European Parliament legislative resolution of 30 November 2017 on the joint text on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2018 approved by the Conciliation Committee under the budgetary procedure (14587/2017 — C8-0416/2017 — 2017/2044(BUD))
Date: 2017-11-30
Institutions: Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, Committee on Budgetary Control, Committee on Budgets, Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, Committee on Constitutional Affairs, Committee on Culture and Education, Committee on Development, Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, Committee on Fisheries, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, Committee on International Trade, Committee on Legal Affairs, Committee on Petitions, Committee on Regional Development, Committee on Transport and Tourism, Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety, Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, European Parliament
Subjects: EU expenditure, draft budget (EU), financial year, financing of the EU budget, general budget (EU)








C_2018356EN.01017601.xml










4.10.2018   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 356/176






P8_TA(2017)0458
2018 budgetary procedure
European Parliament legislative resolution of 30 November 2017 on the joint text on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2018 approved by the Conciliation Committee under the budgetary procedure (14587/2017 — C8-0416/2017 — 2017/2044(BUD))
(2018/C 356/40)

The European Parliament,






—


having regard to the joint text approved by the Conciliation Committee and the relevant Parliament, Council and Commission statements (14587/2017 — C8-0416/2017),










—


having regard to the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2018, which the Commission adopted on 29 June 2017 (COM(2017)0400),










—


having regard to the position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2018, which the Council adopted on 4 September 2017 and forwarded to Parliament on 13 September 2017 (11815/2017 — C8-0313/2017),










—


having regard to Letter of amendment No 1/2018 to the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2018, which the Commission presented on 16 October 2017,










—


having regard to its resolution of 25 October 2017 on the Council position on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2018 (1) and to the budget amendments contained therein,










—


having regard to Article 314 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,










—


having regard to Article 106a of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community,










—


having regard to Council Decision 2014/335/EU, Euratom of 26 May 2014 on the system of own resources of the European Union (2),










—


having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 (3),










—


having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 of 2 December 2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020 (4),










—


having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (5),










—


having regard to Rule 90 and Rule 91 of its Rules of Procedure,










—


having regard to the report of its delegation to the Conciliation Committee (A8-0359/2017),












1.


Approves the joint text agreed by the Conciliation Committee, which consists of the following documents taken together:






—


list of budget lines not modified, compared to the draft budget or the Council's position;










—


summary figures by financial framework headings;










—


line by line figures on all budget items;










—


a consolidated document showing the figures and final text of all lines modified during the conciliation;
















2.


Confirms the joint statements by Parliament, the Council and the Commission annexed to this resolution;












3.


Takes note of the unilateral statements by the Commission and by the Council annexed to this resolution;












4.


Instructs its President to declare that the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2018 has been definitively adopted and to arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;












5.


Instructs its President to forward this legislative resolution to the Council, the Commission, the other institutions and bodies concerned and the national parliaments.






(1)  Texts adopted of that date, P8_TA(2017)0408.

(2)  OJ L 168, 7.6.2014, p. 105.

(3)  OJ L 298, 26.10.2012, p. 1.

(4)  OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 884.

(5)  OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1.





ANNEX

18.11.2017
FINAL
Budget 2018 — Elements for joint conclusions

These joint conclusions cover the following sections:






1.


Budget 2018










2.


Budget 2017 — Draft Amending Budget 6/2017










3.


Statements





Summary overview







 









A.




Budget 2018

According to the elements for joint conclusions:






—


The overall level of commitment appropriations in the 2018 budget is set at EUR 160 113,5 million. Overall, this leaves a margin below the MFF ceilings for 2018 of EUR 1 600,3 million in commitment appropriations.










—


The overall level of payment appropriations in the 2018 budget is set at EUR 144 681,0 million.










—


The Flexibility Instrument for 2018 is mobilised in commitment appropriations for an amount of EUR 837,2 million for heading 3 Security and Citizenship.










—


The Global margin for commitments is used at a level of EUR 1 113,7 million for heading 1a Competitiveness for Growth and Jobs and heading 1b Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion.










—


The decision (EU) 2017/344 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2016 on the mobilisation of the Contingency margin in 2017 (1) will be amended to adjust the offsetting profile to decrease the amount offset in heading 5 Administration in 2018 from EUR 570 million to EUR 318 million and correspondingly introduce offsetting of EUR 252 million for the same heading in 2020.










—


The 2018 payment appropriations related to the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 are estimated by the Commission at EUR 678,3 million.















B.




Budget 2017

According to the elements for joint conclusions, Draft Amending Budget 6/2017 is accepted as proposed by the Commission.









1.   Budget 2018


1.1.   ‘Closed’ lines

Unless stated otherwise below in these conclusions, all budget lines not amended by either Council or Parliament, and those for which Parliament accepted Council's amendments during their respective reading, are confirmed.
For the other budget lines, the Conciliation Committee has agreed on the conclusions included in sections 1.2 to 1.7 below.

1.2.   Horizontal issues



Decentralised agencies


The EU contribution (in commitment and payment appropriations and the number of posts) for all decentralised agencies are set at the level proposed by the Commission in the Draft Budget, as amended by Amending Letter 1/2018 with the exception of:






—


Under heading 3:






—


The European Police Office (EUROPOL, budget article 18 02 04) for which 10 additional posts are allocated and commitment and payment appropriations increased by EUR 3 690 000.










—


The European Asylum Office (EASO, budget article 18 03 02) for which the commitment and payment appropriations are increased by EUR 5 000 000.










—


The European Body for the Enhancement of Judicial Cooperation (EUROJUST, budget article 33 03 04) for which 5 additional posts are allocated and commitment and payment appropriations increased by EUR 1 845 000.














—


Under heading 1a:






—


The European GNSS Agency (GSA, budget article 02 05 11) for which 5 additional posts are allocated and commitment and payment appropriations increased by EUR 345 000.










—


The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA, budget article 12 02 06) for which the level of commitment and payment appropriations and the number of posts are reduced at the level of the Draft Budget.










Executive agencies


The EU contribution (in commitment and payment appropriations and the number of posts) for executive agencies are set at the level proposed by the Commission in the Draft Budget 2018, as amended by Amending Letter 1/2018.


Pilot Projects/Preparatory Actions


A comprehensive package of 87 pilot projects/preparatory actions (PP/PA), for a total amount of EUR 100,0 million in commitment appropriations is agreed as proposed by the Parliament in addition to the preparatory action proposed by the Commission in the Draft budget 2018.
When a pilot project or a preparatory action appears to be covered by an existing legal basis, the Commission may propose the transfer of appropriations to the corresponding legal basis in order to facilitate the implementation of the action.
This package fully respects the ceilings for pilot projects and preparatory actions set in the Financial Regulation.

1.3.   Expenditure headings of the financial framework — commitment appropriations

After taking into account the above conclusions on ‘closed’ budget lines, agencies and pilot projects and preparatory actions, the Conciliation Committee has agreed on the following:


Heading 1a — Competitiveness for Growth and Jobs


Commitment appropriations are set at the level proposed by the Commission in the Draft Budget, as amended by Amending Letter 1/2018 but with the adjustments, agreed by the Conciliation Committee, detailed in the following table:









In EUR





Budget line / Programme




Name




DB 2018 (incl. AL1)




Budget 2018




Difference







1.1.11






European satellite navigation systems (EGNOS and Galileo)




 


 




-4 090 000 






02 05 01


Developing and providing global satellite-based radio navigation infrastructures and services (Galileo) by 2020


623 949 000 


621 709 000 


-2 240 000 




02 05 02


Providing satellite-based services improving the performance of GPS to gradually cover the whole European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) region by 2020 (EGNOS)


185 000 000 


183 150 000 


-1 850 000 






1.1.13






European Earth Observation Programme (Copernicus)




 


 




-10 370 000 






02 06 01


Delivering operational services relying on space-borne observations and in-situ data (Copernicus)


130 664 000 


129 364 000 


-1 300 000 




02 06 02


Building an autonomous Union’s Earth observation capacity (Copernicus)


507 297 000 


498 227 000 


-9 070 000 






1.1.14






European Solidarity Corps (ESC)




 


 




-30 000 000 






15 05 01


European Solidarity Corps


68 235 652 


38 235 652 


-30 000 000 






1.1.31






Horizon 2020




 


 




110 000 000 






02 04 02 01


Leadership in space


173 389 945 


184 528 490 


11 138 545 




02 04 02 03


Increasing innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)


36 937 021 


43 178 448 


6 241 427 




06 03 03 01


Achieving a resource-efficient, environmentally-friendly, safe and seamless European transport system


53 986 199 


56 835 072 


2 848 873 




08 02 01 01


Strengthening frontier research in the European Research Council


1 827 122 604 


1 842 122 604 


15 000 000 




08 02 02 01


Leadership in nanotechnologies, advanced materials, laser technology, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing and processing


518 395 125 


524 204 453 


5 809 328 




08 02 03 03


Making the transition to a reliable, sustainable and competitive energy system


330 244 971 


336 486 398 


6 241 427 




08 02 03 04


Achieving a European transport system that is resource-efficient, environmentally friendly, safe and seamless


230 777 055 


239 323 675 


8 546 620 




08 02 03 05


Achieving a resource-efficient and climate change resilient economy and a sustainable supply of raw materials


297 738 618 


303 307 891 


5 569 273 




08 02 08


SME instrument


471 209 870 


481 209 870 


10 000 000 




09 04 02 01


Leadership in information and communications technology


722 055 754 


725 189 515 


3 133 761 




15 03 01 01


Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions — generating, developing and transferring new skills, knowledge and innovation


870 013 019 


885 710 765 


15 697 746 




32 04 03 01


Making the transition to a reliable, sustainable and competitive energy system


300 984 111 


320 757 111 


19 773 000 






1.1.4






Competitiveness of enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (COSME)




 


 




15 000 000 






02 02 02


Improving access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the form of equity and debt


199 554 000 


214 554 000 


15 000 000 






1.1.5






Education, Training and Sport (Erasmus+)




 


 




54 000 000 






15 02 01 01


Promoting excellence and cooperation in the European education and training area and its relevance to the labour market


1 955 123 300 


1 979 123 300 


24 000 000 




15 02 01 02


Promoting excellence and cooperation in the European youth area and the participation of young people in European democratic life


182 672 916 


212 672 916 


30 000 000 






1.1.7






Customs, Fiscalis and Anti-Fraud




 


 




-1 365 232 






14 02 01


Supporting the functioning and modernisation of the customs union


80 071 000 


78 860 555 


-1 210 445 




14 03 01


Improving the proper functioning of the taxation systems


32 043 000 


31 888 213 


- 154 787 






1.1.81






Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) — Energy




 


 




-19 773 000 






32 02 01 04


Union contribution to Financial Instruments for creating an environment more conducive to private investment for energy projects


19 773 000 


0


-19 773 000 












1.1.





DAG









Decentralised agencies




 


 




-3 965 555 






02 05 11


European GNSS Agency


30 993 525 


31 338 525 


345 000 




12 02 06


European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)


15 947 170 


11 636 615 


-4 310 555 












1.1.





OTH









Other actions and programmes




 


 




-2 346 000 






02 03 02 01


Support to standardisation activities performed by CEN, Cenelec and ETSI


18 908 000 


18 562 000 


- 346 000 




26 02 01


Procedures for awarding and advertising public supply, works and service contracts


8 500 000 


7 500 000 


-1 000 000 




29 02 01


Providing quality statistical information, implementing new methods of production of European statistics and strengthening the partnership within the European Statistical System


59 475 000 


58 475 000 


-1 000 000 












1.1.





PPPA









Pilot projects and preparatory actions




 


 




51 650 000 














1.1.





SPEC









Actions financed under the prerogatives of the Commission and specific competences conferred to the Commission




 


 




-2 900 000 






01 02 01


Coordination and surveillance of, and communication on, the economic and monetary union, including the euro


12 000 000 


11 500 000 


- 500 000 




04 03 01 08


Industrial relations and social dialogue


16 438 000 


15 038 000 


-1 400 000 




06 02 05


Support activities to the European transport policy and passenger rights including communication activities


11 821 000 


10 821 000 


-1 000 000 




 



Total



 


 



155 840 213 





As a consequence, the agreed level of commitment appropriations is set at EUR 22 001,5 million, with no margin left under the expenditure ceiling of heading 1a of EUR 21 239 million, and the use of the Global Margin for Commitments for an amount of EUR 762,5 million.


Heading 1b — Economic, social and territorial Cohesion


Commitment appropriations are set at the level proposed by the Commission in the Draft Budget, as amended by Amending Letter 1/2018 but with the adjustment, agreed by the Conciliation Committee, detailed in the following table:









In EUR





Budget line / Programme




Name




DB 2018 (incl. AL1)




Budget 2018




Difference







1.2.5






Youth Employment initiative (specific top-up allocation)




 


 




116 666 667 






04 02 64


Youth Employment Initiative


233 333 333 


350 000 000 


116 666 667 












1.2.





PPPA









Pilot projects and preparatory actions




 


 




7 700 000 






 



Total



 


 



124 366 667 





As a consequence, the agreed level of commitment appropriations is set at EUR 55 532,2 million, with no margin left under the expenditure ceiling of heading 1b of EUR 55 181 million, and the use of the Global Margin for Commitments for an amount of EUR 351,2 million.


Heading 2 — Sustainable Growth: Natural Resources


Commitment appropriations are set at the level proposed by the Commission in the Draft Budget, as amended by Amending Letter 1/2018 but with the adjustments, agreed by the Conciliation Committee, detailed in the following table:









In EUR





Budget line / Programme




Name




DB 2018 (incl. AL1)




Budget 2018




Difference







2.0.10






European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) — Market related expenditure and direct payments




 


 




- 229 900 000 






05 03 01 10


Basic payment scheme (BPS)


16 556 000 000 


16 326 100 000 


- 229 900 000 












2.0.





PPPA









Pilot projects and preparatory actions




 


 




15 600 000 






 



Total



 


 



- 214 300 000 





The decrease of commitment appropriations is fully attributed to higher assigned revenue available arising from the EAGF surplus of 31 October 2017 which will cover the full needs of the sector as updated in Amending Letter 1/2018. Among these updated needs, Amending Letter 1/2018 increases the payments for:






—


Young farmers by EUR 34 million (budget item 05 03 01 13),










—


Agricultural practices beneficial for the climate and environment by EUR 95 million (budget item 05 03 01 11),










—


Other measures for pigmeat, poultry, eggs, bee-keeping and other animal products by EUR 60 million (budget item 05 02 15 99)










—


National support programmes for the wine sector by EUR 7 million (budget item 05 02 09 08), and










—


Storage measures for skimmed-milk powder by EUR 2 million (budget item 05 02 12 02).




As a consequence, the agreed level of commitment appropriations is set at EUR 59 285,3 million, leaving a margin of EUR 981,7 million under the expenditure ceiling of heading 2.


Heading 3 — Security and Citizenship


Commitment appropriations are set at the level proposed by the Commission in the Draft Budget, as amended by Amending Letter 1/2018 but with the adjustments, agreed by the Conciliation Committee, detailed in the following table:









In EUR





Budget line / Programme




Name




DB 2018 (incl. AL1)




Budget 2018




Difference







3.0.11






Creative Europe




 


 




3 500 000 






15 04 01


Strengthening the financial capacity of SMEs and small and very small organisations in the European cultural and creative sectors, and fostering policy development and new business models


34 528 000 


35 528 000 


1 000 000 




15 04 02


Culture sub-programme — Supporting cross-border actions and promoting transnational circulation and mobility


68 606 000 


71 106 000 


2 500 000 






3.0.8






Food and feed




 


 




-6 500 000 






17 04 01


Ensuring a higher animal health status and high level of protection of animals in the Union


161 500 000 


160 000 000 


-1 500 000 




17 04 02


Ensuring timely detection of harmful organisms for plants and their eradication


25 000 000 


22 000 000 


-3 000 000 




17 04 03


Ensuring effective, efficient and reliable controls


57 483 000 


55 483 000 


-2 000 000 












3.0.





DAG









Decentralised agencies




 


 




10 535 000 






18 02 04


European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol)


116 687 271 


120 377 271 


3 690 000 




18 03 02


European Asylum Support Office (EASO)


85 837 067 


90 837 067 


5 000 000 




33 03 04


The European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit (Eurojust)


36 506 468 


38 351 468 


1 845 000 












3.0.





PPPA









Pilot projects and preparatory actions




 


 




12 650 000 






 



Total



 


 



20 185 000 





As a consequence, the agreed level of commitment appropriations is set at EUR 3 493,2 million, with no margin left under the expenditure ceiling of heading 3, and the mobilisation of EUR 837,2 million through the Flexibility Instrument.


Heading 4 — Global Europe


Commitment appropriations are set at the level proposed by the Commission in the Draft Budget, as amended by Amending Letter 1/2018, but with the adjustments, agreed by the Conciliation Committee, detailed in the following table:









In EUR





Budget line / Programme




Name




DB 2018 (incl. AL1)




Budget 2018




Difference







4.0.1






Instrument for Pre-accession assistance (IPA II)




 


 




-95 000 000 






05 05 04 02


Support to Turkey — Economic, social and territorial development and related progressive alignment with the Union acquis


148 000 000 


131 000 000 


-17 000 000 




22 02 01 01


Support to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo (2), Montenegro, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia — Political reforms and related progressive alignment with the Union acquis


189 267 000 


199 267 000 


10 000 000 




22 02 03 01


Support to Turkey — Political reforms and related progressive alignment with the Union acquis


217 400 000 


167 400 000 


-50 000 000 




22 02 03 02


Support to Turkey — Economic, social and territorial development and related progressive alignment with the Union acquis


274 384 000 


236 384 000 


-38 000 000 






4.0.2






European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI)




 


 




50 000 000 






22 04 01 03


Mediterranean countries — Confidence building, security and the prevention and settlement of conflicts


262 072 675 


296 072 675 


34 000 000 




22 04 01 04


Support to the peace process and financial assistance to Palestine and to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)


293 379 163 


299 379 163 


6 000 000 




22 04 02 02


Eastern Partnership — Poverty reduction and sustainable development


351 556 726 


361 556 726 


10 000 000 






4.0.3






Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI)




 


 




20 000 000 






21 02 07 03


Human development


193 374 058 


205 874 058 


12 500 000 




21 02 20


Erasmus+ — Contribution from the development cooperation instrument (DCI)


94 928 673 


102 428 673 


7 500 000 






4.0.4






Partnership instrument for cooperation with third countries (PI)




 


 




-3 000 000 






19 05 01


Cooperation with third countries to advance and promote Union and mutual interests


126 263 000 


123 263 000 


-3 000 000 












4.0.





OTH









Other actions and programmes




 


 




-1 083 000 






13 07 01


Financial support for encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community


32 473 000 


34 473 000 


2 000 000 




21 02 40


Commodities agreements


5 583 000 


2 500 000 


-3 083 000 












4.0.





PPPA









Pilot projects and preparatory actions




 


 




8 900 000 














4.0.





SPEC









Actions financed under the prerogatives of the Commission and specific competences conferred to the Commission




 


 




1 000 000 






19 06 01


Information outreach on the Union’s external relations


12 000 000 


15 000 000 


3 000 000 




21 08 01


Evaluation of the results of Union aid and follow-up and audit measures


30 676 000 


29 176 000 


-1 500 000 




21 08 02


Coordination and promotion of awareness on development issues


13 036 000 


12 536 000 


- 500 000 




 



Total



 


 



-19 183 000 





As a consequence, the agreed level of commitment appropriations is set at EUR 9 568,8 million, leaving a margin of EUR 256,2 million under the expenditure ceiling of heading 4.


Heading 5 — Administration


The number of posts in the establishment plans of the Institutions and the appropriations proposed by the Commission in the Draft Budget, as amended by Amending Letter 1/2018 are agreed by the Conciliation Committee with the following exceptions:






—


The section of the Parliament for which its reading is approved;










—


The section of the Council for which its reading is approved;










—


The European External Action Service for which EUR 800 000 are allocated to a newly created budget item 2 2 1 4 Strategic Communication Capacity. This is aimed at properly equipping the European External Action Service to cover strategic communication tools, contracting strategic communication expertise, supporting language plurality of strategic communication products and engaging and maintaining a network of counter-disinformation specialists in Member States and neighbouring countries. The budget item 3 0 0 4 Other administrative expenditure is reduced by EUR 800 000 to ensure budget neutrality.




Moreover, the impact in the Budget 2018 of the automatic salary update to be applied from 1 July 2017 is integrated in all sections of the Institutions as follows:






in EUR




Parliament


-2 796 000 




Council


- 948 000 




Commission (including pensions)


-13 179 600 




Court of Justice


- 868 800 




Court of Auditors


- 357 000 




European Economic & Social Committee


- 193 000 




Committee of the Regions


- 146 000 




Ombudsman


-24 600 




European Data Protection Supervisor


-13 459 




European External Action Service


- 878 400 





Total




-19 404 859 





Finally, additional reductions of EUR 5 million were identified across all Institutions for expenditure related to buildings, as follows:






in EUR




Council


- 378 623 




Commission (including pensions)


-3 637 499 




Court of Justice


- 270 611 




Court of Auditors


-96 409 




European Economic & Social Committee


-89 461 




Committee of the Regions


-63 393 




Ombudsman


-7 016 




European Data Protection Supervisor


-9 526 




European External Action Service


- 447 462 





Total




-5 000 000 





As a consequence, and after taking into account pilot projects and preparatory actions (EUR 3,5 million) proposed under section 1.2 above, the agreed level of commitment appropriations is set at EUR 9 665,5 million, leaving a margin of EUR 362,5 million under the expenditure ceiling of heading 5, after the use of EUR 318,0 million of the margin to offset the mobilisation of the Contingency margin in 2017.


Special instruments: EGF, EAR and EUSF


Commitment appropriations for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) and for the Emergency Aid Reserve (EAR) are set at the level proposed by the Commission in the Draft Budget, as amended by Amending Letter 1/2018. The reserve for the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) is suppressed (budget article 40 02 44).

1.4.   Payment appropriations

The overall level of payment appropriations in the 2018 Budget is set at the level of the Draft Budget, as amended by Amending Letter 1/2018 with the following adjustments agreed by the Conciliation Committee:






1.


First, account is taken of the agreed level of commitment appropriations for non-differentiated expenditure, for which the level of payment appropriations is equal to the level of commitment appropriations. This includes the additional reduction of agricultural expenditure by -EUR 229,9 million. The combined effect is a decrease of -EUR 255,3 million;










2.


The payment appropriations for all new pilot projects and preparatory actions proposed by the Parliament are set at 50 % of the corresponding commitment appropriations, or at the level proposed by Parliament if lower. In the case of extension of existing pilot projects and preparatory actions the level of payment appropriations is the one defined in the Draft Budget plus 50 % of the corresponding new commitment appropriations, or at the level proposed by Parliament if lower. The combined effect is an increase of EUR 50,0 million;










3.


The adjustments on the following budget lines are agreed as a result of the evolution in commitment appropriations for differentiated expenditure:









In EUR





Budget line / Programme




Name




DB 2018 (incl. AL1)




Budget 2018




Difference







1.1.14






European Solidarity Corps (ESC)




 


 




-22 501 000 






15 05 01


European Solidarity Corps


51 177 000 


28 676 000 


-22 501 000 






1.1.5






Education, Training and Sport (Erasmus+)




 


 




12 000 000 






15 02 01 01


Promoting excellence and cooperation in the European education and training area and its relevance to the labour market


1 845 127 000 


1 857 127 000 


12 000 000 












1.1.





DAG









Decentralised agencies




 


 




-3 965 555 






02 05 11


European GNSS Agency


30 993 525 


31 338 525 


345 000 




12 02 06


European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)


15 947 170 


11 636 615 


-4 310 555 












1.1.





OTH









Other actions and programmes




 


 




- 900 000 






26 02 01


Procedures for awarding and advertising public supply, works and service contracts


8 200 000 


7 300 000 


- 900 000 












3.0.





DAG









Decentralised agencies




 


 




10 535 000 






18 02 04


European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol)


116 687 271 


120 377 271 


3 690 000 




18 03 02


European Asylum Support Office (EASO)


85 837 067 


90 837 067 


5 000 000 




33 03 04


The European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit (Eurojust)


36 506 468 


38 351 468 


1 845 000 






4.0.1






Instrument for Pre-accession assistance (IPA II)




 


 




-76 300 000 






05 05 04 02


Support to Turkey — Economic, social and territorial development and related progressive alignment with the Union acquis


120 000 000 


107 200 000 


-12 800 000 




22 02 01 01


Support to Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo (3), Montenegro, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia — Political reforms and related progressive alignment with the Union acquis


219 000 000 


221 500 000 


2 500 000 




22 02 03 01


Support to Turkey — Political reforms and related progressive alignment with the Union acquis


86 000 000 


48 500 000 


-37 500 000 




22 02 03 02


Support to Turkey — Economic, social and territorial development and related progressive alignment with the Union acquis


291 000 000 


262 500 000 


-28 500 000 






4.0.2






European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI)




 


 




12 500 000 






22 04 01 03


Mediterranean countries — Confidence building, security and the prevention and settlement of conflicts


125 000 000 


133 500 000 


8 500 000 




22 04 01 04


Support to the peace process and financial assistance to Palestine and to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)


260 000 000 


261 500 000 


1 500 000 




22 04 02 02


Eastern Partnership — Poverty reduction and sustainable development


320 000 000 


322 500 000 


2 500 000 






4.0.3






Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI)




 


 




16 900 000 






21 02 07 03


Human development


170 000 000 


179 400 000 


9 400 000 




21 02 20


Erasmus+ — Contribution from the development cooperation instrument (DCI)


95 995 100 


103 495 100 


7 500 000 












4.0.





OTH









Other actions and programmes




 


 




1 000 000 






13 07 01


Financial support for encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community


25 000 000 


26 000 000 


1 000 000 












4.0.





SPEC









Actions financed under the prerogatives of the Commission and specific competences conferred to the Commission




 


 




1 500 000 






19 06 01


Information outreach on the Union’s external relations


13 700 000 


15 200 000 


1 500 000 




 



Total



 


 



-49 231 555 















4.


Additional reductions in payment appropriations are made on the following budget lines:









In EUR





Budget line / Programme




Name




DB 2018 (incl. AL1)




Budget 2018




Difference







1.2.12






Transition regions




 


 




-55 000 000 






04 02 61


European Social Fund — Transition regions — Investment for growth and jobs goal


1 345 000 000 


1 305 000 000 


-40 000 000 




13 03 61


European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) — Transition regions — Investment for growth and jobs goal


2 750 463 362 


2 735 463 362 


-15 000 000 






1.2.13






Competitiveness (More developed regions)




 


 




-90 000 000 






04 02 62


European Social Fund — More developed regions — Investment for growth and jobs goal


2 882 000 000 


2 847 000 000 


-35 000 000 




13 03 62


European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) — More developed regions — Investment for growth and jobs goal


3 497 060 077 


3 442 060 077 


-55 000 000 






1.2.2






European territorial cooperation




 


 




-90 500 000 






13 03 64 01


European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) — European territorial cooperation


1 004 701 248 


914 201 248 


-90 500 000 






1.2.31






Technical assistance




 


 




-4 500 000 






13 03 65 01


European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) — Operational technical assistance


72 000 000 


69 000 000 


-3 000 000 




13 03 66


European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) — Innovative actions in the field of sustainable urban development


43 321 859 


41 821 859 


-1 500 000 




 



Total



 


 



- 240 000 000 















1.


The reserve for the European Union Solidarity Fund (budget article 40 02 44) is suppressed (-EUR 88,0 million).




These actions will provide a level of payment appropriations of EUR 144 681,0 million, a reduction of –EUR 582,5 million in comparison with the Draft Budget, as amended by Amending Letter 1/2018.

1.5.   Reserve

There are no reserves in addition to those of the Draft Budget, as amended by Amending Letter 1/2018, except for budget item 22 02 03 01 Support to Turkey — Political reforms and related progressive alignment with the Union acquis for which EUR 70 000 000 in commitment appropriations and EUR 35 000 000 in payment appropriations are placed in reserve pending the fulfilment of the following condition:

‘Amount to be released when Turkey makes measurable sufficient improvements in the fields of rule of law, democracy, human rights and press freedom, according to the annual report of the Commission.’


The budget remark of budget item 22 02 03 01 is modified accordingly.

1.6.   Budget remarks

Unless otherwise specifically addressed in previous paragraphs, amendments introduced by the European Parliament or the Council to the text of budget remarks are agreed, with the exception of those on budget lines listed in the two following tables:






—


Budget lines for which the amendments introduced by the European Parliament are approved with the modification proposed by the Commission in its Executability Letter.







Budget line




Name





06 02 01 01


Removing bottlenecks, enhancing rail interoperability, bridging missing links and improving cross-border sections




09 05 01


MEDIA Sub-programme — Operating transnationally and internationally and promoting transnational circulation and mobility




18 04 01 01


Europe for citizens — Strengthening remembrance and enhancing capacity for civic participation at the Union level




21 02 07 03


Human development




22 02 03 02


Support for economic, social and territorial development and related progressive alignment with the Union acquis














—


Budget lines for which the respective budget remark as proposed in the Draft Budget, as amended by Amending Letter 1/2018 and the EAGF update, are approved.







Budget line




Name





02 02 01


Promoting entrepreneurship and improving the competitiveness and access to markets of Union enterprises




02 03 04


Internal market governance tools




05 02 08 03


Operational funds for producer organisations




05 03 01 01


Single payment scheme (SPS)




05 03 01 10


Basic payment scheme (BPS)




05 04 60 01


Promoting sustainable rural development, a more territorially and environmentally balanced, climate-friendly and innovative Union agricultural sector




08 02 02 02


Enhancing access to risk finance for investing in research and innovation




09 05 05


Multimedia actions




13 03 61


European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) — Transition regions — Investment for growth and jobs goal




13 03 62


European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) — More developed regions — Investment for growth and jobs goal




13 06 01


Assistance to Member States in the event of a major natural disaster with serious repercussions on living conditions, the natural environment or the economy




18 02 01 02


Prevention and fight against cross-border organised crime and better management of security- related risks and crisis




18 03 01 01


Strengthening and developing the common European asylum system and enhancing solidarity and responsibility-sharing between the Member States




21 04 01


Enhancing the respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms and supporting democratic reforms




23 02 01


Delivery of rapid, effective and needs-based humanitarian aid and food assistance




33 02 07


European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)








This is with the understanding that amendments introduced by the European Parliament or the Council cannot modify or extend the scope of an existing legal base, or impinge on the administrative autonomy of institutions, and that the action can be covered by available resources.

1.7.   New budget lines

The budget nomenclature proposed by the Commission in the Draft Budget, as amended by Amending Letter 1/2018, is agreed with the inclusion of:






—


the new pilot projects and preparatory actions, proposed under section 1.2 above; and










—


the new budget item 2 2 1 4 within the section of the European External Action Service, proposed under 1.3 above.





2.   Budget 2017

Draft Amending Budget (DAB) 6/2017 is approved as proposed by the Commission.

3.   Statements


3.1.   Joint statement by the European Parliament, Council and Commission on the payment appropriations

The European Parliament and the Council recall the need to ensure, in the light of implementation, an orderly progression of payments in relation to the appropriations for commitments so as to avoid any abnormal level of unpaid invoices at year-end.
The European Parliament and the Council calls on the Commission to continue monitoring closely and actively the implementation of the 2014-2020 programmes. To that end, they invite the Commission to present in a timely manner, updated figures concerning the state of implementation and estimates regarding payment appropriations requirements in 2018.
The Council and the European Parliament will take any necessary decisions in due time for duly justified needs to prevent the accumulation of an excessive amount of unpaid bills and to ensure that payment claims are duly reimbursed.

3.2.   Joint statement by the European Parliament, Council (4)
and Commission on the Youth Employment Initiative

The Parliament, the Council and the Commission recall that reducing unemployment and, in particular, youth unemployment, remains a high and shared political priority, and to this end they reaffirm their determination to make the best possible use of budgetary resources available to tackle it, and in particular through the Youth Employment Initiative.
Therefore, they welcome the increase of the amount allocated to this initiative in 2018. However, it is not only essential to provide for an adequate financing in the EU budget, but also to put in place, at the same time, the right procedures to implement them effectively.
In this regard, an effective cooperation between the Parliament, the Council and the Commission is needed to ensure the highest possible impact of the measures adopted.
Therefore, the Council and the European Parliament undertake to consider as a matter of priority the modification in the Common Provisions Regulation required by the adoption of the 2018 budget.
The Commission shall facilitate the swift approval of the changes in the programmes to implement the YEI.

3.3.   Unilateral statement by the Commission on the Youth Employment Initiative

Reducing youth unemployment remains a high political priority. The Commission undertakes to monitor closely the implementation trend of the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI). Should the trend of this initiative accelerate and should the absorption capacity allow for an increase, the Commission will propose an increase of the YEI funding through an amending budget to be financed by the Global margin for commitments in accordance with Article 14 of the MFF Regulation.
In that case, the Commission expects the Council and the European Parliament to process rapidly any such draft amending budget.

3.4.   Unilateral statement by the Council on the 5 % staff reduction

The Council recalls that the target year for the full implementation of the 5 % reduction of staff was 2017. However, as not all institutions, bodies and agencies have met the reduction target, the Council urges continued efforts in 2018 in order to fulfil the agreement.
It is essential that the 5 % staff reduction target is implemented by all institutions, bodies and agencies, and monitored until it is fully achieved. With that in mind, the Council invites the Commission to continue to assess the outcome of the exercise in order to draw lessons for the future.


(1)  OJ L 50, 28.2.2017, p. 57.

(2)  This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244(1999) and the International Court of Justice opinion on Kosovo’s declaration of independence.

(3)  This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244(1999) and the International Court of Justice opinion on Kosovo’s declaration of independence.

(4)  The United Kingdom does not support this statement