ECSC Consultative Committee Resolution on a plan for transferring funds from the ECSC budget to the general budget
Date: 1998-06-25
Institutions: Consultative Committee of the European Coal and Steel Community
Subjects: ECSC, ECSC operating budget, EU initiative, capital transfer, general budget (EU)

24.7.98

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  232/3

ECSC  CONSULTATIVE  COMMITTEE  RESOLUTION  ON  A  PLAN  FOR  TRANSFERRING
FUNDS  FROM  THE  ECSC  BUDGET  TO  THE  GENERAL  BUDGET

(98/C  232/03)

(adopted  unanimously  less  one  abstention  during  the  340th  Session  of  25  June  1998)

1. List  of  reference  documents

1.1.(cid:217)Communication 

from 

the  Commission  con(cid:220)
cerning  the  transfer  of  a  maximum  amount  of
the  ECSC  operating
ECU  60  million 
budget  to  the  general  budget  of  the  European
Union  in  order  to  increase  the  funding  for  the
Community 
initiatives  Rechar  II  and  Resider
II(cid:216)(˛);

from 

1.2.(cid:217)Resolution  of 

the  European  Parliament  of
18(cid:217)December  1997  on  the  draft  ECSC  operating
budget  for  1998(cid:216)(ˇ);

1.3.(cid:217)ECSC  Consultative  Committee  Resolution  on

ECSC  social  research(cid:216)(—);

1.4.(cid:217)Memorandum 

the  ECSC  Consultative
Committee  on  social  aspects  connected  with  the
expiry  of  the  ECSC  Treaty  in  2002(cid:216)((cid:209));

of 

1.5.(cid:217)Resolution  of  the  ECSC  Consultative  Committee
on  the  future  of  collaborative  research  in  the  coal
and  steel  sectors(cid:216)((cid:210));

1.6.(cid:217)Resolution  of  the  ECSC  Consultative  Committee
on  the  continuation  of  the  ECSC  readaptation
measures  under  Article  56  of  the  ECSC  Treaty
after  2002  and  the  revision  of  the  structural  funds
(Agenda  2000)(cid:216)((cid:211)).

2. Recitals

The  ECSC  Consultative  Committee

2.1.(cid:217)has  not  opposed  the  progressive  reduction  of  the
levy,  which  has  been  reduced  to  zero  as  from
1998;

(˛)(cid:217)Doc.  SEC(1998)  967  final.
(ˇ)(cid:217)Doc.  SEC(97)  0933(cid:220)C4(cid:220)0270/97  (A4(cid:220)0409/97  -  Giansily

report).

(—)(cid:217)OJ  C  206,  11.8.1995.
((cid:209))(cid:217)OJ  C  334,  8.11.1996.
((cid:210))(cid:217)OJ  C  220,  19.7.1997.
((cid:211))(cid:217)OJ  C  155,  20.5.1998.

2.2.(cid:217)has  always  considered  that  the  ECSC  reserves
should  be  spent  solely  on  those  industries  which
contributed  to  them;

2.3.(cid:217)has  been  concerned  about  the  future  of  the  social
measures  based  on  Article  56  of  the  ECSC
Treaty;

2.4.(cid:217)has  come  out  in  favour  of  regional  management
of  restructuring,  in  close  association  with  the  two
sides  of  industry  in  the  sectors  concerned;

effectiveness  of  ECSC 

2.5.(cid:217)has  repeatedly  affirmed  its  faith  in  the  need  for
this
and 
conviction  for  continuity  beyond  the  expiry  of
the  ECSC  Treaty  having  been  shared  by  the
European  Council  in  Amsterdam.

research, 

3. Recommendations

The  ECSC  Consultative  Committee

3.1. WELCOMES  the  fact  that  the  Commission  is  keen
to  see  the  industrial  fabric  of  the  regions  affected
by  the  restructuring  of  the  coal  and  steel  sectors
restored;

3.2.(cid:217)firmly  REQUESTS  that  the  Community  Initiatives
Rechar  and  Resider,  which  have  so  far  been  very
efficient,  be  fully 
implemented  and  funds  for
their  financing  be  made  available  under  the
General  Budget  of  the  European  Union;

3.3. IS  strongly  OPPOSED  to  the  transfer  of  any
amounts  whatsoever  from  the  ECSC  budget  to
the  general  budget;

3.4. CONSIDERS  that,  on  the  contrary,  any  surplus  in
the  ECSC  budget  between  now  and  the  expiry  of
the  ECSC  Treaty  should  be  placed  in  reserve  up
to  a  reasonable  ceiling,  to  meet  any  possible  new
requirements;

3.5. IS  OF  THE  OPINION  that  any  additional  surplus
level  of  reserves
beyond  any  such  reasonable 
should  be  allocated  to  ECSC  research,  which  has
amply  demonstrated  its  effectiveness.