CELEX: 51983DC0271
Language: en
Date: 1983-05-04
Title: GENERAL BUDGET FOR 1983 SECTION III - COMMISSION - PART A TRANSFER OF APPROPRIATIONS No 11/83 (non-compulsory expenditure)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (83) 271
Vol. 1983/0113
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
Conformément au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983,
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit
règlement.
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic
Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243,
27.9.2003, p. 1), this file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1.
Februar 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L 43 vom 15.2.1983,
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. September 2003
(ABI. L 243 vom 27.9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit
erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5
der genannten Verordnung freigegeben.
 ---pagebreak---    COMMISSION OF THE E U R O P E A N COMMUNITIES
                                                                      COM(83)        271    FINAL
                                                                     BRUSSELS        4    MAY 1 9 8 3
GENERAL BUDGET FOR 1983
SECTION I I I - COMMISSION             - PART A
                                     TRANSFER OF APPROPRIATIONS No 11/83
                                         (non-compulsory         expenditure)
                                                                                                        Ecu
            FROM CHAPTER 100 - PROVISIONAL APPROPRIATIONS                                   4 000 000
            TO        CHAPTER         25 - EXPENDITURE ON FORMAL AND
                                            OTHER MEETINGS
                      A r t i c l e 250 - Meetings       i n general                                   2 000 000
                      Article       251 - Commitee meetings                                            2 000 000
                                                                                            4 000 000  4 000 000
           The F i n a n c i a l C o n t r o l l e r approved t h i s p r o p o s a l on 25 A p r i l 1983 i n
           accordance with A r t i c l e 21(4) o f the F i n a n c i a l Regulation and
           c e r t i f i e d that the a p p r o p r i a t i o n s are a v a i l a b l e .
   COM(83)  271       FINAL
 ---pagebreak---                                              GROUNDS
 Background
 Budget headings 250 and 251 o f S e c t i o n I I I (Commission), P a r t A
 ( A d m i n i s t r a t i v e a p p r o p r i a t i o n s ) , cover the t r a v e l , s u b s i s t e n c e
 and i n c i d e n t a l expenses o f government and other experts a t t e n d i n g
 study groups and working p a r t i e s or committees s e t up by Treaty
 or R e g u l a t i o n ( C o u n c i l or Commission). In the p r e l i m i n a r y d r a f t
budget f o r 1983 the Commission requested 6.8 m i l l i o n ECU f o r
A r t i c l e 250 and 6.0 m i l l i o n ECU f o r A r t i c l e 251. These a p p r o p r i a ­
 t i o n s , which took i n t o account the trand o f c o s t s , and by the
 sharp (21%) r i s e i n f a r e s , were reduced by the C o u n c i l to 6.47
 m i l l i o n ECU and 5.30 m i l l i o n ECU r e s p e c t i v e l y .
During the procedure adopting the 1983 budget, Parliament decided
 to f r e e z e 2 000 000 ECU f o r each o f these A r t i c l e s i n Chapter -00
 ( P r o v i s i o n a l a p p r o p r i a t i o n s ) . T h i s r e p r e s e n t s 30.9% o f the + ,al
 a l l o c a t i o n f o r A r t i c l e 250 (6 470 000 ECU) and 37.7% f o r A r t i c l e
 251 (5 300 000 ECU).
These two percentages are important s i n c e they permit a b e t t e r
 assessment o f the d i r e c t impact of t h i s measure on the smooth
 f u n c t i o n i n g o f the Commission's a c t i v i t i e s as regards meetings o f
experts.
When P a r l i a m e n t blocked these a p p r o p r i a t i o n s , a statement was
w r i t t e n i n t o the remarks s i d e o f the budget f o r each of the two
A r t i c l e s i n d i c a t i n g t h a t "the a p p r o p r i a t i o n o f 2 000 000 ECU,
e n t e r e d i n Chapter 100, w i l l be unblocked i n the l i g h t o f the
r e s u l t s o f an enquiry which w i l l be conducted on b e h a l f o f the
European Parliament by the Committee on Budgetary C o n t r o l with
the a s s i s t a n c e o f the Court o f A u d i t o r s and the Commission".
Proposal           to unblock the              appropriations
The Commission d e v i s e d a k i n d o f countdown to determine when
i t must p r e s e n t i t s proposal to unblock the a p p r o p r i a t i o n s so
t h a t work i n progress i n the v a r i o u s committees and other groups
i s not s e r i o u s l y o b s t r u c t e d .
To assess t h i s date i t should be borne i n mind that at l e a s t
f o u r weeks are needed f o r committing a p p r o p r i a t i o n s , r e s e r v i n g
meeting rooms, booking i n t e r p r e t e r s and convening experts,
b e f o r e the meeting can be h e l d .
 ---pagebreak---                                              - 2 -
   Since s i x weeks are needed to unblock a p p r o p r i a t i o n s and
   a f u r t h e r f o u r weeks to convene e x p e r t s , the p r o p o s a l f o r a
   t r a n s f e r must be presented to the budgetary a u t h o r i t y now
   i f the a p p r o p r i a t i o n s are to be a v a i l a b l e f o r the l a s t f o u r
   months o f the year, g i v e n t h a t i n aggregate the a p p r o p r i a t i o n s
   to be unblocked r e p r e s e n t more than a t h i r d o f the annual
   allocation.
2. The Commission would not, o f c o u r s e , have s t a r t e d the procedure
   to unblock the a p p r o p r i a t i o n s a t t h i s stage i f they had not
   been s t r i c t l y n e c e s s a r y t o complete the a c t i v i t i e s undertaken
   as p a r t o f i t s p r i o r i t y p o l i c i e s . The Commissie i has taken a
   number o f measures which have helped to save budgetary e x p e n d i ­
   t u r e without o b s t r u c t i n g the a c t i v i t i e s o f the committees and
   other- meetings o f e x p e r t s .
   These measures were a l r e a d y annoi led i n 1982                           :
   - the number o f e x p e r t s r e c e i v i n g t r a v e l expenses and s u b s i s t e n c e
       allowances from the Commission was l i m i t e d to two per country ;
   - Member S t a t e s were asked to l i g h t e n up c o o p e r a t i o n between t h e i r
       departments so as to c o o r d i n a t e a c t i v i t i e s i n the committees and
       other groups ;
   - new r u l e s were l a i d down f o r c a l c u l a t i n g e x p e r t s '           travel
       expenses and s u b s i s t e n c e allowances ;
   - the Commission undertook to make a s y s t e m a t i c attempt to group
       t o g e t h e r those meetings r e q u i r i n g e x p e r t s o f the same c a t e g o r y
       so t h a t s e v e r a l meetings c o u l d be h e l d i n the course o f one
       visit.
   A l l these measures were intended to reduce the o p e r a t i n g c o s t s o f
   committees and o t h e r groups as f a r as p o s s i b l e without making
   them any l e s s u s e f u l or e f f e c t i v e .
   Although P a r l i a m e n t ' s Committee on Budgetary C o n t r o l s t a t e s t h a t
    i t needs two months to examine the Commission's answers to i t s
   q u e s t i o n n a i r e , i t i s not p o s s i b l e to wait f o r t h i s p e r i o d to
   e l a p s e b e f o r e s t a r t i n g the t r a n s f e r procedure.
   The s i t u a t i o n o f A r t i c l e s 250            and  251 on 15 A p r i l    1983  was  as
    follows :
                                                ( m i l l i o n ECU)  A r t i c l e 250   Article    251
   Appropriations              a v a i l a b l e on       1.1.1983          4.470             3.300
   Appropriations              committed on 15.4.1983                       2.552              2.199
   Appropriations              a v a i l a b l e on 15.4.1983               1.918              1.101
   For the r e c o r d , commitments made from A r t i c l e s 250 and 251 i n
    1982 t o t a l l e d 5.36 m i l l i o n ECU and 5.39 m i l l i o n ECU r e s p e c t i v e l y .
 ---pagebreak---                                      -  3   -
Conclusions
The c o s t s f o r the Community budget and the e f f e c t i v e n e s s o f the
committees have been shown i n the d e t a i l e d a n a l y s i s and i n the
Commission's answer to the Boserup q u e s t i o n n a i r e , sent to
P a r l i a m e n t ' s Committee on Budgetary C o n t r o l on 20 A p r i l             1983.
I f the a p p r o p r i a t i o n s to cover the c o s t o f meetings o f committees
and other groups are not unblocked and t r a n s f e r r e d from Chapter
100 to the budget headings concerned, v i z : A r t i c l e s 250 and 251,
a c t i v i t i e s i n progress are bound to be thoroughly d i s r u p t e d with
s e r i o u s consequences f o r the implementation o f the Community
p o l i c i e s involved.
Work i s g e n e r a l l y planned a year a t . a time ; any i n t e r r u p t i o n i n
the s e r i e s o f meetings would n e c e s s i t a t e a complete r e v i s i o n
o f the t i m e t a b l e and f r u s t r a t e the Community's o b j e c t i v e s .
The Community i s aware o f the need to keep a d m i n i s t r a t i v e expen­
d i t u r e on committees and other groups w i t h i n the l i m i t s d i c t a t e d
by the c u r r e n t economic c o n s t r a i n t s ; t h i s a p p l i e s to other
s e c t o r s as w e l l . But i t i s a l s o aware of the important r o l e
played by these committees and meetings of experts i n developing
Community p o l i c i e s , and has t h e r e f o r e considered i t a p p r o p r i a t e
to p r e s e n t t h i s t r a n s f e r o f a p p r o p r i a t i o n s f o r your approval at
t h i s time.