Interinstitutional agreement of 13 October 1998 on legal bases and implementation of the budget
Date: 1998-10-13
Institutions: Council of the European Union, European Commission, European Parliament
Subjects: EU act, EU action, implementation of the budget, interinstitutional agreement, secondary legislation

12.11.98

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  344/1

I

(Information)

EUROPEAN  PARLIAMENT
COUNCIL
COMMISSION

INTERINSTITUTIONAL  AGREEMENT

of  13  October  1998

on  legal  bases  and  implementation  of  the  budget

(98/C  344/01)

1.(cid:217)Under  the  system  of  the  Treaty,  implementation  of
for  any
in 
appropriations  entered 
Community  action  requires  the  prior  adoption  of  a
basic  act.

the  budget 

A  "basic  act’  is  an  act  of  secondary  legislation  which
provides  a  legal  basis  for  the  Community  action  and
for  the  implementation  of  the  corresponding  expen(cid:220)
diture  entered  in  the  budget.  Such  an  act  must  take
the  form  of  a  Regulation,  a  Directive  or  a  Decision
(Entscheidung  or  Beschlu¤).  Recommendations  and
Opinions  do  not  constitute  basic  acts,  nor  do
Resolutions  or  Declarations.

2.(cid:217)However,  the  following  may  be  implemented  without
a  basic  act  as  long  as  the  actions  which  they  are
intended  to  finance  fall  within  the  competence  of  the
Community:

(a)(cid:217) (i)(cid:217)appropriations  for  pilot  schemes  of  an  experi(cid:220)
mental  nature  aimed  at  testing  the  feasibility
of  an  action  and  its  usefulness.  The  relevant
commitment  appropriations  may  be  entered  in
the  budget  for  only  two  financial  years.  Their
total  amount  may  not  exceed  EUR  32
million;

(ii)(cid:217)appropriations  relating  to  preparatory  actions
intended  to  prepare  proposals  with  a  view  to
the  adoption  of  future  Community  actions.
follow  a
The  preparatory  actions  must 
coherent  approach  and  may 
take  various
forms.  The 
relevant  commitment  appro(cid:220)
priations  may  be  entered  in  the  budget  for
only  three  financial  years  at  most.  The  legis(cid:220)
lative  procedure  should  be  concluded  before
the  end  of  the  third  financial  year.  During  the
the
course  of 
commitment 
must
correspond  to  the  particular  features  of  the
preparatory  action  as  regards  the  activities

legislative  procedure, 
appropriations 

the 

of 

envisaged,  the  aims  pursued  and  the  persons
imple(cid:220)
benefited.  Consequently,  the  means 
mented  cannot  correspond  in  volume  to  those
envisaged  for  financing  the  definitive  action
itself.  The  total  amount  of  the  new  headings
concerned  may  not  exceed  EUR  30  million
per  financial  year  and  the  total  amount  of  the
appropriations  actually  committed  in  respect
of  the  preparatory  actions  may  not  exceed
EUR  75  million.

is
When  the  preliminary  draft  budget  (PDB) 
presented,  the  Commission  will  submit  a  report
on  the  actions  referred  to  in  points  (i)  and  (ii)
which  will  also  cover  the  objective  of  the  action,
follow(cid:220)up
an  assessment  of  results  and 
envisaged;

the 

(b) appropriations  concerning  actions  of  a  specific,  or
even 
the
indefinite,  nature  carried  out  by 
Commission  by  virtue  of  tasks  resulting  from  its
prerogatives  at  institutional  level,  other  than  its
right  of  legislative  initiative  as  referred  to  in  point
(a),  and  specific  powers  directly  conferred  upon  it
by  the  Treaty.  A  list  is  contained  in  the  Annex.
The  list  may  be  supplemented,  in  the  presentation
of  the  PDB,  with  an  indication  of  the  Articles  in
question  and  the  amounts  concerned;

(c) appropriations  intended  for  the  operation  of  each
institution  under  its  administrative  autonomy.

3.(cid:217)This  interinstitutional  agreement  shall  enter  into  force
on  the  date  when  it  is  signed  by  the  representatives  of
the  three  institutions.

It  shall  apply  from  that  date,  for  the  continuation  of
the  1999  budget  procedure  and  to  the  budgets  for
subsequent  financial  years,  unless  one  of  the  three
institutions  denounces  it.

C  344/2

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

12.11.98

Hecho  en  Bruselas,  el  trece  de  octubre  de  mil  novecientos  noventa  y  ocho.

Udf»rdiget  i  Bruxelles  den  trettende  oktober  nitten  hundrede  og  otteoghalvfems.

Geschehen  zu  Br(cid:190)ssel  am  dreizehnten  Oktober  neunzehnhundertachtundneunzig.

(cid:190)Egine  stiw  Bryj~llew,  stiw  d~ka  treiw  Oktvbr(cid:242)oy  x(cid:242)lia  enniak(cid:246)sia  enen(cid:254)nta  okt(cid:215).

Done  at  Brussels  on  the  thirteenth  day  of  October  in  the  year  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and
ninety(cid:220)eight.

Fait  {  Bruxelles,  le  treize  octobre  mil  neuf  cent  quatre(cid:220)vingt(cid:220)dix(cid:220)huit.

Fatto  a  Bruxelles,  add(cid:243)  tredici  ottobre  millenovecentonovantotto.

Gedaan  te  Brussel,  de  dertiende  oktober  negentienhonderd  achtennegentig.

Feito  em  Bruxelas,  em  treze  de  Outubro  de  mil  novecentos  e  noventa  e  oito.

Tehty  Brysseliss…  kolmantenatoista  p…iv…n…  lokakuuta  vuonna  tuhatyhdeks…nsataayhdeks…n(cid:220)
kymment…kahdeksan.

Som  skedde  i  Bryssel  den  trettonde  oktober  nittonhundranittio¿tta.

12.11.98

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  344/3

Por  el  Parlamento  Europeo
For  Europa(cid:220)Parlamentet
F(cid:190)r  das  Europ…ische  Parlament
Gia  to  Eyrvpaık(cid:246)  Koinobo(cid:255)lio
For  the  European  Parliament
Pour  le  Parlement  europ~en
Per  il  Parlamento  europeo
Voor  het  Europees  Parlement
Pelo  Parlamento  Europeu
Euroopan  parlamentin  puolesta
F‰r  Europaparlamentet

Por  el  Consejo  de  la  Uni(cid:246)n  Europea
For  R¿det  for  Den  Europ»iske  Union
F(cid:190)r  den  Rat  der  Europ…ischen  Union
Gia  to  Symbo(cid:255)lio  thw  Eyrvpaık(cid:254)w  (cid:190)Envshw
For  the  Council  of  the  European  Union
Pour  le  Conseil  de  l’Union  europ~enne
Per  il  Consiglio  dell’Unione  europea
Voor  de  Raad  van  de  Europese  Unie
Pelo  Conselho  da  Uni}o  Europeia
Euroopan  unionin  neuvoston  puolesta
F‰r  Europeiska  unionens  r¿d

Por  la  Comisi(cid:246)n  Europea
For  Europa(cid:220)Kommissionen
F(cid:190)r  die  Europ…ische  Kommission
Gia  thn  Eyrvpaık(cid:254)  Epitrop(cid:254)
For  the  European  Commission
Pour  la  Commission  europ~enne
Per  la  Commissione  europea
Voor  de  Europese  Commissie
Pelo  Comiss}o  Europeia
Euroopan  komission  puolesta
F‰r  Europeiska  kommissionen

C  344/4

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Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

12.11.98

ANNEX

List  of  Articles  of  the  EC  and  EAEC  Treaties  which  directly  confer  powers  on  the  Commission  which  are
specific  and  likely  to  have  financial  implications  in  Part  B  (operating  appropriations)  of  Section  III  -
Commission  -  of  the  budget

I.  EC  TREATY

Article  118

Studies,  opinions,  consultations  on  social  matters

Article  118b

Social  dialogue

Article  122

Special  reports  in  the  social  field

Article  129(2)

Initiatives  to  promote  coordination  with  regard  to  health  protection

Article  129c(2)

Initiatives  to  promote  coordination  with  regard  to  trans(cid:220)European  networks

Article  130(2)

Initiatives  to  promote  industrial  coordination

Article  130b,
second  paragraph

Report  on  progress  made  towards  achieving  economic  and  social  cohesion

Article  130h(2)

Initiatives  to  promote  coordination  with  regard  to  technological  research
and  development

Article  130p

Report  on  technological  research  and  development

Article  130x(2)

Initiatives  to  promote  the  coordination  of  development  cooperation  policies

II.  EURATOM  TREATY

Chapter  6
Section  5

Article  70

Supply  policy

Financial  support,  within  the 
programmes  in  the  territories  of  Member  States

limits  set  by  the  budget,  to  prospecting

Chapter  7
Article  77  et  seq.

Safeguards

DECLARATION  BY  THE  COMMISSION

on  point  2(a)(ii)

The  Commission  declares  that  it  reserves  the  right  to  propose  that  the  ceiling  of  EUR  30
million  be  exceeded  in  the  event  of  exceptional  external  circumstances.