European Parliament resolution on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2005 as modified by the Council (all sections) (15178/2004 — C6-0225/2004 — 2004/2001(BUD) — 2004/2002(BUD) and Letters of amendment Nos 1/2005 (15180/2004 — C6-0216/2004), 2/2005 (15181/2004 — C6-0217/2004) and 3/2005 (15182/2004 — C6-0218/2004) to the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2005
Date: 2004-12-16
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Croatia, Cyprus, EU office or agency, accession to the European Union, administrative expenditure (EU), aid policy, draft budget (EU), drawing up of the EU budget, implementation of the budget, interinstitutional relations (EU), structural policy

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P6_TA(2004)0103

2005 draft general budget, modified by the Council (all sections)

European Parliament resolution on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial
year 2005 as modified by the Council (all sections) (15178/2004 — C6-0225/2004 — 2004/2001
(BUD) — 2004/2002(BUD) and Letters of amendment Nos 1/2005 (15180/2004 — C6-0216/2004),
2/2005 (15181/2004 — C6-0217/2004) and 3/2005 (15182/2004 — C6-0218/2004) to the draft gen-
eral budget of the European Union for the financial year 2005

The European Parliament,

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

penultimate subparagraph, and (7) thereof,

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

Article 177 thereof,

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

European Communities' own resources (1),

— 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 (2), and in particular Arti-
cle 40 thereof,

— 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 (3),
and the adjustment and revision of 19 May 2003 of the Financial Perspective in preparation for enlarge-
ment,

— having regard to the preliminary draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year

2005, presented by the Commission,

— having regard to the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2005, which the

Council established on 16 July 2004 (C6-0123/2004),

— having regard to its resolution of 28 October 2004 on the draft general budget of the European Union

for the financial year 2005, Section III — Commission (4),

— having regard to its resolution of 28 October 2004 on the draft general budget of the European Union
for the financial year 2005: Section I — European Parliament, Section II — Council, Section IV —
Court of Justice, Section V — Court of Auditors, Section VI — European Economic and Social Com-
mittee, Section VII — Committee of
the Regions, Section VIII(A) — European Ombudsman,
Section VIII(B) — European Data Protection Supervisor (5),

— having regard to its amendments and proposed modifications of 28 October 2004 to the draft general

budget,

— having regard to the Council's modifications to the amendments and proposed modifications adopted

by Parliament to the draft general budget (15178/2004 — C6-0225/2004),

— having regard to the results of the conciliation of 25 November 2004,

— having regard to the decision of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2004 on
the mobilisation of the flexibility instrument according to point 24 of the abovementioned Interinsti-
tutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 in favour of the extension of the PEACE II programme, the sub-
sidies to the decentralised agencies and the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Iraq,

(1) OJ L 253, 7.10.2000, p. 42.
(2) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.
(3) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1. Agreement as amended by European Parliament and Council Decision 2003/429/EC

(OJ L 147, 14.6.2003, p. 25).
(4) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2004)0038.
(5) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2004)0039.

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— having regard to Letters of amendment Nos 1/2005 (15180/2004 — C6-0216/2004), 2/2005 (15181/
2004 — C6-0217/2004) and 3/2005 (15182/2004 — C6-0218/2004) to the draft general budget of
the European Union for the financial year 2005,

Thursday 16 December 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 (A6-0068/2004),

A. whereas the Budget for 2005 as adopted by the Parliament amounts to EUR 116 554135 698 in com-
mitments, which represents an increase of 6,1 % on the 2004 Budget, and EUR 106 300 000 000 in
payments, which represents an increase of 4,4 % on the 2004 Budget; whereas this level of payments
represents 1,004 % of estimated GNI for the year 2005, compared to 1,08 % as established by the
Financial Perspective, a difference of EUR 7 935 million,

B. whereas the Commission's letter concerning the possibility of implementing the amendments adopted

to the draft budget 2005 was taken into consideration,

Decides to reconfirm its first reading priorities and amendments with the adjustments resulting from

1.
the agreement with the Council reached at the budget conciliation on 25 November 2004;

Heading 1: Agriculture

2.
Regrets the Council's horizontal reduction on payments in accordance with its prerogative for com-
pulsory expenditure; believes that the level of appropriations proposed in the Commission's Letter of
amendment No 3/2005 would have been more appropriate;

3.
Supports the agreement reached by the EP delegation at the Conciliation of 25 November 2004 to
finance the pilot project on quality promotion and the pilot project on a risk financing model for livestock
epidemics as a continuation of initiatives undertaken in 2004;

Heading 2: Structural Actions

4. Welcomes the improved implementation in 2004 and notes the Commission's forecast that this posi-
tive development should be sustained for 2005; draws particular attention to the positive effects of the N+2
rule and urges the Commission, also in light of payment claims received from Member States, to continue
to clear the backlog of old programmes;

5.
Confirms its decision to ensure the effective implementation of structural actions and approves the
Joint Declaration annexed to this resolution, which will ensure that further payment appropriations can be
made available, if necessary, by an Amending Budget in 2005;

6.
Agrees with the Council to ensure the continuation of the PEACE II programme in support of the
Northern Ireland peace process into 2005 and 2006 and to make available EUR 50 million for 2005,
EUR 45 million of which is to be made available through the mobilisation of the flexibility instrument;

Heading 3: Internal Policies

7. Welcomes the agreement reached at the conciliation of 25 November 2004 whereby an additional
EUR 40 million will be made available for 2005 in order to finance decentralised agencies while safeguard-
ing and reinforcing Parliament's priorities, notably in the areas of the Lisbon Strategy to foster economic
growth, sustainable development and job creation, Justice and Home Affairs (including the fight against
terrorism) and Communication Policy (including information to citizens and the debate on the future of
the Union);

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8.
Regrets, however, that the Council has accepted hardly any of Parliament's individual amendments and
is especially concerned at the Council's unwillingness to recognise fully the consequences of the ever greater
share of heading 3 taken up by the decentralised agencies;

Decides to enter appropriations for the decentralised agencies at the level of the preliminary draft

9.
budget;

10.
Considers, as the 2005 budget procedure has shown, that Parliament's control at political and
budgetary levels will be even more important for future years, as the agencies increase in number and
their impact on heading 3 continues to grow; therefore calls on its Committee on Budgets to maintain its
vigilance with respect to other political priorities for the coming years;

11.
Confirms its rejection of the drastic reductions proposed by the Council for actions linked with the
Lisbon Strategy and adds an additional EUR 62 million above the Council's proposal, of which
EUR 42 million will be used for SMEs and EUR 20 million to boost other actions;

Has decided to create a pilot project on the ‘Fight against Terrorism’ for an amount of EUR 7 million
12.
for its start-up year 2005; calls on the Commission and the Council to do their utmost to support this
project which aims at maximising the impact of joint action to combat terrorism at EU level;

13.
Confirms the importance it attaches to anti-pollution measures to protect the seas and has entered
EUR 17,8 million in both commitment and payment appropriations for the programme managed by the
European Maritime Safety Agency;

Approves the proposals for the budgetary items linked with the creation of the executive agencies as

14.
expressed in Letter of amendment No 2/2005;

Heading 4: External Policies

including the
15. Welcomes the agreement reached on the overall funding for the external policies,
mobilisation of the flexibility instrument for an amount of EUR 100 million for the financing of recon-
struction and humanitarian measures in Iraq; underlines the responsibility of the Union to honour its com-
mitments on a number of crucial issues such as the global fight against poverty, the promotion of human
rights and democracy and the links with partner countries around the world;

16.
Recalls that this agreement has been achieved without jeopardising other EU external policy prior-
ities; regrets, nevertheless, that the Council's position has forced some reductions against a few lines where
reinforcements proposed in the Parliament's first reading could otherwise have been maintained;

Requests the Commission to follow closely the developments in Ukraine and ensure that sufficient

17.
financial means are provided in order to support the further democratisation of the country;

18.
Has decided to support a preparatory action to encourage vaccine development and fight serious
poverty-related diseases in developing countries and therefore enters EUR 10 million against that budget
line;

19.
Has decided to maintain a separate budget heading for the fight against drugs and drug addiction in
view of the need for special actions and visibility in this field; therefore enters EUR 6 million against
Article 19 02 11;

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20.
Asks the Commission, further to the information provided on financing of non-state actors after
Parliament's first reading, to provide a report by April 2005 investigating possible changes to the application
of Community rules and regulations, with specific reference to:

(a) decreasing direct agreements with non-state actors in the external aid domain, among others by review-
ing the contribution to international organisations, which may also decrease the visibility of EU aid;

(b)

lowering the maximum EU contribution to projects carried out by non-state actors compared to the
maximum rate of 85 % which currently applies, and ensuring that the remainder is financed by non-
public funds;

(c)

improving the financial control of non-state actors and coordination between international donors in
response to the grave concerns described in the fifth activity report of the European Anti-Fraud Office;

Heading 5: Administrative Expenditure

Is willing to provide the EU institutions with the necessary means for 2005 to address the needs
21.
created by enlargement; restores, therefore, a significant part of the appropriations cut by the Council in its
second reading and agrees to create almost all posts requested by the Institutions in their estimates for
2005;

22.
Points out that the 2004 salary adjustment is only 0,7 % instead of 2,6 % as initially envisaged;
considers that appropriations in the 2005 budget must be adjusted to take account of this lower than
expected salary adjustment level; has, together with the Council, invited the Commission to submit not
later than March 2005 an amending budget containing exclusively reductions of appropriations for adminis-
trative expenditure of the institutions resulting from the annual adaptation of salaries and pensions;

23.
Estimates that, as a result of the salary adjustment, savings and anticipation of certain investments, a
significant margin under the ceiling of heading 5 can be created partially in the budget for 2005 and
through an Amending Budget adjusting the salaries and pensions during the year 2005;

24. Welcomes the Bureau's decision on the clarification of the rules concerning the parliamentary assist-
ance allowance; invites the Bureau to pursue its work towards achieving a specific regime for parliamentary
in principle, to release the appropriations entered in the reserve once the transfer
assistants;
request has been submitted;

is willing,

Invites the secretaries-general of the institutions to present the fourth report on trends in heading 5,

25.
including an update on recruitment, by 1 April 2005;

Other Sections

Has re-introduced its first reading amendments with some modifications to take account of antici-

26.
pation of expenditure from 2005 to 2004 by some other institutions;

Considers that EU Institutions should be able to use each other's facilities and premises, subject to
27.
availability, compatibility with their own activities, rules in force and respective decisions, while taking into
account the financial implications;

Heading 7: Pre-Accession Strategy

28.
Supports the agreement reached by the EP delegation at the Conciliation on 25 November 2004 to
enter EUR 120 million for encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community; also
decides to reinforce the funding envisaged for Croatia to a level of EUR 105 million, in line with the pre-
accession strategy for that country, and to transfer existing appropriations from heading 4 to heading 7;

*

*

*

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Instructs its President to declare that the budget has been finally adopted and arrange for its pub-

29.
lication in the Official Journal;

30.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Court of Justice,
the Court of Auditors, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions, the
European Ombudsman, the European Data Protection Supervisor and the other institutions and bodies
concerned.

ANNEX

Joint declarations

1.

‘The Budgetary Authority invites the Commission to present each year, together with its PDB, an
updated situation of those posts that cannot be occupied or have been redeployed as a result of the
creation of Executive Agencies.’

Amending Budget for 2005 on administrative expenditure

2.

‘The Budgetary Authority invites the Commission to submit not later than March 2005 an Amending
Budget containing exclusively the reductions of appropriations for administrative expenditure of the
institutions resulting from the annual adaptation of the salaries and pensions.’

Payment appropriations for Heading 2

3.

‘If the execution of payment appropriations for Structural Funds exceeds 40 % by the end of July 2005,
or if the Commission becomes otherwise convinced of a shortage in payment appropriations, the
Commission will, after having examined the possibilities of redeployment of payment appropriations
within the totality of the budget, including Heading 2, and evaluated possible sources of additional
revenue, present as soon as possible a PDAB to the budgetary authority. The European Parliament and
the Council will decide in one single reading on the PDAB in order to have additional appropriations
needed available at the latest in early November 2005. This PDAB to be presented and decided in one
single reading is exclusively meant for the appropriations needed under Heading 2.’

P6_TA(2004)0104

Extension of the EC-Comoros Fisheries Protocol *

European Parliament legislative resolution on the proposal for a Council regulation on the conclu-
sion of the Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters concerning the extension of the Proto-
col setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Agreement
between the European Economic Community and the Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros on
fishing off the Comoros for the period from 28 February 2004 to 31 December 2004 (COM(2004)
0540 — C6-0115/2004 — 2004/0185(CNS))

(Consultation procedure)

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the proposal for a Council regulation (COM(2004)0540) (1),

— having regard to Article 300(2), first subparagraph, of the EC Treaty,

— having regard to Article 300(3), first subparagraph, of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Council

consulted Parliament (C6-0115/2004),

(1) Not yet published in the OJ.