ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(81)670
Vol.1981/0199

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(81)670 final .
Brussels .5November 1981GENERAL BUDGET FOR 1981
SECTION III -COMMISSION
TRANSFER OFAPPROPRIATIONS No36/81
(non-compulsory expenditure )
FROM CHAPTER 33-EXPENDITURE ONRESEARCH AND INVESTMENT
Article 334 -Indirect action -Energy
Item 3340 -New sources ofenergy
TOCHAPTER 33 -EXPENDITURE ONRESEARCH AND INVESTIMENT
Article 334 -Indirect action -Energy
Item 3341 -Thermonuclear fusion (excluding JET)
APPROPRIATIONS FOR PAYMENT CARRIED OVER AUTOMATICALLY 5500 000 ECU
TheFinancial Controller approved this proposal on21October 1981 in
accordance with Articles 21(4),93(1 )and94(1 )oftheFinancial Regulation and
certiefied that theappropriations areavailable .
COM(81)670final .

OOrwv (o
GROUNDS
Item 3341 -Thermonuclear fusion (excluding JET)
Inthepreliminary draft budget for1981 theCommission entered 37million ECU
inpayment appropriations forthefusion programme (excluding JET).During
thediscussions with thebudgetary authority ,inOctober 1980 ,this was reduced
to26million ECU inthe final budget for 1981 ,although theCommission had
pointed outthat itwould then beunable tomeet itsfinancial obligations
towards contractors .
Regrettably ,this warning hasnowbeen proved correct .Ifitistopay for its
shave incontracts ofassociation upto30September 1981 ,theCommission will
have tofind another 15million ECU .rBut the funds available including appropri­
ations carried forward and the contributions from the non-member countries with
whii:h there arecontracts ofassociation ,amount tonomore than 9.5million
ECU .Thedeficit istherefore 5.5million ECU,which must beregarded asa
bare minimum formeeting themost pressing demands oftheassociated research
bodies .Considering that the contracts require theCommission topay its
contribution last quarter of1981 and thefirst quarter of1982 ,immediately
the real deficit ismuch higher .Given the well-known restrictions onpublic
spending itisnowvery difficult for theassociated bodies toobtain tick-over -
credit from thier national governments pending theCommission 'spayments .
Atransfer ofpayment appropriations oftheorder of5.5million ECU toitem
3341 (Thermonuclear fusion (excluging JET),istherefore requested .
Item 3340 -New sources ofenergy
Thesituation regarding utilization ofappropriations at25September 1981 is
satisfactory forcommitment appropriations ,butpayment appropriations are lagging
well behind .Looking inparticular atpayment appropriations carried forward ,
the sumavailable is7.8 million ECU .
Thefollowing arethe likely reasons forthedelay :
1)since theprogramme started upsome sixmonths late in1979 owing tothe
belated decision bytheCouncil ,there was adelay incommitments in1980
which resulted inadelay inpayments in1981 ;
2)thereed for .detai ledanalysis •tefthevery large number ofproposals
received ,especially concerning thesolar energy programme -photovoltaic
"andbiomass projects )andthehydrogen programme (advanced electrolyzers ), ,
made thechangebver from thebasic research phese ,requiring relatively few
appropriations ,tothepilot projects phase (theobjective ofthesecond
programme )longer than planned .

3)unforeseen problems*were encountered inthegeothermal energy programme
with regard todeep drilling andexperiments onhotanddry rock ;
4)theimpredictable nature oftheresearch (unforeseen difficulties ,setbacks
andnewapproaches )andcontractors' problems ment that some contracts were
delayed orhad tobeextended (without any change intheir amounts ).
Itistherefore possible totransfer inpayment appropriations carried forward
totalling 5500000ECUfrom this item toitem 3341 ,(Thermonuclear fusion -
excluding JET).