A3-0249/94

Resolution on draft supplementary and amending budget No. 1/1994

The European Parliament,

-having regard to Article 203 of the EC Treaty,

-having regard to preliminary draft supplementary and amending budget No. 1/1994 (6010/94),

-having regard to draft supplementary and amending budget No. 1/1994 (C3-0162/94),

-having regard to its opinion of 17 November 1993 on the proposal for a Council regulation amending the Financial Regulation of 21 December 1977 applicable to the general budget of the European Communities,

-having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A3-0249/94),

A.whereas Protocol 16 to the Treaty provides that 'the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions shall have a common organizational structure' and whereas Declaration No. 22 of the Treaty states that 'the Economic and Social Committee will enjoy the same independence with regard to its budget and staff management as the Court of Auditors has enjoyed hitherto',

B.having regard to its resolution of 16 December 1993 on the Council's modifications to the 1994 draft budget and in particular paragraphs 11, 12 and 13 thereof, which relate to the Committee of the Regions,

C.whereas this draft supplementary and amending budget is designed to establish an appropriate budgetary structure to provide the conditions under which the budgets of the Economic and Social Committee and of the Committee of the Regions are to be managed in conditions of transparency and sound financial management,

D.having regard to its decision of 14 July 1993 on the calendar of part-sessions for 1994; believing that this draft supplementary and amending budget has to be considered as a matter of urgency, but in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty,

1.Notes that the Council, at the suggestion of the Economic and Social Committee, acting on behalf of the Committee of the Regions, has established in Section II - Council - Annex - Economic and Social Committee, a Part A - Economic and Social Committee including a common structure and a Part B - Committee of the Regions;

2.Notes that draft supplementary and amending budget No. 1/94 provides for 45 new posts for the tasks arising from the activities of the Committee of the Regions, 30 under Part A - Economic and Social Committee to strengthen its translation, coordination, meetings, printing and distribution, personnel, finance and typing services, and 15 in Part B - Committee of the Regions, to perform advisory work, registration and public relations;

3.Notes that these arrangements would have a financial impact of ECU 2 973 835 and would be drawn from the ECU 12 m appropriation authorized for the Committee of the Regions for the 1994 financial year; points out that this appropriation of ECU 12 m has been entered in Chapter 100, Provisional appropriations, of the budget for the Economic and Social Committee; points out further that to this sum of ECU 12 m has to be added the sum of ECU 1.5 m carried over from the 1993 financial year;

4.Is concerned at these budgetary arrangements, which the Council has described as being of a provisional nature and on which the Commission has expressed reservations on the grounds that they do not appear to be compatible with either the provisions arising from the Treaty on European Union nor with the current proposal to revise the Financial Regulation;

5.Deplores in this respect that, in budgetary terms:

-Part A - Economic and Social Committee, which includes the common structure, does not make clear the purpose of the appropriations relating to Title 1, while the 30 planned posts relate to the initial activities of the Committee of the Regions;

-Part B - Committee of the Regions, has nothing in the remarks column, in contravention of the Financial Regulation and Article 20 thereof in particular;

6.Points out furthermore that under these arrangements the appropriations earmarked for the Committee of the Regions and not yet committed have been entered under Part A - Economic and Social Committee;

7.Notes that the creation of the 30 posts in Part A - Economic and Social Committee, although concerning the activities of the Committee of the Regions, indirectly involves the upgrading of posts for the staff of the Economic and Social Committee, and refers in this context to the upgradings granted to the Economic and Social Committee when the 1994 budget was adopted, and the Council's opposition;

8.Repeats however:

-its view expressed in the remarks column against Chapter 100 on the need for a phased expansion of the organizational structure (with particular regard to posts), to allow members of the Committee of the Regions sufficient discretion;

-that the establishment plan is an essential constraint on each Institution;

-that a request for further increases in the staff of the Committee of the Regions during 1994 will require a new draft supplementary and amending budget which, in view of the timetable of the budgetary authority, it will be impossible to consider before the last quarter of 1994;

9.Decides therefore, by way of amendment:

(a)that a new Section VI shall be established within the general budget entitled Economic and Social Committee and Committee of the Regions comprising a statement of revenue and a statement of expenditure subdivided into a Part A for the Economic and Social Committee, a Part B for the Committee of the Regions and a Part C for the common organizational structure;

(b)that as regards Part A - Economic and Social Committee - the number of posts laid down in the 1994 budget shall be reinstated; as regards Part B - Committee of the Regions - the 15 posts proposed in the draft supplementary and amending budget shall be accepted with the following changes: 1 A3, 5 A5, 1 A7, 1 B3, 1 C3, and 6 C5; and as regards Part C - Common organizational structure - the following 30 posts shall be entered: 2 A7, 9 LA5, 9 LA7, 1 B3, 1 B5, 6 C5, and 2 D3;

(c)that an amount of ECU 1 195 965 shall be entered in Chapter C-100, Provisional appropriations, within Part C - Common organizational structure - for the purpose of financing the expenditure under Chapters C-11 and C-18 corresponding to the appropriations for 9 LA5 and 9 LA 7 posts; and that an amount of ECU 3 220 942 shall be entered in Chapter C-101, Contingency reserve, within Part C

- Common organizational structure;

10.Calls on the authorities of the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions to submit an organization chart of the departments of the common organizational structure with a view to its consideration in the 1995 budgetary procedure;

11.Notes that the draft supplementary and amending budget thus amended is in conformity with the opinion it delivered on 17 November 1993 on the proposal to amend the Financial Regulation, which is moreover shared by the Commission and the Court of Auditors;

12.Notes that technical corrections need to be made in order to rectify a number of errors (list annexed to this resolution) which have found their way into the 1994 budget in the version published in Official Journal No. L 34, 7 February 1994; calls for the corrections in question to be published in the same issue of the Official Journal as supplementary and amending budget No. 1/1994;

13.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Community Institutions and bodies concerned.

TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO BE MADE

TO THE 1994 BUDGET

B3-1003Action plan for intercultural education

Remarks

Add the following:

European Parliament resolution of 21 January 1993 on cultural plurality and the problems of school education for children of immigrants in the European Community (OJ C 42, 15.2.1993, p. 187).

This appropriation is intended for cooperation and the sharing of information, the results of research and experiences amongst all those working in the education system and related spheres, together with the promotion of pilot and innovatory schemes.

Priorities:

-promotion of intercultural teaching for all children at school and in related spheres;

-promotion of the teaching, within the school system, of the language of the host country in accordance with the needs of the child;

-promotion of the teaching of the language and culture of the country of origin in the context of the school system;

-promotion of measures in the field of education to combat racism and xenophobia.

The resolutions of the Council and the Ministers of Education meeting within the Council of 22 May 1989 will be implemented and developed for the benefit of children of migrant workers, gypsy and traveller children and rivercraft, circus and fairground children.

This must be supplemented by better information concerning the state of teaching in the Member States and better cooperation with international organizations (Council of Europe, OECD and UNESCO) and third countries which are concerned and involved.

The action plan will be a preliminary stage with a view to implementing an action programme along the lines of what the European Parliament called for in its resolution of 21 January 1993.

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B3-1020General measures for vocational training and guidance

Remarks

Nineteenth paragraph

According to the Commission recommendation of 24 November 1987 on vocational training for women (87/567/EEC), the Commission wishes to reserve appropriations for the IRIS network. IRIS was set up in recognition of the fact that vocational training is crucial for women, who are less likely to find work in non-traditional occupations for lack of training, especially in technological fields.

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B3-2000Protection and development of the European cultural heritage

Remarks

After the ninth paragraph, add the following:

It also covers the Community contribution of ECU 300 000 for the continuation of the restoration work on the European college at the University of Coimbra and for the action plan for the Way of St James in Spain.

After the tenth paragraph, add the following:

This appropriation is intended to cover, in accordance with the detailed arrangements adopted, Community contributions to projects for protecting and safeguarding cultural heritage of European significance, in addition to the national financing provided. It is also intended to ensure that swift progress is made with the work planned by the Greek (conservation and restoration of the Parthenon and the Acropolis in Athens and the holy monasteries on Mount Athos) and Portuguese (restoration and reconstruction of the historic centre of Lisbon, 'Chiado') authorities.

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B3-4103Measures to combat poverty and social exclusion - Activities in favour of human rights and the fight against racism and xenophobia

Remarks

After the fifteenth paragraph, add the following:

ECU 50 000 is earmarked for the International Prisons Observatory (OIP).

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B5-3000Measures relating to the operation of the internal market

Remarks

Twenty-second paragraph

ECU 2 000 000 is intended for cooperation between police authorities (seminars and cross-border training sessions, etc.) either in connection with measures concerning the internal market or pursuant to the provisions in the Treaty on European Union on cooperation in the fields of justice and home affairs (Articles K.1(9) and K.8(2)).

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B7-4082Exceptional job creation measures in the Maghreb countries

Delete the appropriations in the reserve; these appropriations should be entered against the heading itself.