ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES 
DE LA COMMISSION 
 
 
 
COLLECTION RELIEE DES 
DOCUMENTS "COM" 
 
 
 
 
COM (83) 670 
 
 
 
Vol. 1983/0 244 
  
 
Disclaimer  
Conformém ent au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique 
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, 
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003 
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents 
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit 
règlem ent. 
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Econom ic 
Communit y and the European Atom ic Energy Communit y (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as 
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243, 
27.9.2003, p. 1), t his file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this 
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.  
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom  1. 
Februa r 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen  
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgem einschaft (ABI. L 43 vom  15.2.1983,  
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. Septem ber 2003  
(ABI. L 243 v om 27.9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit  
erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5  
der genannten Verordnung freigegeben.  
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
GENERAL BUDGET FOR 1983 
SECTION III - COMMISSION - PART ACOM(83)  670 final
Brussels, 8 November 1983
I. TRANSFER OF APPROPRIATIONS No II/2/83 
from chapter to chapter within Title 2
from Chapters 20 and 28 to Chapters 22 and 23
New purchases of technical equipment and installations, 
vehicles and postal charges and telecommunications
II. TRANSFER OF APPROPRIATIONS No II/3/83 
from chapter to chapter within Title 2
from Chapter 28 to Chapter 26
Statistical studies and surveys
COM(83) 670 final

C  C  H  I' - t  t :TRANSFER OF APPROPRIATIONS No I1/2/83
From Chapter 20 - Investments in immovable property, rental of 
buildings and associated costs
Article 200 
From Chapter 28 
Item 28992 144 500 ECU
Subsidies for balancing budgets
1 600 000 ECU
to Chapter 22 - Movable property and associated costs
Item 2220 
Item 2231 
Item 2232 
Item 22332 600 000 ECU 
129 500 ECU 
17 000 ECU 
87 000 ECU
to Chapter 23 - Postal charges and telecommunications
Item 2310 
Item 2311581 000 ECU 
330 000 ECU
GROUNDS
GENERAL PRESENTATION
1.1 Conscious of the need for cost-effectiveness and sound financial 
management, the Commission has conducted a detailed analysis of its 
expenditure in Title II of Part A of Section III - Building, equipment 
and miscellaneous operating expenditure. It paid particular 
attention to the priority requirements to enable it to function 
properly.
As a result of this analysis, the Commission is making a transfer 
between chapters within Title II to achieve maximum cost-effectiveness 
with the available appropriations.
1.2 The appropriations are being transferred for the purchase of 
work stations for word processing, the repayment to the Belgian 
authorities of the Commission's share of the cost of installing the 
new telephone exchange, the replacement, hire and maintenance of 
vehicles and postal charges and telecommunications.
Article 200 (Rent) and Article 289 (European Schools) have spare 
funds to cover the additional requirements for these measures.

2. DETAILS .
2.1 Budget headings from which the appropriations are taken
2.1.1 Chagter_20_-_Art i i  c le_200_ (Rent)
The appropriations for this Article can be reduced as a result of the
decrease in requirements in Brussels, due mainly to:
- a 6% increase in rents (instead of the 8.8% estimated when the budget 
was drawn up);
- the reduction of some rents following the renegotiation of certain 
leases;
- the negotiations for purchasing the building at 120 rue de la Loi, 
thus economizing on rent;
- the payment of the charge for the new telephone exchange from 
Article 222 instead of from this Article (see 2.2.1.B below);
- the fact that some new premises were rented at a later date in 1983 
than originally planned.
2.1.2 Chapter 28 - Article 289 - Item 2899 (Provisional appropriation 
to cover any adjustment to remuneration paid by the European 
Schools)
The budget for Article 289 (European Schools) for 1983 contains:
(a) in Items 2890 to 2897, the appropriations considered necessary 
to cover the expenditure of the various schools, including the 
cost of the salary adjustments, backdated to 1 July 1982, which 
the Council adopted on 21 February 1983;
(b) in Item 2899, the appropriation considered necessary to cover 
the interim adjustment of salaries (weightings from
1 January 1983) adopted by the Council on 18 July 1983.
At its meeting on 19 and 20 May 1983 the Board of Governors of 
the European Schools approved the schools' supplementary budgets 
for 1983.
Taking into account the commitments to be charged to it in 1983, the 
funds available in Item 2899 are put at 1 877 900 ECU.
2.2 Budget headings receiving an increase in allocations
2.2.1 Chapter 22 - Article 222 (Technical equipment and installations) - 
Item 2220 (New purchases of technical equipment and 
installations)
A.  Word processing
By keeping to a minimum in 1983 the equipment replaced and hired, the 
emphasis has been shifted to the purchase of new equipment, in 
particular work stations. These are only just being introduced at 
the Commission and a special injection of funds is required at this 
initial stage.
B. Telephone exchange
The appropriation under this Item is also intended to repay to the 
Belgian authorities the Commission's share (one third of the 
investment) of the cost of installing the new telephone exchange, 
which has been in operation since 1 January 1982.

2.2.2 Chagter_22_-- 3 -
Article 223 (Vehicles)
A. Item 2231 - Replacement of vehicles
Between 1978 and 1982, i.e. in five years, 98 vehicles were replaced in 
Brussels (compared with a total vehicle fleet of 97 vehicles on 
1 September 1983). Eight of the 98 vehicles replaced were write-offs 
and others were replaced because of the uneconomic cost of major 
repairs. The average distance travelled by the cars is around 
25 000 km a year.
Apart from cases of mechanical breakdown and total write-offs, all the 
vehicles - except the ambulance - had travelled between 115 000 and 
155 000 km by 1 September 1983 and their replacement had therefore 
become indispensable. As an experiment, and in the light of the 
comments by the Court of Auditors, the Commission sold four cars 
from its fleet in 1983 without purchasing any replacements and, instead, 
had made greater use of an outside transport service. This yielded 
an estimated saving of 33 000 ECU in Item 2231.
B. Item 2232 - Hire of vehicles
Because of the sale of four vehicles from its Brussels fleet without 
any replacements being purchased (see point A above), the Commission 
has made greater use of the services of outside firms in 1983. The 
appropriation considered necessary for the final ten months of the 
year is put at around 34 000 ECU.
C. Item 2233 - Maintenance, use and repair of vehicles
ECU
Brussels ’ ■ ' :
Actual expenditure 1982 (less debts carried over
from 1981): around 450 000
+ Debts carried over from 1982 to 1983 '  around 10 000
+ Insurance: change in the no-claims bonus ■
system and system of aggregation imposed
on the Commission + new risk (stolen goods): + 35 000
... around 495 000
+ 10% cost of living increase '  around 50 000
around 545 000
- Financial effect of the reduction of the fleet 
by four vehicles for ten months:
5 200 ECU x 4 x 10 = around 17 000
T2 - ■ ·  ’  :f; :  ■  / .  ■ ■
= Total appropriation required: _|CQyQd_|28_QQQ
2.2.3 Chagter_23_;_Art le_231_(Postal_charges_and_telecommun i^at i^ns^
A. Item 2310 - Postage and delivery charges
The increase of around 25% in this year's appropriations compared with the 
commitments for 1982 is due to the substantial increase in charges in both 
Brussels and Luxembourg and in the external offices, and to the growth in the 
volume of mail.

- 4 -
B. Item 2311 - Telecommunications
While the real increase in expenditure between 1981 and 1982 was restricted 
to 3.2% as a result of the favourable effect of exchange rate movements 
affecting the Belgian and Luxembourg franc and the installation of the 
new telephone exchange, this will not be the case in 1983.
The real increase in 1983 compared with 1982 (11.1%) is due to:
(a) the increase in telephone rental charges in Brussels in October 1982 
and April 1983 (about 15% of expenditure in 1982);
(b) the change in the telex service charges in Brussels from 
16 April 1983 (around 29% of expenditure in 1982);
(c) the opening and gradual entry into operation of new external
delegations.

TRANSFER OF APPROPRIATIONS No 11/3/83
From Chapter 28 - Subsidies for balancing budgets 
Item 2899 - 275 000 ECU
to Chapter 26 - Expenditure on studies, surveys and consultations 
Article 263 - 275 000 ECU
GROUNDS
1. The transfer is intended to cover expenditure of 275 000 ECU 
to finance the Commission's additional contribution to the costs 
of the sample survey of manpower under Council Regulation (EEC)
No 603/83.
2. When the 1983 budget was being prepared the Commission requested 
that 2 500 000 ECU be entered in Article A 263 for this survey; 
however, this sum was a maximum estimate since it was impossible
to guarantee at the time that all the costs of the measure would 
have to be met from the 1983 appropriations. The budgetary authority 
decided to authorize only 2 million ECU for financing this survey.
3. Aware of the importance of the operation for the implementation 
of its policies, in particular in the social and regional sectors, 
the Commission has financed the survey from the appropriations 
entered in the budget, all of which have now been committed. However 
an additional 275 000 ECU is required for the survey so that it can 
be conducted as originally planned, i.e. without any reduction in 
the size of the sample, in order to ensure that the results are 
reliable.
4. Since the cost of the survey is higher than the amount entered 
for this purpose in the 1983 budget, the Commission must use the 
powers it enjoys to find appropriate means of finance.
5. The appropriations needed for this transfer can be taken 
from Item A 2899.
The financial and budgetary implications of the salary adjustment 
for the staff of the European Schools as awarded by the Board of 
Governors have been lower than estimated.