A4-0064/95

Resolution on the guidelines for the 1996 budgetary procedure, Section III - Commission

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the improvement in the general economic situation in the European Union in 1995 compared to the previous three years,

- having regard to the Intergovernmental Conference provided for in the Maastricht Treaty due to open in 1996,

- having regard to the European Parliament elected in June 1994 with a mandate until June 1999,

- having regard to the newly installed Commission ratified by the European Parliament on 18 January 1995 ((Minutes of that Sitting, Part II, Item 1.)),

- having regard to the annual report of the Court of Auditors for the 1993 financial year ((OJ C 327, 24.11.1994.)),

- having regard to the financial perspectives agreed in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 29 October 1993 on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary procedure ((OJ C 331, 7.12.1993, p. 1.)),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A4-0064/95),

A. whereas the principles set out in the Maastricht Treaty should be observed in budgetary matters,

B. whereas the EU institutions must make effective use of existing resources and get value for money;

C. whereas European citizens desire to be more involved in EU programmes;

D. whereas there is a great need for the EU to be seen to work more effectively, democratically and transparently in the interest of its citizens;

GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. Calls on the Member States which have not yet ratified the decision on own resources to do so as soon as possible in order to prevent dangerous budgetary uncertainties;

2. Expresses its determination to ensure that all requests for information made during the 1995 budget procedure will be provided and followed up, in particular in the context of releasing funds from the reserve in which about ECU 600 million is currently put aside;

3. Insists that EU funds should remain as complementary as possible to, and not competitive with, those from national budgets; notes that the occurrence of fraud revealed in the recent Court of Auditors report is almost exclusively in the area of obligatory expenditure, that is under Council control; believes that funds in the EDF and ECSC will be better accounted for once fully budgetised (SEC(94)0640 of 6 June 1994 on the EDF);

4. Welcomes the recent action by the Commission to strengthen UCLAF as constantly requested by the European Parliament; believes that further strengthening of this unit is needed, in cooperation with Member State authorities, to ensure effective coordination between the Commission and national governments in verifying how funds are spent; insists that a higher degree of protection of the Community's financial interests should be assured, and extra means set aside for this;

5. Intends to improve the mechanism whereby the implementation of the 1995 budget will highlight those areas of weakness in use of funds in the current budget, emphasizing more the quality than the quantity of expenditure; in this way the first reading of the 1996 budget will take such information into account, bringing forward the Notenboom-Bourlanges procedure to 30 June 1995; recalls the obligation for the Commission to present a financial statement with every proposal;

6. Will search for well-defined, cost-effective measures to give the EU a more consumer-friendly image with its citizens;

7. Insists that there must be more transparency in the decision-making nature of the Council; to this effect, urges that conciliation meetings between the European Parliament and the Council in July and November be held in public;

8. Requests that the Commission, through application of the principle of sustainable development, include environmental protection in Community policies, so that the impact on the environment of Community actions be taken into account before any appropriations are granted;

9. Believes that information must be made available by the Commission as soon as possible concerning the estimates of cost of enlargement of the EU to Central Europe, including the efforts required on the part of the Union to ensure that potential future members can adapt to Community policies;

10. Is profoundly concerned by the need for proper information to be available to European citizens about EU policies; calls on the Commission to introduce a radical restructuring of its information policy in conjunction with other European institutions; proposes that the Commission and the Parliament departments should set in motion a broad scope of cooperation together; declares its intention to review the results of this work before 30 September 1995, before taking its decision on the first reading of the 1996 budget;

HEADING 1 - AGRICULTURE

11. Calls on the Commission to use powers to withhold credits where there has clearly been a blatant misuse of funds in a particular policy area, using the new procedures agreed for implementing budgetary discipline as stated in Article 13 of Council Decision 94/729/EC (( OJ L 293, 12.11.1994, p. 14.));

12. Calls on the Commission to stick firmly to the criteria set out in the clearance of accounts; condemns the weakness of the Council in avoiding the strict application of such regulations; believes that such amounts should be fully deducted from future funds payable in the country concerned; urges the Council to strengthen controls in those Member States where they are weakest, in close cooperation with the Commission;

13. Asks the Commission to provide an estimate of the financial consequences in the period 1996-2001 of the 'MacSharry¨ reforms, whereby agricultural incomes are supported not only by agricultural prices and the associated Community preference but also by direct income support;

HEADING 2 - STRUCTURAL FUNDS

14. Expresses its continuing concern about the weak delivery systems in certain Member States, in particular for Objective 1; calls therefore on the Commission to introduce better transparency into the implementation of the Structural Funds, particularly the Social Fund;

15. Requests the Commission to put forward proposals to bring the operation of the Structural Funds into line with the conclusions of the Essen European Council with regard to competitiveness, growth and employment;

16. Believes, in this context, that the Commission should encourage, where possible, private sector involvement in the projects concerned under the Funds;

17. Calls on the Commission to propose an increased level of fishery inspectors to police the deal reached in December 1994, taking into account the need for EU citizens to be reassured that the measures agreed will be effectively applied; recognizes that the principal effort should be to adjust the fishing fleet capacity to the existing fishery resources in Community waters;

HEADING 3 - INTERNAL POLICIES

18. Recalls that in recent years, appropriations for social actions, including the social dialogue, have been reduced in relative terms within the overall budget; invites the Commission to maintain those appropriations destined for this policy, in the context of the fight against unemployment;

19. Requests the Commission to put forward the necessary proposals concerning a common transport policy and the trans-European Networks, taking into account the conclusions of the Essen European Council;

20. Calls on the Commission to strengthen its action in the field of education, training and culture, ensuring the diversity of European culture; believes that progress should be made in the field of twinning activities, architectural heritage and education exchanges with third countries;

HEADING 4 - EXTERNAL POLICIES

21. Calls for the Commission to establish priorities in its external policies, in particular with a view to effective use of appropriations in Central and Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean on the basis of well prepared, specific projects; such prioritization should still allow an effective commitment to pursue EU interests in a global environment; is convinced that new measures cannot be realized without new budgetary resources;

22. Believes, in particular, that there should be increasing funds prioritisation within PHARE for those countries which are likely to be EU members in the next few years, in particular by encouraging their democratic structures; furthermore, requests more emphasis to promote greater regional action between them to encourage stability and calls on the Commission also to allow for combined funding of TACIS and INTERREG projects in border regions with the EU;

23. Insists that a separate chapter be retained for the CFSP; believes that a joint action should be encouraged to enhance stability in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans;

24. Believes that there should be a continuing financial commitment to the stability and the economic regeneration of South Africa;

HEADING 5 - ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURE

25. Encourages the extension of interinstitutional cooperation, with particular interest in the Translation Centre proposed at the Edinburgh European Council in December 1992; such cooperation could also be envisaged to recruit and train young diplomats for EU jobs, including those from Central and Eastern Europe;

26. Deeply concerned about the policies of recruitment for the institutions over the next five years and in particular about the need for termination of service arrangments within Institutions other than the Commission; requests proposals on this issue; recognises the potential need for accounting technicians to handle questions of financial management;

27. Expresses its determination to clarify the position for a number of matters raised in its resolution of 21 April 1994 on the staff policy of Community institutions ((OJ C 128, 9.5.1994. p. 366.)), in particular:

- an evaluation of privatisation measures envisaged;

- the role of temporary staff (including an assessment of the need for national experts in particular areas);

- regular screening of personnel every two and a half years;

28. Hopes that the Commission will submit, as soon as possible, a document analysing the possible changes to be made to its organization in the medium term;

29. Invites the Commission to incorporate these guidelines in its preliminary draft budget for 1996;

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