WRITTEN QUESTION E-3531/02 by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Commission. Total value of past spending under the 2002 Portuguese budget.
Date: 2002-12-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European accounting system, Portugal, budgetary control, management accounting, national budget, public debt, public expenditure, stability pact

C 192 E/120

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

14.8.2003

Article 191 as amended at Nice now offers a solid and uncontestable legal base for community legislation
on European political parties and their financing.

The new proposal will replace the transitional proposal made in 2001 and never adopted by Council. It will
lay down rules on the obligations of recipients of community funding in terms of respect for democracy
and fundamental freedoms, minimum representativity and financial transparency and accountability.

(2003/C 192 E/117)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3531/02

by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Commission

(10 December 2002)

Subject: Total value of past spending under the 2002 Portuguese budget

All that the Commission’s reply to my question E-3042/02 (1) does is to add some factual data which helps
one to grasp the scale of the issue. In fact, with the amending budget assigning 1,6 % of GDP to correcting
‘past situations’, how is one to understand that this amount is now estimated at 3 % and adds spending not
balanced in 2002?

This is the question I put. Could I please have it answered?

(1) OJ C 155 E, 3.7.2003, p. 78.

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(24 January 2003)

The written question of the Honourable Member explicitly refers to the answer given by the Commission
to his previous written question E-3042/02. In its task of budgetary surveillance, official documents
(e.g. budget reports), and the information transmitted regularly on the basis of the relevant legislation
(e.g. the semi-annual deficit and debt notification (1)) play a predominant role as sources of information. In
written question E-3042/02, the Honourable Member refers to some ‘press reports’, according to which
expenditure arrears to be regularised in 2002 would amount to 3 % of gross domestic production (GDP).
This value differs from the official estimate in the 2002 rectifying budget report, which puts the amount of
expenditure arrears to be regularised in 2002 at 1,6 % of GDP (2). The Commission is not aware of any
other official projection for the amount of expenditure arrears to be regularised in 2002.

Moreover, according to the European system of national and regional accounts in the Community (ESA
95), expenditure is recorded on an accrual basis and not on a cash basis. This means that the amount of
expenditure arrears to be regularised in 2002 has no impact on the general government deficit for that
year, as this spending is registered in the years the respective liabilities were incurred, and not when the
actual payments are made. The only impact would be on the debt level for 2002.

(1) Council regulation (EC) No 3605/93 of 22 November 1993 on the application of the Protocol on the excessive

deificit procedure annexed to the Treaty establishing the Community (cid:1) OJ L 332, 31.12.1993.
‘Relatório da Proposta de Alteração à Lei do Orçamento para 2002’.

(2)

(2003/C 192 E/118)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3532/02

by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Commission

(10 December 2002)

Subject: Unusual characteristics of deficits

According to its answer to Written Question E-3043/02 (1) the Commission only exercises budgetary
control in the public sector as a whole and not in any of its specific components or sectors, which is
obvious and was implicit in the question. However, apart from not answering the question, which referred