IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 1978 BUDGET

by Altiero Spinelli

SUMMARY: Each year the European Parliament discusses the progress of implementation of the budget adopted the previous year, on the basis of oral questions to the Commission.

As well as dealing with accounting aspects, this debatc enables attention to be focused on the political responsibilities of the Council and the Commission regarding fulfilment of the commitments entered into. The problcms associated with proper implementation of the budget have become progressively worse, to the point where the European Parliament refuses to "grant a discharge" (in other words, doesn't approve the implementation of the budget) to the Commission for the 1983 budget and the heated question arises of the so called "burden of the past" (in other words, the gap between financial commitments and available funds). "Speeches in European Parliament, 1976-1986", Pier Virgilio Dastoli Editor. (EP, 9 October 1978)

Mr President, I can see from this question and the Commissioner's reply how right our Group was to vote against last year's budget. I think that the Commission is perfectly right to draw our attention to the fact that its failures are far outweighed by its inability to keep certain political commitments as a result of the Council's inability to take the necessary decisions.

I think that this is an important point which should be made cleat to the directly elected Parliament, since it ought to be aware that the present Community is founded on a mistaken principle, namely that the legislative decisions necessary for its development must be taken by a body such as the Council!

It is not true, Mr Aigner, that the Ministers arrive unprepared: they arrive extremely well prepared. They are surrounded by an entire information network comprising permanent representatives, officials from the various administrations, etc. etc. It is precisely because there are nine decision-making processes, each ignorant of the other and proceeding in separate ways, that it is impossible to express a common European will. We have examples of this every day, whether it is a question of the budget or the European monetary system which, although adopted by the Council, cannot be implemented because of the Council's own chronic inability to find an agreement.

If our Community is to develop, it must transcend its present institutional situation or we will just go on making our complaints year in year out, the Commission will make its complaints and the Council, sphinxlike, Will remain impassive since it is incapable of expressing its opinion just as it is incapable of taking decisions with the necessary continuity.