OPINION No 10/98 of the European Court of Auditors on certain proposals for regulations within the Agenda 2000 framework
Date: 1998-10-29
Institutions: European Court of Auditors
Subjects: Structural Funds, accession to the European Union, common agricultural policy, credit guarantee, non-government bill, third country

22.12.98

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  401/1

I

(Information)

COURT  OF  AUDITORS

of the European Court of Auditors on certain proposals for regulations within the Agenda 2000
framework

OPINION  No  10/98

(98/C  401/01)

GENERAL 

INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  COURT’S  OPINION  ON  THE  PROPOSALS  FOR

REGULATIONS  WITHIN  THE  AGENDA  2000  FRAMEWORK

On  18  March  1998  the  Commission  submitted  a  number  of  proposals  for  new  legislation
within  the  Agenda  2000  framework.  The  proposals  can  be  grouped  as  follows:

—  eight  proposals  for  regulations  concerning  the  reform  of  the  common  agricultural  policy
(COM(1998)  158  final),  with  an  evaluation  of  their  financial  implications.  Four  of  the
proposals relate to the common market organisations for cereals, beef and veal and milk and
milk  products.  Two  others  are  concerned  with  systems  of  direct  support  for  producers,
either for certain arable crops or to establish common rules for these systems. Finally, there
are  two  proposals  concerning  support  for  rural  development  and  the  financing  of  the
common agricultural policy,

—  four proposals for regulations concerning the Structural Funds (COM(1998) 131 final). One
of  these  is  concerned  with  the  general  rules  applicable  to  the  Funds  and  the  three  others
relate  to  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF),  the  Social  Fund  and  fisheries
respectively,

—  three  proposals  for  regulations  concerning  pre-accession.  One  of  the  proposals  aims  to
establish  a  pre-accession  structural  instrument  (COM(1998)  138  final)  and  another  relates
to  pre-accession  aid  for  agriculture  and  rural  development  (COM(1998)  153  final).  A  third
proposal  for a regulation  (COM(1998) 150 final, amended by COM(1998) 551 final of 30
September  1998)  concerns  the  coordination  of  pre-accession  aid,

—  a  proposal  for  a  regulation  amending  Council  Regulation  (EC,  Euratom)  No  2728/94

establishing  a  Guarantee  Fund  for  external  actions.

In view of the significant financial implications of these proposals, the Council asked the Court
of Auditors on 29 May 1998 to inform it of any observations which the Court wished to make
on  these  financial  aspects.

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EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

22.12.98

The  Court’s  work  has  focused  on  the  four  main  areas  covered  by  the  proposals  in  question,
namely continuing the reform of the common agricultural policy, improving structural policies,
preparing  for  enlargement  through  pre-accession  instruments  and  the  reform  of  the  Guarantee
Fund  for  external  actions.

This  opinion  deals  with  each  of  these  four  areas  in  turn.

The  opinion  was  adopted  by  the  Court  of  Auditors  in  Luxembourg  at  the  meeting  of  29
October  1998.

For  the  Court  of  Auditors

Bernhard  FRIEDMANN

President