European Parliament resolution on Draft amending budget No 7/2004 of the European Union for the financial year 2004, Section III — Commission (11041/2004 — C6-0108/2004 — 2004/2039(BUD))
Date: 2004-09-14
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: European Commission, amending budget, budgetary discipline (EU), draft budget (EU), financial year, implementation of the budget

9.6.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 140 E/47

TEXTS ADOPTED

Tuesday 14 September 2004

P6_TA(2004)0002

Draft amending budget No 7/2004

European Parliament resolution on Draft amending budget No 7/2004 of the European Union for
the financial year 2004, Section III — Commission (11041/2004 — C6-0108/2004 — 2004/2039
(BUD))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 272(4),

penultimate paragraph thereof,

— having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular

Article 177 thereof,

— having regard to Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial
Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (1), and particularly Arti-
cles 37 and 38 thereof,

— having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2004, as finally
adopted on 18 December 2003 (2) and as adjusted in line with the enlargement of the European
Union (3),

— 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 (4),

— having regard to the Preliminary draft amending budget No 7/2004 of the European Union for the

financial year 2004, which the Commission presented on 12 May 2004 (SEC(2004) 0593),

— having regard to Draft amending budget No 7/2004 of the European Union for the financial year

2004, which the Council established on 16 July 2004 (11041/2004 — C6-0108/2004),

— having regard to Rule 69 of and Annex IV to its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A6-0004/2004),

A. whereas the aim of Draft amending budget No 7/2004 is to enter in the 2004 budget the surplus of

the 2003 financial year, amounting to EUR 5 470 million,

B. whereas this surplus consists of various elements, the most important being the under-spending of

EUR 4 729 million,

C. whereas the highest difference between result and initial budget in 2003 once again occurred in the

Structural Funds with the balance of expenditure amounting to EUR 3 134 million,

D. whereas there have been improvements in the uptake of the funds in the fields of agriculture, the

cohesion fund, trans-European networks, external action and administration,

E. whereas in internal policies, generally, the percentage uptake has also risen although, in spite of this, a

total of EUR 159 million was left over,

1.

Expresses its dissatisfaction with the additional surplus of EUR 5 470 million for the 2003 budget;

2.
Recalls that, in addition to this amount, the 2003 budget was previously reduced by an amount of
EUR 5 000 million by Amending Budget No 6/2003 following a large overestimation of payments in the
Structural Funds; notes that Member States' contributions to the EU budget have therefore already been
reduced by that amount; points out that in consequence the real surplus of the 2003 budget due to
under-spending amounts to nearly EUR 10 500 million;

Deeply regrets the fact that with this the positive development of the last years, the surplus having

3.
fallen from EUR 15 000 million in 2001 to EUR 7 000 million in 2002, has come to an end;

(1) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 53, 23.2.2004.
(3) OJ C 105, 30.4.2004, p. 9.
(4) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1. Agreement as amended by Decision 2003/429/EC (OJ L 147, 14.6.2003, p. 25).

C 140 E/48

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

9.6.2005

Tuesday 14 September 2004

4.

5.

Approves the Council's Draft amending budget No 7/2004 unamended;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

P6_TA(2004)0003

Draft amending budget No 8/2004

European Parliament resolution on Draft amending budget No 8/2004 of the European Union for
the financial year 2004, Section III — Commission (11042/2004 — C6-0109/2004 — 2004/2066
(BUD))

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 272(4),

penultimate paragraph thereof,

— having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular

Article 177 thereof,

— having regard to Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial
Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (1), and particularly Arti-
cles 37 and 38 thereof,

— having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2004, as finally
adopted on 18 December 2003 (2) and as adjusted in line with the enlargement of the European
Union (3),

— 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 (4),

— having regard to Council Decision 2000/597/EC, Euratom of 29 September 2000 on the system of the

European Communities' own resources (5),

— having regard to the Preliminary draft amending budget No 8/2004 of the European Union for the

financial year 2004, which the Commission presented on 28 May 2004 (SEC(2004) 0675),

— having regard to Draft amending budget No 8/2004 of the European Union for the financial year

2004, which the Council established on 16 July 2004 (11042/2004 — C6-0109/2004),

— having regard to Rule 69 of and Annex IV to its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A6-0005/2004),

A. whereas Draft amending budget No 8/2004 relates to the revenue side of the budget and comprises a
number of elements affecting the level of contributions from Member States to the Community's own
resources,

B. whereas these elements relate to the repayment of the surplus from the Guarantee Fund for External
Measures from 2003 as well as to the annual revision of the forecasts for customs duties, VAT bases,
GNI bases and a technical re-calculation of the contributions necessary to finance the UK rebate,

C. whereas the Commission has committed itself to present its own resources report, as laid down in
Council Decision 2000/597/EC, Euratom, by summer 2004 and to submit appropriate proposals for a
generalised correction mechanism,

1.

2.

Approves the Council's Draft amending budget No 8/2004 unamended;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

(1) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 53, 23.2.2004.
(3) OJ C 105, 30.4.2004, p. 9.
(4) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1. Agreement as amended by Decision 2003/429/EC (OJ L 147, 14.6.2003, p. 25).
(5) OJ L 253, 7.10.2000, p. 42.