2003/133/EC: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2002 on the mobilisation of the flexibility instrument according to point 24 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999
Date: 2002-12-19
Institutions: Council of the European Union, European Parliament
Subjects: Morocco, Structural Funds, commitment of expenditure, financial aid, fisheries policy, fishing agreement, general budget (EU), vocational retraining

28.2.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 53/43

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
COUNCIL

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

of 19 December 2002

on the mobilisation of the flexibility instrument according to point 24 of the Interinstitutional
Agreement of 6 May 1999

(2003/133/EC)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May
1999 between the European Parliament, the Council and the
Commission on budgetary discipline and improvement of the
budgetary procedure (1), and in particular point 24 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Following the non-renewal of the fisheries agreement
between the European Union and the Kingdom of
Morocco, a specific action for the conversion of the
Spanish and Portuguese fleets was decided for an
amount of EUR 197 million. Of this total the budgetary
authority agreed on 21 and 22 November 2001 at the
conciliation meeting between the Council and a delega-
tion of the European Parliament, with the participation
of the Commission, to enter EUR 27 million in the
2003 budget.

The actions for the conversion of Spanish and Portu-
guese fleets fall under heading 2 ‘structural measures’,
sub-heading
financial
perspectives.

‘Structural

Funds’

the

of

In accordance with point 12, paragraph 2 of the Interin-
stitutional Agreement on budgetary discipline
and
improvement of the budgetary procedure, the appropria-
tions foreseen for actions covered by heading 2 ‘struc-
tural measures’ of the financial perspectives do not leave
any margin under the ceiling.

(1) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1.

(4)

(5)

At the conciliation meeting on 25 November 2002, the
European Parliament and the Council have accepted
transfer No 51/2002 which provides EUR 14 991 760
from unused appropriations in the 2002 budget onto
the line B2-2 0 0. They have also agreed to inscribe the
remaining EUR 12 008 240 on B2-2 0 0 for the budget
year 2003. This amount will be beyond the ceiling of
heading 2 for 2003 and has therefore to be financed
from the flexibility instrument.

In particular, for the action of conversion of the Spanish
and Portuguese fleets, it is then appropriate to make an
exception to the general rule of the Interinstitutional
Agreement, providing that:
‘the flexibility instrument
should not, as a rule, be used to cover the same needs
two years running.’,

HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

For the general budget of the European Union for the financial
year 2003 (hereinafter ‘the 2003 budget’), the flexibility instru-
ment shall be used to provide the sum of EUR 12 008 240 in
commitment appropriations.

This amount shall be used for the financing of the targeted
measure for the promotion of the conversion of vessels and of
fishermen who were, until 1999, dependent on the fisheries
agreement with Morocco, covered by the ‘structural measures’
heading of the financial perspectives, under line B2-2 0 0 of the
2003 budget.

L 53/44

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Official Journal of the European Union

28.2.2003

This Decision shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Communities at the same time as the
2003 budget.

Article 2

Done at Strasbourg, 19 December 2002.

By the European Parliament

The President

P. COX

By the Council

The President

T. PEDERSEN