3. ECSC operating budget
A5-0342/2001
European Parliament resolution on the draft ECSC operating budget for 2002 (SEC(2001)827 /dash
C5-0233/2001 /dash 2001/2100(BUD))
The European Parliament,
Rdash having regard to the Commission’s draft ECSC operating budget for 2002 (SEC(2001)827 Rdash
C5-0233/2001),
Rdash having regard to the ECSC Treaty, and in particular Articles55 and 56 thereof,
Rdash having regard to its resolution of 15 November 1996 on the incorporation of the ECSC into the
budget of the European Communities(1),
Rdash having regard to its resolutions of 22 October 1998(2), 28 October 1999(3) and 26 October 2000(4)
on the ECSC’s operating budget for 1999, 2000 and 2001,
Rdash having regard to the protocol to the Nice Treaty on the financial consequences of the expiry of the
ECSC Treaty and the establishment and management of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel(5),
Rdash having regard to its resolution of 2 October 2001 on the amended proposal for a Council decision
laying down the multiannual technical guidelines for the research programme of the Coal and SteelResearch Fund(
6),
Rdash having regard to its resolution and decision of 4 April 2001 giving discharge to the Commission in
respect of the implementation of the budget for 1999 of the European Coal and Steel Community
(ECSC)(7),
Rdash having regard to the joint statement by three institutions of 20 July 2000 concerning financial pro-
gramming(8),
Rdash having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets and the opinion of the Committee on
Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy (A5-0342/2001),
A. whereas the draft operating budget should be considered in the light of the expiry of the ECSC Treaty
on 23July 2002,
B. whereas the Commission’s forecasts of job losses in the coal and steel industries in 2002 are out of
date and whereas in reality the number of jobs lost in the steel industry will be many times greater,
C. whereas the ECSC’s reserves and provisions will ensure the financing of the final operating budget
until 23July 2002,
D. whereas the assets and liabilities of the ECSC are to be transferred to the remaining Communities,
E. whereas the Financial Perspective underpinning the general budget for the period 2000-2006 has been
calculated on the basis of the 1999 budget, taking no account of any revenue or expenditure relatingto the ECSC,
F. whereas the ECSC played a pioneering role in European integration, and promoted peace in Europe,
(1) OJ C 362, 2.12.1996, p. 327.
(2) OJ C 341, 9.11.1998, p. 126.
(3) OJ C 154, 5.6.2000, p. 121.
(4) OJ C 197, 12.7.2001, p. 351.
(5) OJ C 80, 10.3.2001, p. 67.
(6) ‘Texts Adopted’, Item 7.
(7) OJ L 160, 15.6.2001, p. 43.
(8) Council document 10299/00.9.5.2002 EN C112E/297 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday 25 October 2001
G. whereas the ECSC was financed by means of revenue of a fiscal nature and facilitated the development
of intervention measures associated with sectoral industrial policies, in pursuit of particular economicand social priorities,
H. whereas, although the phasing-out of the ECSC Treaty has been under way since 1994, the Commis-
sion has not submitted a single proposal for phasing the ECSC’s operations into the general budget,except in the case of research,
I. whereas certain measures whose implementation is provided for by the ECSC Treaty will not auto-
matically cease to be necessary after the expiry of the Treaty,
J. whereas the reserves in the closing balance of the ECSC, which is to be wound up, are to be trans-
ferred to the Research Fund for Coal and Steel, the cost of whose management is to be met from the
general budget,
K. whereas Parliament has delivered opinions on the ECSC operating budget since 1973and the Com-
mission undertook as from 1973to take account of Parliament’s opinion on the operating budget,
1. Considers the total amount proposed for the ECSC’s operating budget for 2002 to be insufficient,
bearing in mind that the number of jobs lost in the steel industry will be considerably larger than pre-viously estimated, as a result of which there will be a substantially greater need for aid for redeployment;
recommends increasing the operating budget by €16 million to aid redeployment efforts in the steel
industry and assist redundant workers;
2. Endorses the Commission’s proposal to increase support for research in relative terms in comparison
with the level for 2001, in order to ensure as smooth as possible a transition to the post-ECSC period;stresses that research has an important role to play in improving the competitiveness of the European coal
and steel industries and in modernising these industries and rendering them less environmentally damag-
ing;
3. Criticises the Commission for ignoring Parliament’s views, Parliament having called for crucial ECSC
measures such as redeployment aid and social aid to be incorporated in the general budget of the EU;recalls that, as the ECSC ceases to exist, 357000 people are still employed in the coal and steel industries
within the Union; stresses that they must not be abandoned to their fate after the ECSC Treaty expires;
4. Considers that the cessation of redeployment aid and social aid could have an adverse impact on
regions dependent on the coal and steel industries; considers that the European Union should continuemeasures, under the general budget, to alleviate the impact of restructuring in accordance with the prin-
ciple of economic and social cohesion; recommends that the requisite funding for the continuation of
measures funded from the ECSC operating budget should be entered in the general budget as from 2002;
5. Recalls that, following enlargement, the EU’s coal production will double and steel production will
increase by a third; calls on the Commission to clarify how it intends to support the modernisation ofthese sectors in central and eastern European candidate countries;
6. Calls on the Commission to present a financial assessment of the new activities being incorporated
into the general budget in stages, since they are likely to have an impact on the margin under the ceilingof Heading 3of the Financial Perspective; recalls that Parliament called on the Commission to do this in itsresolution on the ECSC operating budget for 2001;
7. Notes that, according to the abovementioned joint statement on financial programming, ‘the budget-
ary authority must have accurate information about the financial consequences of each new proposalpresented by the Commission, in order to be able to assess the impact of the proposal on the ceilings ofthe Financial Perspective’;
8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the ECSC Con-
sultative Committee.C112E/298 EN 9.5.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday 25 October 2001