EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 285/70

Thursday 5 June 2008

Draft amending budget No 3/2008

P6_TA(2008)0242

European Parliament resolution of 5 June 2008 on Draft amending budget No 3/2008 of the European Union for the financial year 2008, Section III — Commission and Section VI — European Economic and Social Committee (9903/2008 — C6-0206/2008 — 2008/2095(BUD))

2009/C 285 E/13

The European Parliament,

having regard to Article 272 of the EC Treaty and Article 177 of the Euratom Treaty,

having regard to Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (1), and particularly Articles 37 and 38 thereof,

having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2008, as finally adopted on 13 December 2007 (2),

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 (3),

having regard to Preliminary draft amending budget No 3/2008 of the European Union for the financial year 2008, which the Commission presented on 14 April 2008 (COM(2008)0201),

having regard to Draft amending budget No 3/2008, which the Council established on 26 May 2008 (9903/2008 — C6-0206/2008),

having regard to Rule 69 of and Annex IV to its Rules of Procedure,

having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A6-0204/2008),

A. whereas Draft amending budget No 3 to the general budget 2008 covers the following items: — the budgeting of the revenue accruing from the Microsoft case (fine and interest totalling EUR 849 200 000), — the budgeting of savings arising from the smaller than estimated increase for salaries and pensions of officials in 2007, — reinforcement of the emergency fund for veterinary measures due to the bluetongue crisis by EUR 130 000 000 in commitment appropriations, and EUR 63 950 000 in payment appropriations, — the creation of budgetary items to accommodate subsidies for four Joint Undertakings: Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), Clean Sky, ARTEMIS (Joint Technology Initiative in Embedded Computing Systems) and ENIAC (European Technology Platform on Nanoelectronics), — mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund for an amount of EUR 98 000 000 in commitment and payment appropriations relating to forest fires in Greece in August 2007 and floods in Slovenia in September 2007, — modifications to the establishment plan of the European Institute for Gender Equality, i.e. upgrading of an AD 13 to AD 14, — modifications to the establishment plan of the European Economic and Social Committee,

B. whereas the purpose of Draft amending budget No 3/2008 is to formally enter these budgetary adjustments in the 2008 budget,

C. whereas the Council included in Draft amending budget No 3/2008 the savings made on salaries and pensions and the funding of the so-called Microsoft monitoring mechanism,

1. Recalls that the appropriations for Joint Undertakings are paid from the operational budget of the programme concerned;

2. Points out that the Microsoft monitoring mechanism is exclusively financed by the savings in salaries and pensions in Heading 5;

3. Regrets that the Council unexpectedly reduced budget line 26 02 01, thus introducing a new element, without any discussion with Parliament; expects these savings to be used to fund the priorities of Parliament in Heading 1a;

4. Asks the Commission to avoid including the funding linked to instruments such the EU Solidarity Fund or the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund in draft amending budgets together with other issues in future in order to avoid any delay in the decision and delivery;

5. Adopts Draft amending budget No 3/2008 unamended;

6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission.

(1) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1525/2007 (OJ L 343, 27.12.2007, p. 9).

(2) OJ L 71, 14.3.2008.

(3) OJ C 139, 14.6.2006, p. 1. Agreement as last amended by Decision 2008/371/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 128, 16.5.2008, p. 8).