EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 168/133

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Revision of the multiannual financial framework to address additional financing needs of the ITER project

P7_TA(2011)0547

European Parliament resolution of 13 December 2011 on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline and sound financial management as regards the multiannual financial framework, to address additional financing needs of the ITER project (COM(2011)0226 - C7-0108/2011 - 2011/2080(ACI))

2013/C 168 E/21

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2011)0226),

— having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management (IIA of 17 May 2006) (1),

— having regard to the Joint Conclusions of the budgetary trilogue held on 1 December 2011 (2),

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets and the opinion of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (A7-0433/2011),

A. whereas an additional EUR 1 300 million in commitment appropriations from the Union budget are required for the ITER project in 2012-2013;

B. whereas, at the budgetary trilogue meeting of 1 December 2011, Parliament, the Council and the Commission agreed on the modalities for providing this additional financing to the ITER project;

C. whereas that requires a revision of the IIA of 17 May 2006, so as to raise the ceilings for commitment appropriations under subheading 1a by EUR 650 million for the year 2012 and by EUR 190 million for the year 2013 in current prices;

D. whereas it considers that all provisions of the IIA of 17 May 2006 continue to remain in force until the new regulation laying down the multiannual financial framework (MFF) enters into force, with the exception of the articles which have become obsolete following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon;

E. whereas it deplores the fact that different interpretations, legal constraints and binding commitments have prevented the Council from entering swiftly into real political negotiations with the other branch of the budgetary authority;

F. whereas there was constructive cooperation between the delegations of the two branches of the budgetary authority during the trilogue;

1. Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;

2. Emphasises that Parliament, the Council and the Commission agreed to the Joint Conclusions of the budgetary trilogue held on 1 December 2011 in their entirety;

3. Deeply regrets the unilateral statement included in the Council minutes by six Member States intended to make a biased interpretation of the Joint Conclusions;

4. Calls upon the Council to fully respect the Joint Conclusions; reminds the Council of its agreement to making full use of the provisions laid down in the Financial Regulation (3) and in the IIA of 17 May 2006 in order to make available, within the MFF commitment appropriation ceilings, the amount of EUR 360 million in the 2013 budget procedure; affirms that otherwise Parliament cannot guarantee its agreement to that amount;

5. Urges the Commission to use to the full extent the provisions laid down in the Financial Regulation and in the IIA of 17 May 2006 when making concrete proposals on the amount of EUR 360 million within the 2013 Draft budget;

6. Instructs its President to sign the decision with the President of the Council and to arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution, including its annexes, to the Council and the Commission.

(1) OJ C 139, 14.6.2006, p. 1.

(2) Annexed to this resolution.

(3) Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1).

Tuesday 13 December 2011

ANNEX I JOINT CONCLUSIONS ON FINANCING OF ITER Trilogue 1 December 2011 The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission reiterate the importance they attach to the ITER project for the European Union. The European Parliament and the Council have taken note of the proposal made by the Commission (1) to amend the Interinstitutional Agreement as regards the Multiannual Financial Framework in order to provide the additional EUR 1 300 million commitment appropriations from the EU budget required for the ITER project in 2012-2013. The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission agree to cover the EUR 1 300 million additional cost of the ITER project in 2012-2013 as follows: — EUR 100 million already included in the 2012 budget on the ITER budget lines; — EUR 360 million in commitment appropriations will be made available in the 2013 budget procedure within the MFF commitment appropriations ceilings making full use of the provisions laid down in the Financial Regulation and in the IIA of 17 May 2006, excluding any further ITER-related revision of the MFF; — The ceilings for commitment appropriations of Heading 1a for the years 2012 and 2013 will be increased by an amount of EUR 840 million, of which EUR 650 million in 2012 and EUR 190 million in 2013. This increase will be offset by a corresponding decrease of the ceilings for commitment appropriations of Heading 2 (EUR 450 million for the year 2011) and Heading 5 (EUR 243 million for the year 2011 and EUR 147 million for the year 2012); — The 2013 ceiling for total payment appropriations will be increased by EUR 580 million offset by a corresponding decrease in the 2011 ceiling. The European Parliament and the Council agree to adopt the above mentioned revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2007-2013 before the end of 2011, according to their respective internal procedures. The European Parliament and the Council invite the Commission to make concrete proposals on the amount of EUR 360 million within Draft Budget 2013. (1) COM(2011)0226 of 20 April 2011.