Resolution on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 1999 as modified by the Council (all sections) and on Letter of Amendment No 1/99 to the preliminary draft budget for 1999 - Section III - Commission
C 98/212 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 9. 4. 1999 Thursday 17 December 1998 PART II Texts adopted by the European Parliament 1. 1999 general budget A4-0500/98 Resolution on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 1999 as modified by the Council (all sections) and on Letter of Amendment No 1/99 to the preliminary draft budget for 1999 › Section III › Commission The European Parliament, − having regard to the Treaty on European Union, − having regard to the Council Decisions of 24 November 1998 on the draft budget for 1999 as amended and modified by Parliament at first reading (C4-0600/98), − having regard to Letter of Amendment No 1 to the preliminary draft budget for 1999 − Section III Commission (SEC(98)1766), − having regard to Letter of Amendment No 1 to the draft general budget of the European Communities for 1999 established by the Council on 24 November 1998 (C4-0666/98), − having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 29 October 1993 on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary procedure ( 1) and the financial perspective attached thereto, as revised and adjusted most recently on 2 April 1998 ( 2), − having regard to its resolutions of 2 April 1998 on the guidelines for the 1999 budget( 3), − having regard to its resolution of 2 July 1998 on the ad hoc procedures for the 1999 budget as provided for in the Interinstitutional Agreements of 29 October 1993 on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary procedure and 16 July 1997 on provisions regarding financing of the common foreign and security policy, and in the procedure concerning financing international fisheries agreements, pursuant to the Joint Declaration of 12 December 1996( 4), − having regard to the Financial Regulation, and in particular Articles 15 and 26 thereof, and the deliberations of the competent committees on such transfers, − having regard to the report of the Court of Auditors on the financial year 1997( 5), − having regard to its deliberations and amendments adopted at first reading and its resolutions adopted on 22 October 1998 on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 1999 (Sections I, II, III, IV, V and VI) ( 6), − having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets and the opinion of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (A4-0500/98), (1) OJ C 331, 7. 12. 1993, p. 1. (2) OJ C 138, 4. 5. 1998, p. 155. (3) OJ C 138, 4. 5. 1998, pp. 149 and 153. (4) OJ C 226, 20. 7. 1998, p. 46. (5) OJ C 349, 18. 11. 1997. (6) Minutes of that sitting, Part II, Item 1(a) and (b). 9. 4. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 98/213 Thursday 17 December 1998 A. whereas the Council’s draft budget of 24 November 1998 has increased commitments by EUR 392 million and reduced payments by EUR 336 million over the Council’s first reading; whereas the Council’s draft budget remains at 1,10% of GNP in terms of payment appropriations, while the own resources ceiling is 1,27% of GNP; whereas the Council’s draft budget has increased payment appropriations by 2,36% over 1998, B. whereas the draft budget was established by Parliament as a bridge between the financial perspective for the period 1993-1999 and that which may be negotiated for the period after 1999; whereas some Council members have recognised this, claiming the 1999 budget as the base for the following years’ perspective; whereas the 1999 budget heralds the third stage of Economic and Monetary Union and should be the first budget under which the Treaty of Amsterdam is implemented, C. whereas the Council Presidencies have showed themselves ready to engage in a meaningful dialogue with Parliament throughout the year, in trialogues and other high-level meetings on 21 January, 23 February, 31 March, 23 June, 16 July, 13 October, 12-13 and 17 November and 1 December, and as demonstrated in the conciliations with the Council on 17 July, 24 November and 8 December 1998, D. whereas the Council has adopted 144 amendments from Parliament’s first reading and modified 59 or rejected 62 (a total of 121 amendments or modifications); whereas the Council has accepted all the amendments in Sections I, including the Annex for the Ombudsman, IV, V and VI, E. whereas it was committed to maintaining payments roughly in line with the average increase of Member States’ budgets as compared with their 1998 budgets, conditional upon the attainment of common positions between the two arms of the budgetary authority on key elements such as compliance with paragraph 21 of the Interinstitutional Agreement; more realistic forecasts of agricultural and fisheries expenditure through the presentation of a late Letter of Amendment to the PDB; an agreement on legal bases; the scrutiny of the effectiveness of all expenditure entered in the budget; the monitoring of the implementation of the budget, emphasising the quality rather than the quantity of expenditure, and continuing the fight against fraud, F. whereas paragraph 17 of the abovementioned Interinstitutional Agreement of 29 October 1993 stipulates that the two arms of the budgetary authority agree to accept, for each of the financial years from 1993 to 1999, the maximum rates of increase for non-compulsory expenditure deriving from the budgets established within the ceilings set by the financial perspective, G. whereas the Early Warning System’s communication No 12 shows that ECU 1,4 billion has not been spent from the appropriations for the 1998 EAGGF; whereas the Council has adopted a new heading for food aid for Russia in its first reading of Draft Supplementary and Amending Budget 1/98 with ECU 400 million against the heading, H. whereas Parliament has decided to adopt the 1999 budget at EUR 96 929 million in commitment appropriations and EUR 85 558 million in payment appropriations, which represents 1,10 % of GNP, 1. Approves the budget decisions to confirm its first-reading priorities and to provide adequate funding for the major priorities designated by Parliament and by Council at their first readings while respecting budgetary rigour; 2. Welcomes, for the second year, the fact that these decisions of the budgetary authority were made largely through joint efforts; recalls that these priorities include creation of employment throughout the European Union; fostering education and training, and research and development, working towards the concept of the ‘Europe of knowledge’; protecting the environment and taking measures to reduce climate change in the world; strengthening the European Union in the world through a coherent development policy capable of reaching internationally set targets; and more intensive monitoring of implementation and real effectiveness of all programmes in order to strengthen and sustain the process of economic convergence; Notes that the Council is beginning to assume its role as a political interlocutor in the budgetary 3. process, and proposed a compromise for the 1999 budget, containing many elements in all expenditure headings, concerning both the 1998 and 1999 budgets, and a possible future interinstitutional agreement on future financial arrangements; considers that the negotiation of this compromise is a step towards genuine budgetary co-decision, which is sought by Parliament; C 98/214 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 9. 4. 1999 Thursday 17 December 1998 4. Notes that when the budgetary authority acts in close cooperation, it benefits the Union as a whole and its citizens; expects this message to be taken to heart by Council in its consideration of a new financial perspective and in its negotiations with Parliament on a possible future interinstitutional agreement; 5. Welcomes the joint declaration of the three institutions made on 8 December 1998 on flexibility in the new interinstitutional agreement; welcomes the acceptance by the Council of majority voting for the proposed instrument and the concept of co-decision for the mobilisation of the facility; calls on its committee responsible to implement this guideline in the negotiations for the revision of the interinstitutional agreement and financial perspective; 6. Welcomes the application of the legal bases agreement through principles established by common accord between the three institutions; welcomes Council’s acceptance of Parliament’s initiatives through pilot projects and preparatory actions aimed at Union support for activities in the field of social exclusion, multicultural integration, gender discrimination, and refugees and asylum seekers, aid to the disabled and to combat violence against, and ill-treatment of, women and children; now expects these to be fully implemented in 1999 by the Commission; calls on its committees to review the implementation of these projects and actions during the year, so as to provide input into the following budgetary procedure and legislative programme; 7. Notes that, as a general rule for headings where legal bases are outstanding, appropriations are being placed in the reserve, but reminds the Council of its undertaking on 17 July 1998 to speed up the legislative process for actions where a legal basis has already been proposed; furthermore, asks the Commission to specify, in its annual legislative programme for 1999, those proposals which are pending before the legislative authority the adoption of which is necessary for the implementation of the budget, and the timetable foreseen for such adoption; requests the Commission to encourage the two arms of the legislative authority to co-operate in ensuring the rapid adoption of the necessary legal bases, and to indicate to the budgetary authority any problems that will arise, notably as 1999 is an election year; instructs all its committees to take steps to ensure regular review and follow-up of this matter; 8. Takes note of the Commission’s late Letter of Amendment 1/99; welcomes the final outcome of negotiations between the two arms of the budgetary authority in accepting the new updated figures for many headings, with the total amount for B1 (EAGGF) remaining EUR 40 440 million; welcomes the increase in funding for the agri-environmental measures (B1-5011) through a reserve of EUR 20 million, and the reserve of EUR 80 million from headings in B1-15 (‘Fruit and vegetables’) and in B1-20 (‘Milk and milk products’); notes that the Council has created a new heading B1-315 (‘Food aid for Russia’) with a token entry, as a budgetary frame for a carryover of EUR 400 million from 1998; 9. Notes that the Council rejected Parliament’s proposal to place in the reserve part of the appropriations for heading 2, which aimed to facilitate the carryover thereof to the 2000 financial year and thus to compensate for foreseeable low implementation by certain Member States in 1999; considers that low implementation of heading 2 appropriations by certain Member States will nevertheless occur in 1999; underlines the fact that the total of appropriations under this heading has to be considered an expenditure target, as Parliament has recalled on numerous occasions; recalls that the regions concerned need such funding to encourage their economic and social development; calls therefore on the Commission, if necessary, to request the budgetary authority to carry over unused Structural Fund appropriations to the financial year 2000 in the same way as has hitherto been done; 10. Notes that it has once again found funding for the Peace and for the Rechar, Resider and Regis II Community initiatives; calls on the Commission and the Member States concerned to make greater efforts to ensure that these appropriations are fully utilised; 11. Welcomes the accord reached by the two arms of the budgetary authority, compensating the funding used for administrative purposes over the last few years for the operational needs of the Socrates and Youth for Europe programmes within the financial framework agreed in co-decision, and pursuant to the Joint Declaration by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission of 6 March 1995 concerning the inclusion of financial provisionis in legislative decisions( 1); takes note of the observance by Council of Parliament’s priorities regarding Europe of Knowledge by accepting Parliament’s allocation for Leonardo and Connect, while Council proposed the addition of the funding for the extra year of the Kaleidoscope and Ariane programmes for an amount of EUR 10,2 million and EUR 4,3 million respectively; (1) OJ C 102, 4. 4. 1996, p. 4. 9. 4. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 98/215 Thursday 17 December 1998 12. Records that, in accordance with the results of conciliation on the Fifth EU R&D Framework Programme, the total amount for research, technological development and demonstration in the 1999 budget is EUR 3 450 million, which represents about 54% of the maximum amount foreseen in the financial perspective for heading 3 in 1999, within the range for the share of research as laid down by the European Council at the 1992 Edinburgh Summit (50 to 66,66%); notes that appropriations for the EC programme total EUR 3 140 million in 1999, and for the Euratom programme EUR 310 million; nevertheless agrees with the Council’s second-reading estimates, which also reflect the breakdown between budget lines proposed by the Commission; 13. Welcomes the Council’s acceptance of actions for refugees, given the forthcoming ratification of the Treaty of Amsterdam, which transfers this policy area from the Third Pillar to the First; urges the Commission to submit promptly the appropriate legal basis allowing the Union to give its support to this policy for refugees and asylum seekers; 14. Agrees to transfer to Part A of the budget the appropriations in Part B for conferences and congresses authorised by the 1993 communication, with a view to clarifying the operational nature of appropriations in Part B and to supporting the MAP 2000 decentralisation process; 15. Takes note of the Agencies’ commitment to respect the proposed Code of Conduct aiming to increase transparency and ensure the forwarding of budgetary information to the budgetary authority; therefore proposes to release the amounts entered in the reserve, considering that the Commission should be as involved as the Agencies themselves in such a process; 16. Is still not convinced of the immediate capacity of the receiving countries to absorb the extra funding foreseen by the European Council for the PHARE programme, but wishes to fix realistic spending targets for EU funding in the applicant countries to allow them and the Union to fulfil the expectations of their citizens in the run-up to accession; agrees therefore to increase commitment appropriations by more than EUR 48 million over its first reading; decides to enter those appropriations in the reserve (B0-40), pending information on improvement of beneficiary countries’ take-up capacity; 17. Enters the previous year’s amount against B7-502, pending a coordinated Regulation (between PHARE/CBC and Interreg) to improve and speed up cross-border projects at the frontiers between the EU and Central and Eastern European countries, and points out that it must be consulted before its adoption; expects a practice-oriented Regulation, which respects the needs on the spot; asks for effective involvement of the concerned regions in the implementation of the programmes; 18. Agrees with the common approach that has been negotiated to strengthen a number of external actions, initially radically reduced by the Council in first reading, such as rehabilitation activities, reconstruction in Latin America, actions promoting democracy and respect for human rights, tropical forests, and non-governmental organisations working in developing countries; Agrees with the decision to place EUR30 million in the reserve for B7-541 (Measures for 19. reconstruction of the republics formerly part of Yugoslavia), to be released once the Commission has come forward with a new consolidated draft regulation for this action for the period after 2000; Approves the budgetary decision on the reserve in connection with TACIS funding, in view of the 20. measures proposed for emergency aid to Russia; insists that the appropriations to be allocated to this initiative shall also cover the necessary controls on the spot in order to avoid any misuse of the EU aid and to avoid any risk of re-export, or exports of the same products, and shall be conditional upon adequate anti-fraud measures, guarantees as to the local use of the products in Russia, assurance of proper distribution to the neediest and most vulnerable regions, and adequate finance for real needs; insists furthermore that any revenue generated be used in the social and health sectors in cooperation with the Red Cross and other non-governmental organisations; requires the Commission to report back to the budgetary authority regularly on the implementation of this aid; 21. Agrees to place against heading B7-531 a further EUR3 million in appropriations for exceptional financial assistance for Armenia and Georgia, and underlines the fact that during the trialogue of 17 November 1998 the two arms of the budgetary authority recognised the earlier accord that the overall reference amount would be EUR50 million for the period 1997-2001; C 98/216 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 9. 4. 1999 Thursday 17 December 1998 22. Notes that the Commission proposals to increase payment appropriations for the TACIS (EUR 25 million), cooperation with Asia (EUR 30 million) and tropical forests (EUR 5 million) were not accepted under the 1998 Notenboom procedure; expects the Commission to propose, during 1999, by means of transfers or if necessary a SAB, the topping-up of appropriations which could be necessary for external policy; 23. Notes that the Council has adopted the European Parliament amendment on Tropical Forests (B7-6201) fixing the total amount to EUR45 million in commitment appropriations; urges the Commission to reinforce the budget item during the 1999 financial year, if it is necessary, by transfer or through a supplementary budget, in order to enter the appropriations previously envisaged by Parliament and to make possible the full implementation of this programme. 24. Welcomes the reduction of the item in the B0-40 reserve for international fisheries agreements proposed by the Commission in its late Letter of Amendment 1/99; notes, however, the long delay in receiving the necessary confidential information on this matter and insists that the Commission respect the time limits imposed; Takes note of the requirements presented by the Commission, and the formal commitment made by 25. Commissioner Liikanen, to ensure future transparency on the level of administrative and technical assistance for each Union action or programme funded in Part B; considers that verification of the use of operational appropriations for administrative purposes requires the following principles to be observed, and has made the appropriate budget decisions accordingly: − a general ban on using Part B appropriations for administrative expenditure in the interests of the Commission, unless duly authorised in the remarks against the specific budget heading; − authorisation in the remarks against specific headings, where the existence of such expenditure is permitted, with a ceiling; − entry of an amount of EUR 17 million to finance part of such activities in Part A of the budget; requests the Commission to provide full details of such exceptions by 30 April 1999, when the 2000 preliminary draft budget is submitted, such as the funding needs, the number of persons and cost per person/year, the type of contract (intra/extra muros), the purposes of the support, and the controls carried out, and requires it to report on the application of these decisions so that the results can be taken into account in the first reading by Parliament of the 2000 draft budget; confirms that all amounts used beyond the ceiling agreed by the budgetary authority, and not declared and specifically authorised, will be considered a violation that is subject to disciplinary measures; invites the Commission to include these principles in the forthcoming proposal for the recasting of the Financial Regulation; Reserves Decides to place appropriations in the reserve for the headings listed in the Annex, so as to 26. supervise closely the implementation of these headings during the 1999 financial year; recalls the conditions for their release as indicated in the amendments it has adopted; agrees to release the appropriations once the conditions set by Parliament are fulfilled; Repeats its call to the Commission to submit all transfers of appropriations entered in Chapter 27. B0-40, for specific headings, as far as possible before 15 September 1999; calls on the Commission to notify the budgetary authority in full no later than 10 days prior to the latter’s deliberations thereon; such proposals for transfers must be submitted separately from the Notenboom-Bourlanges global transfer, and from any supplementary and amending budget proposed in the last four months of the year; Commits itself to evaluating interinstitutional cooperation, and to encouraging it in identified 28. priority areas so as to achieve the synergy and economies that have been forecast; Approves its budget decision to allocate subsidies from the Union budget (Part A of the budget) to 29. organisations and projects receiving support also from other sources; commits itself to watching closely the implementation of the subsidies system and encourages further improvement of internal procedures, so as to reduce the waiting time for recipients and to avoid duplication of subsidy from the two parts of the budget; 9. 4. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 98/217 Thursday 17 December 1998 30. Accepts the Council’s proposal to leave 50% in the reserve for the four items A-7030 to A-7033, in order to maintain pressure on all sides to come to an equitable and effective solution on the new commitology structure, before the beginning of May 1999, after real trilateral negotiations; notes that the conditions for the release of the funding represent the main lines of Parliament’s mandate on this matter adopted in September 1998; Pensions 31. Regrets that Council has not been playing a constructive role in the reshaping of the pension system for staff of the European institutions, although it had been defined as a common priority by both arms of the budgetary authority; insists nevertheless on improving transparency of and bringing up-to-date the pension system and centralising it in the Commission; repeats its request to the Commission to present by 31 March 1999 a proposal for reform of the pension system for the staff and other servants of the institutions and bodies of the Union, which should center around greater transparency and the elimination of elements of inter-generational redistribution; asks the Commission to make a proposal for the amendments to the Staff Regulations which might be needed, e. g. for the establishment of a fund; Other institutions 32. Notes that, apart from the amendments made by the Parliament to its own budget and to that of the Ombudsman, for the second time the Council has endorsed Parliament’s first reading of the draft budget (other institutions) without amendment; Once more underscores the vital need for the institutions to take on ownership of the buildings 33. used, since this would entail major savings for future Union budgets; 34. Calls on the Court of Justice to make changes to its translation policy, including through the use of computer-assisted translation systems, at least for administrative and bureaucratic texts, so as to be able to keep the total number of documents to be translated under control and to use lawyer-linguists solely for legal translation work; calls furthermore for it to submit to the budgetary authority proposals to facilitate its translation policy; 35. Calls on the Economic and Social Committee to change its internal rules in such a way as to bring the number of meetings and working parties into line with the recent reduction of the number of specialist sections from nine to six; 36. Calls on the Committee of the Regions to submit to the budgetary authority solutions which are technically and financially implementable concerning the forthcoming expiry of its Secretary-General’s term of office, and with a view to strengthening management structures in response to the increasingly heavy work load following ratification of the Treaty of Amsterdam; 37. Calls on the administrations of the Commission, Council, Parliament, the Court of Justice and the Court of Auditors, as well as of the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and their Joint Structure, to have a study made, within inter-institutional cooperation, on the environmental aspects of their administration. The study should include a timetable for the implementation of the proposals resulting from the study. The study should cover the following areas: general administration, mobility and transport and energy policy. The study should be available at the latest on 1 April 1999 in order to take the required actions on board in the preliminary draft budgets of the institutions and bodies mentioned for the year 2000; the studies will be made available to both arms of the budgetary authority. Margins 38. Notes the margins remaining available for a possible supplementary and amending budget of Euro 4,748 billion in heading 1, EUR 524 million in heading 3, EUR 962 million in heading 4 and EUR 220 million in heading 5; Final provisions 39. Expects the Council − with a view to continuing the negotiations on signing a new Interinstitutional Agreement and a new Financial Perspective − to comply with the provisions of paragraph 17 of the current IIA of 29 October 1993; C 98/218 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 9. 4. 1999 Thursday 17 December 1998 40. Considers that the Council’s failure to comply with the provisions of paragraph 17 of the Interinstitutional Agreement, referred to above, means that the Council is unilaterally terminating the aforementioned Agreement and the Financial Perspective annexed thereto; 41. Instructs its President to designate the budgetary act as the budget of the European Union; Instructs its President to forward these budgetary decisions to the Council, the Commission and the 42. institutions and advisory bodies concerned. 1999 BUDGET Appropriations entered in reserve B0-40 (*) and Reports requested ANNEX (EUR mio (rounded)) Line Heading (before EP second reading) Appropriations ca pa Conditions for release Report B1-1501 B1-1502 Fresh fruit and vegetables − Compensation for withdrawals and buying in 20,0 20,0 Commission has to prove that there is a need for these appropriations. Fresh fruit and vegetables − Operational fund for producer organisations 20,0 20,0 Commission has to prove that there is a need for these appropriations. B1-2002 Refunds on cheese 40,0 40,0 Commission has to prove that there is a need for these appropriations. B1-300 Refunds on cereals exported in the form of certain spirituous beverages 18,0 18,0 Commission has to prove that there is a need for these appropriations. B1-3010 Cereals and rice 36,0 36,0 Commission has to prove that there is a need for these appropriations. B1-3012 Skimmed milk and other milk products 5,0 5,0 Commission has to prove that there is a need B1-3014 Eggs for these appropriations. 1,0 1,0 Commission has to prove that there is a need for these appropriations. B1-310 Distribution of agricultural products deprived persons in the Community to 10,0 10,0 Commission has to prove that there is a need for these appropriations. B1-312 School milk 10,0 10,0 Commission has to prove that there is a need B1-3601 Monitoring and preventative measures − Direct payments by the European Community 10,0 for these appropriations. 10,0 Release áafter an assessment of the pro- grammesí and after a new work programme has been presented (Am. 12) yes B1-3800 B1-3801 Promotion measures − Payments by the Member States 10,0 10,0 Commission has to prove that there is a need for these appropriations. Promotion measures − Direct payments by the European Community 5,0 5,0 Commission has to prove that there is a need for these appropriations. B1-5011 Environment 20,0 20,0 Commission has to prove that there is a need for these appropriations. (*) On a proposal from the Commission and accepted by the budgetary authority, or on the initiative of one of the two arms of the budgetary authority. References are to first reading amendments (Annex to the minutes of the sitting of Thursday, 22 October 1998 and corrigendum) unless otherwise indicated. 9. 4. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 98/219 Thursday 17 December 1998 Line Heading (before EP second reading) Appropriations ca pa Conditions for release Report B2-513 Restructuring of systems for agricultural sur- veys 2,0 0,0 Commission has to prove that there is a need for these appropriations. B3-2001N Kaleidoscope 10,2 pm Awaiting legal basis B5-336 B5-600 B5-803 B7-500 B7-536 B7-541 B7-651 B3-2002N Ariane B3-4304 Health and well-being B5-303 Customs 2000 Action against illegal and harmful content on the Internet Policy on statistical information concerned with non-member countries Policy on asylum-seekers and other displaced persons 4,1 5,4 12,0 5,5 8,0 5,0 pm Awaiting legal basis 3,3 Awaiting legal basis. 1,6 Awaiting legal basis. 1,0 Awaiting legal basis 3,0 Awaiting legal basis. 0 Awaiting legal basis. Aid for economic restructuring of countries of central and eastern Europe 48,79 0 Release depending on the evaluation of the report of the Commission on the implementa- tion of this budget line. Community contribution to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the Chernobyl Shelter Fund 25,0 25,0 Following presentation of a report by the Commission on the contributions to this fund by the other donors and on its use in 1999, and upon verification of compliance with the conditions set out by the European Parlia- ment in its legislative report. í (Am. 802) yes Measures for the reconstruction of the Repub- lics formerly part of Yugoslavia Coordination of development policy, evalu- ation of the results of Community aid and follow-up and inspection measures 30,0 30,0 Release depending on the evaluation of the yes report of the Commission 2,0 2,0 Report of the Commission yes B7-6600 External cooperation measures 10,0 10,0 The amount can be released áonce the Tinde- mans report is adopted in plenary and donors agree to restart with paymentsí. (Am. 815) B7-6602 New Transatlantic Agenda 3,0 3,0 Release depending on the evaluation of the yes B7-8000 International fisheries agreements B7-871 Assistance to ACP banana producers B7-872 Promotion of Community investment in developing countries of Asia, Latin America, the Mediterranean and in South Africa by economic cooperation and trade agreements A-340 Official Journal A-4103 Supplementary aid for the disabled 30,5 45,0 10,0 3,0 0,1 report of the Commission 26,2 Awaiting legal agreement 13,5 Awaiting legal basis 5,0 Release depending on the evaluation of the yes report of the Commission 3,0 Awaiting concrete progress over the reduc- tion and reform of the Official Journal. 0,1 Release after the Commission has áadopted general provisions on the appropriations intended for welfare aid for disabled per- sonsí. (Am. 693) yes yes C 98/220 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 9. 4. 1999 Thursday 17 December 1998 Line Heading (before EP second reading) Appropriations ca pa Conditions for release Report A-421 Operation of radio and television studios and audiovisual equipment 1,5 A-650 Global reserve for delegations 13,1 1,5 Release áafter the Commission presents the conditions set out in the new contract, before its renewal, to the budget authorityí. (Am. 705) yes 13,1 Release after: (1) Publication by the Commis- sion before 30 June 1999 of a communication on an external service; (2) Submission of a report by the Commission on the operation of the Joint Structure for the management of external programmes, etc. (Am. 30, EP Second Reading) A-7003 National and international civil servants and private sector staff temporarily assigned to services of the Institution 5,67 5,67 A-701 Mission expenses, travel expenses and inci- dental expenditure 2,025 2,025 A-7030 Meetings in general A-7031 A-7032 Expenditure on meetings of committees whose consultation is compulsory in the pro- cess of drafting Community legislation Expenditure on meetings of committees whose consultation is not compulsory in the procedure 8,83 8,08 8,83 8,08 2,475 2,475 A-7033 Other commissions and committees operating within the ECSC 0,35 0,35 It will be possible to release this reserve, depending on how the committee procedure issue develops in accordance with the follow- ing guidelines (stemming from the motion for a resolution by the Committee on Institutional Affairs seeking to give a mandate to the President of Parliament to negotiate with the Council and Commission): › better distinction between substantive legislation and implementing provisions; › guarantee of effective oversight by the European Parliament of implementing rules; simplification of the typology of ad hoc committees and procedures, in particu- lar the abolition of regulatory commit- tees; transparency of the executive procedure; ruling out of any constraint on the Com- missionís power to commit expenditure as a result of decisions of a general or specific nature taken by the Council acting solely on its own responsibility. í (Am. 498) › › › Technical Assistance Offices B3-2010 MEDIA (measures to promote the develop- ment of the audiovisual industry. 0,29 0,29 B3-300 B3-306 General work concerning the EU. information and communication 1,0 1,0 Information programme for European Citiz- ens (Prince). 0,36 0,36 Should appropriations be entered in the reserve or transferred to headings against which expenditure on technical and adminis- trative assistance or support expenditure is authorised, a proposal may be made, in the justification for the transfer, that the appro- priations be given over to technical assist- ance. B5-300 Strategic programme on the internal market. B5-511 European Joint Ventures. B5-7210 Networks for the interchange of data between administrations (IDA). B5-803 B7-300 Policy on asylum-seekers and other displaced persons. Financial and technical cooperation with Asian developing countries. 0,1 0,3 0,5 0,1 0,5 0,1 0,3 0,5 0,1 0,5 B7-302 Aid to uprooted people in Asian countries. 0,16 0,16 9. 4. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 98/221 Thursday 17 December 1998 Conditions for release Report Appropriations ca pa 0,6 0,6 Line Heading (before EP second reading) Financial and technical cooperation with Latin American developing countries. Aid to uprooted people in Latin American countries. 0,11 0,11 B7-310 B7-312 B7-313 Rehabilitation and reconstruction operations in developing countries in Latin America B7-410 MEDA B7-500 B7-520 Aid for economic restructuring of countries of central and eastern Europe. Assistance to economic reform and recovery in the New Independent States and Mongolia. European Parliament S1-1640 Expenses not refunded by the Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme and other specific expendi- ture S1-230 Stationery and office supplies 2,5 2,5 5,9 2,9 0,06 0,1 2,5 2,5 5,9 2,9 0,06 Adoption by the institution áin cooperation with the Commission of general provisions on the appropriations intended for welfare aid for disabled personsí. (Am. 692) yes 0,1 Release after áan action plan has been drawn up in the area of computing (. ), the scope for redeploying its PC workstation base (. ) and the promotion of electronic document trans- mission (. ). (Am. 697) S1-260 Limited consultations, studies and surveys, STOA programme 1,0 1,0 Parliament has to prove that there is a need for these appropriations Ombudsman S1-A1100 Basic salaries (in euros) 111,445 111,445 Release after the presentation of áan action plan to convert temporary posts into perma- nent onesí. (Am. 667) S1-A1101 Family allowances S1-A1102 S1-A113 Expatriation and foreign residence allow- ances (including Article 97 of the ECSC Staff Regulations) Sickness, accident, occupational disease and unemployment insurance and maintenance of pension rights 8,879 8,879 Idem 14,027 14,027 Idem 4,255 4,255 Idem S1-A117 Supplementary services 175,000 S1-A119 Adjustments to salaries of officials and other servants 1,238 175,000 Release after ásubmission of a budgetary statement based on the updated needs for the 1999 budget yearí. (Am. 669) 1,238 Release after the presentation of áan action plan to convert temporary posts into perma- nent onesí. (Am. 667) yes yes yes yes yes yes C 98/222 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 9. 4. 1999 Thursday 17 December 1998 Line Heading (before EP second reading) Appropriations ca pa Conditions for release Report Court of Justice S4-1100 Basic salaries 151,300 151,300 Submission of an áin-depth analysis of how the translation directorate works, and the submission of an action plan to stabilise the overall volume of documents submitted for translationí. (Am. 698) S4-1101 Family allowances S4-1102 Expatriation and foreign residence allow- ances (including Article 97 of the ECSC Staff Regulations) 13,400 13,400 Idem 24,000 24,000 Idem S4-1130 Insurance against sickness 5,300 5,300 Idem S4-1131 S4-1141 Insurance against accidents and occupational disease 1,200 1,200 Idem Annual leave travel expenses from place of employment to place of origin 6,000 6,000 Idem S4-1181 Travel expenses (including family members) 1,000 1,000 Idem S4-1182 Installation, resettlement and transfer allow- ances 22,000 22,000 Idem S4-1183 Removal expenses 6,500 6,500 Idem S4-1184 Temporary daily subsistence allowances 18,800 18,800 Idem S4-1191 Provisional appropriation 3,000 3,000 Idem S4-1110 Auxiliary staff 150,000 150,000 Submission of áreport indicating (. ) the type of duties allocated to auxiliary staff recruited to cope with the additional workload at peak periodsí. (Am. 669) yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes S4-1891 Other freelance interpreters 100,000 100,000 New report on the Court’s interpretation yes services. (Am. 699) Court of Auditors (in millions of euros) S5-206 Acquisition of immovable property S5-208 Other expenditure preliminary to the acquisi- tion of immovable property or the construc- tion of buildings Economic and Social Committee S6-A1006 Allowances intended to cover expenses aris- ing from the activities of Members of the institution 5,0 0,1 0,1 5,0 Presentation of alternative solutions for the construction of a 150-seat Chamber. yes 0,1 Submission áof a report giving details of the procedure used for the award of the design contract of the firm of architects (. )í. (Am. 674) 0,1 Submission áof internal rules (. ) for repre- sentation allowances and other allowances arising from the activities of its Members (. )í. (Am. 750) yes yes S6-A1003 Representation allowances 0,013 0,013 Idem 9. 4. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 98/223 Thursday 17 December 1998 Line Heading (before EP second reading) Appropriations ca pa Conditions for release Report S6-A250 Meetings in general S6-A1100 Basic salaries 1,9 1,5 1,9 Idem 1,5 Presentation áin good time, of proposals (. ) on the future mangagement of the staff of the present structureí. (Am. 675) joint organisational S6-A130 Mission expenses, travel expenses and inci- dental expenditure 0,116 0,116 The Committee should áprovide suitable information on the breakdown (. ) for the appropriations (. ). í. (Am. 677) sector each in S6-A1880 Miscellaneous expenditure on recruitment 0,015 0,015 Justification of áthe 130% increase in appro- priations on the 1998 financial year (. )í. (Am. 678) Committee of the Regions S6-B1006 Allowances intended to cover expenses aris- ing from the activities of Members of the institution S6-B1100 Basic salaries 0,015 1,353 0,015 Submission of áthe relevant rules on the arrangements for implementing this expendi- tureí. (Am. 679) 1,353 Presentation áin good time, of proposals (. ) on the future mangagement of the staff of the present structureí. (Am. 680) joint organisational S6-B250 Meetings in general 0,475 0,475 The Committee can ask for the release when the appropriations are needed. Joint Structure of the Committees S6-C1100 Basic salaries 4,0 S6-C130 Mission expenses, travel expenses and inci- dental expenditure. 0,03 4,0 Presentation áin good time, of proposals (. ) on the future mangagement of the staff of the present structureí. (Am. 873) joint organisational 0,03 Submission of áthe relevant rules on mission expenses for further training, retraining and information for staffí. (Am. 682) S6-C1820 Further training, retraining and information for staff 0,03 0,03 Idem S6-C1880 Miscellaneous expenditure on recruitment 0,01 0,01 Idem S6-C1840 Running costs of restaurants and canteens 0,008 0,008 Submission of áthe report (on the running costs of restaurants and canteens) requested during the 1998 budgetary procedureí. (Am. 874) S6-C200 Rent 4,952 4,952 Awaiting the conclusion of the negotiations on the buildings which the Committees will occupy in the future. S6-C201 Insurance 0,019 0,019 Idem S6-C202 Water, gas, electricity and heating 0,172 0,172 Idem S6-C203 Cleaning and maintenance 0,291 0,291 Idem S6-C205 Security and surveillance of buildings 0,311 0,311 Idem yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes C 98/224 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 9. 4. 1999 Thursday 17 December 1998 Line Heading (before EP second reading) Appropriations ca pa Conditions for release Report S6-C1110 Auxiliary staff 0,15 S6-C214 Engineering work and special projects con- tracted out 0,1 S6-C2203 Maintenance, use and repair of technical equipment and installations 0,15 S6-C2210 New purchases of furniture S6-C2211 Replacement of furniture S6-C241 Telephone, telegraph, telex, television 0,03 0,06 0,03 0,15 Presentation of ádetails of the duties and conditions of recruitment of temporary staff and an assessment of requirements, by department, of the J. O. S. í. (Am. 873) 0,1 Justification of áthe 20% increase in appro- priations over the 1998 financial year, the daily allowance scale used for experts and arrangements for concluding contracts and the specifications agreed for the engineering workí. (Am. 686) 0,15 Submission of information that there is no overlap of the appropriations under this line with the parallel lines in the budgets of the two Committees. 0,03 Justification of áthe fivefold increase in appropriations requested and to provide details of the work undertaken on the inven- toryí. (Am. 687) 0,06 Idem 0,03 Presentation of ádetails on the rules for the use of mobile phones provided by the institu- tioní. (Am. 688) OTHER REPORTS All institutions European Parliament Court of Auditors Commission Pension Fund Staff Regulations Recruitment of research staff Report on the environmental aspects of their administrations. Proposal on ways and means of improving the security of valuables in offices and meeting roomsí (Resolution first reading, point 22 ‘Other Institutions’). Appropriate information on the procedure followed for awarding the study to the firm of architects (. ) in the light of the special nature of the new building (. )í (Resolution, first reading, point 35, ‘Other Institutions’). A proposal for a pension fund (retirement pensions) for the staff (and other servants) of the institutions and bodies of the Unioní (by 31. 3. 98) (Resolution, first reading, point 37). A proposal for the amendments to the Staff Regulations (. ) which might be needed to establish such a (pension) fundí (before 31. 3. 98) (Resolution first reading, point 37). Concerning recruitment of new staff by the JRC and DG XII, áthe Commission will make every effort to achieve that at least 35% of the staff is recruited on three-year non-renewable contracts. It will report before 1 October 1999 on their achievementsí. (Ams 880, 887, 891, 892, 893, 894, 895 and 896) yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes B2-1600N Implementation, monitoring and assessment of programmes and projects Report on the studies carried out under this budget heading and the resulting impact in terms of environmentally friendly use of the structural funds. yes 9. 4. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 98/225 Thursday 17 December 1998 B7-5310 Exceptional financial assistance to Armenia and Georgia A-321 Town twinning schemes in the European Community The Commission is invited to produce a detailed report on the implementation of the programme and on the contribution of the EU grant to compensate for the social costs due to the austerity economic measures implemented in 1998 and expected in 1999í. (Am. 160, second reading) The Commission will produce an evaluation and a report (. ) on the breakdown of expenditure and details of town-twinning schemes in the EU and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and activities benefiting from this appropriationí. (Am. 112) yes yes 2. Ariane ***II (procedure without debate) A4-0504/98 Decision on the common position established by the Council with a view to the adoption of a European Parliament and Council Decision amending Decision 2085/97/EC establishing a pro- gramme of support, including translation, in the field of books and reading (Ariane) (12620/98 › C4-0656/98 › 98/0282(COD)) (Codecision procedure: second reading) The European Parliament, › having regard to the common position of the Council (12620/98 › C4-0656/98 › 98/0282(COD)), › having regard to its opinion at first reading ( 1) on the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(98)0539) ( 2), › having regard to the amended proposal (COM(98)0608)( 3), › having regard to Article 189b(2) of the EC Treaty, › having regard to Rule 68 of its Rules of Procedure, › having regard to the recommendation for second reading of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media (A4-0504/98), 1. Approves the common position; Calls on the Council to adopt the act definitively, and as soon as possible, in accordance with the 2. common position; Instructs its President to sign the act with the President of the Council pursuant to Article 191(1) of 3. the EC Treaty; Instructs its Secretary-General duly to sign the act and, in agreement with the Secretary-General of 4. the Council, to have it published in the Official Journal; 5. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and Commission. (1) Minutes of Sitting of 9. 10. 1998, Part II, Item 8(a). (2) OJ C 319, 16. 10. 98, p. 13. (3) OJ C 372, 2. 12. 1998, p. 28