2.

European Parliament decision on closing the accounts of the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth European Development Funds for the financial year 2003 (COM(2004)0667 — C6-0165/2004 — 2004/2049(DEC))

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the report on the follow-up to 2002 discharges (COM(2004)0648 — C6-0126/2004),

- having regard to the balance sheets and accounts of the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth European Development Funds for the financial year 2003 (COM(2004)0667 — C6-0165/2004),

- having regard to the financial management report on the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth European Development Funds for the year 2003 (SEC(2004)1271),

- having regard to the annual report of the Court of Auditors on the activities of the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth European Development Funds concerning the financial year 2003 together with the institutions' replies [1],

- having regard to the Court of Auditors' Statement of Assurance on the European Development Funds [2],

- having regard to the Council's recommendations of 8 March 2005 (6865/2005 — C6-0078/2005, 6866/2005 — C6-0079/2005, 6867/2005 — C6-0080/2005, 6868/2005 — C6-0081/2005),

- having regard to Article 33 of the Internal Agreement of 20 December 1995 between the representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, on the financing and administration of the Community aid under the Second Financial Protocol to the fourth ACP-EC Convention [3],

- having regard to Article 32 of the Internal Agreement of 18 September 2000 between the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, on the Financing and Administration of Community aid under the Financial Protocol to the Partnership Agreement between the African, Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Community and its Member States signed in Cotonou (Benin) on 23 June 2000 and the allocation of financial assistance for the Overseas Countries and Territories to which Part Four of the EC Treaty applies [4],

- having regard to Article 74 of the Financial Regulation of 16 June 1998 applicable to development finance cooperation under the fourth ACP-EC Convention [5],

- having regard to Article 119 of the Financial Regulation of 27 March 2003 applicable to the 9th European Development Fund [6],

- having regard to Rules 70, 71 (third indent) and Annex V to its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgetary Control and the opinion of the Committee on Development (A6-0069/2005),

1. Notes that the financial situation of the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth European Development Funds as at 31 December 2003 was as follows:

Cumulative utilisation of EDF resources as at 31 December 2003

Source: Court of Auditors, Annual report concerning the financial year 2003, p. 403.

(EUR million) |

| Situation at end of 2002 | Budgetary implementation during the financial year 2003 | Situation at end of 2003 |

| Global amount | Implementation rate [7] | 6th EDF | 7th EDF | 8th EDF [8] | 9th EDF [9] | Global amount [9] | 6th EDF | 7th EDF | 8th EDF [8] | 9th EDF [9] | Global amount [9] | Implementation rate [7] |

A — RESOURCES [10] | 32840,4 | | - 357,5 | - 585,6 | - 1736,7 | 15493,1 | 12813,3 | 7471,6 | 10926,1 | 11762,9 | 15493,1 | 45653,7 | |

B — UTILISATION

1. Financial commitments | 29921,2 | 91,1 % | - 13,1 | - 2,6 | 255,1 | 3522,4 | 3761,8 | 7471,6 | 10926,1 | 11762,9 | 3522,4 | 33683,0 | 73,8 % |

2.Individual legal commitments | 24824,2 | 75,6 % | 30,7 | 311,7 | 1406,6 | 1133,7 | 2882,7 | 7349,6 | 10297,1 | 8926,5 | 1133,7 | 27706,9 | 60,7 % |

3. Payments [11] | 21536,4 | 65,6 % | 47,0 | 486,2 | 1559,6 | 281,7 | 2374,5 | 7282,1 | 9718,6 | 6628,5 | 281,7 | 23910,9 | 52,4 % |

C— OUTSTANDING PAYMENTS(B1-B3) | 8384,8 | 25,5 % | | | | | | 189,5 | 1207,5 | 5134,4 | 3240,7 | 9772,1 | 21,4 % |

D— AVAILABLE BALANCE(A-B1) | 2919,2 | 8,9 % | | | | | | 0,0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | 11970,7 | 11970,7 | 26,2 % |

2. Approves the closure of the accounts in respect of the implementation of the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth European Development Funds for the financial year 2003;

3. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Commission, the Council, the Court of Auditors and the European Investment Bank, and to have it published in the Official Journal of the European Union (L series).

[1] OJ C 293, 30.11.2004, p. 315.

[2] OJ C 293, 30.11.2004, p. 327.

[3] OJ L 156, 29.5.1998, p. 108.

[4] OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 355.

[5] OJ L 191, 7.7.1998, p. 53.

[6] OJ L 83, 1.4.2003, p. 1.

[7] As a percentage of resources.

[8] Including EUR 732,9 million in financial commitments, EUR 347,4 million in individual legal commitments and EUR 97,7 million in payments for advance implementation of the Cotonou Agreement.

[9] Note that for ease of comparison with previous years, these figures include operations now managed autonomously by the EIB (allocation: EUR 2245 million, financial commitments: EUR 366 million, individual legal commitments: EUR 140 million, payments: EUR 4 million).

[10] Initial allocations to the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th EDFs, interest, sundry resources and transfers from previous EDFs.

[11] Including Stabex transfers (7th EDF: EUR 104 million, 8th EDF: EUR 87 million, total EUR 191 million).

--------------------------------------------------