to the annual report do not recur; requests the Court of replacement building and of the subsequent return to Auditors to submit a report on this matter by 30 the Court building when work is completed; September 1999; . Repeats its call on the Court of Justice to improve its 10. Gives discharge to the Registrar of the Court of financial forecasting (Article 27 0) and the manage- Justice and the Secretaries-General of the Court of ment of its budgetary resources (Item 14 1 0); Auditors and the Committee of the Regions in . respect of the implementation of their budgets for the . Disapproves of the use for the purchase of cars, 1997 financial year; following an article-to-article transfer, of appropri- . . . . 11. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the ations intended for computer equipment, which shows inefficient programming of work in the drafting of the budget; Court of Auditors 5. Recalls that the total number of new posts authorised in 1997 and 1998 is intended to guarantee stability in the establishment plan up to and including the year 2001; Institutions and the advisory body concerned and to arrange for its publication in the Official Journal (L series). The President José Maria GIL-ROBLES The Secretary-General Julian PRIESTLEY