PURPOSE: final adoption of amending budget No 6 of the European Union for the financial year 2008.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision 2008/834/EC, Euratom.

CONTENT: the European Parliament finally adopted amending budget 6/2008 of the European Union (in accordance with its resolution of 23 September 2008 – please see the summary of the resolution).

This amending budget covers the following matters:

an increase for line 01 04 04 – Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme – Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme of EUR 3.9 million in commitment appropriations;

an increase of EUR 2.24 million in commitment appropriations to partially cover the rent and costs relating to the renting of the new "ARC" building for Eurojust; the changes to the establishment plan of the 3 executive agencies (Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), Executive Agency for the Public Health Programme (PHEA) which is becoming the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers and the Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency); the creation of the necessary budgetary structure (a new item 08 01 04 41 and a new article 08 05 02) to accommodate the Joint Technology Initiative Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH).

The European Parliament adopted by 606 votes to 35, with 7 abstentions, the resolution approving, without amendment, the draft amending budget No 6/2008 of the European Union for the financial year 2008.

The report had been tabled for consideration in plenary by Kyösti VIRRANKOSKI (ALDE, FI) on behalf of the Committee on Budgets.

The Parliament recalled that:

the appropriations for Joint Undertakings are paid from the operational budget of the programme concerned; according to Article 179(3) of the Financial Regulation, the European Parliament, as part of the budgetary authority, should have been informed of the rent for a new building for EUROJUST, which has significant financial implications for the budget.

The European Parliament expect to be provided with such information by the Commission in the future, should any further needs for buildings arise, in order to allow the budgetary authority to issue an opinion under Article 179(3) of the Financial Regulation.

On 2 July 2008 the Commission forwarded to the Council preliminary draft amending budget (PDAB) No 6 to the general budget for 2008, which contains the following elements:

an increase for line 01 04 04 – Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme – Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme of EUR 3.9 million in commitment appropriations, anticipating the commitment appropriations planned for 2010 and 2011, to meet the requests for funding from the European Investment Fund which arrived earlier and were higher than expected; an increase of EUR 2.24 million in commitment appropriations to partially cover the rent and costs relating to the renting of the new "ARC" building for Eurojust; the changes to the establishment plan of the 3 executive agencies (Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), Executive Agency for the Public Health Programme (PHEA) which is becoming the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers and the Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency). The saving of EUR 1 318 million resulting from this reduction is transferred as an internal transfer to budget item 06 01 04 04 Financial support for projects of common interest in the trans-European transport network – Expenditure on administrative management; the creation of the necessary budgetary structure (a new item 08 01 04 41 and a new article 08 05 02) to accommodate the Joint Technology Initiative Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH) which is the 5 th joint undertaking created in implementation of the 7 th Research Framework Programme, following the adoption of Council Regulation (EC) No 521/2008. Funding under the 7th Research Framework Programme amounts to EUR 30 million in commitment appropriations and EUR 1.9 million in payment appropriations.

On 15 September 2008, the Council established draft amending budget No 6 for 2008, as proposed by the Commission in its PDAB No 6 . The draft is set out in the technical annex to this statement of reasons (see Council doc. 12984/08 ADD 1).

On 2 July 2008 the Commission forwarded to the Council preliminary draft amending budget (PDAB) No 6 to the general budget for 2008, which contains the following elements:

an increase for line 01 04 04 – Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme – Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme of EUR 3.9 million in commitment appropriations, anticipating the commitment appropriations planned for 2010 and 2011, to meet the requests for funding from the European Investment Fund which arrived earlier and were higher than expected; an increase of EUR 2.24 million in commitment appropriations to partially cover the rent and costs relating to the renting of the new "ARC" building for Eurojust; the changes to the establishment plan of the 3 executive agencies (Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), Executive Agency for the Public Health Programme (PHEA) which is becoming the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers and the Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency). The saving of EUR 1 318 million resulting from this reduction is transferred as an internal transfer to budget item 06 01 04 04 Financial support for projects of common interest in the trans-European transport network – Expenditure on administrative management; the creation of the necessary budgetary structure (a new item 08 01 04 41 and a new article 08 05 02) to accommodate the Joint Technology Initiative Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH) which is the 5 th joint undertaking created in implementation of the 7 th Research Framework Programme, following the adoption of Council Regulation (EC) No 521/2008. Funding under the 7th Research Framework Programme amounts to EUR 30 million in commitment appropriations and EUR 1.9 million in payment appropriations.

On 15 September 2008, the Council established draft amending budget No 6 for 2008, as proposed by the Commission in its PDAB No 6 . The draft is set out in the technical annex to this statement of reasons (see Council doc. 12984/08 ADD 1).

The Committee on Budgets unanimously adopted the report by Kyösti VIRRANKOSKI (ALDE, FI) approving, without amendment, the draft amending budget No 6/2008 of the European Union for the financial year 2008. The committee recalled that:

the appropriations for Joint Undertakings are paid from the operational budget of the programme concerned; according to Article 179(3) of the Financial Regulation, the European Parliament, as part of the budgetary authority, should have been informed of the rent for a new building for EUROJUST, which has significant financial implications for the budget.

MEPs expect to be provided with such information by the Commission in the future, should any further needs for buildings arise, in order to allow the budgetary authority to issue an opinion under Article 179(3) of the Financial Regulation.

PURPOSE: to present the Preliminary Draft Amending Budget No 6/2008.

CONTENT: this PDAB covers the following elements:

the necessary budgetary adaptations arising from the extension of the mandate of three executive agencies: the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), the Executive Agency for the Public Health Programme (PHEA), the Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency (TEN-T EA); the creation of the necessary budgetary structure to accommodate the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU); an increase of EUR 2.2 million in commitment appropriations, to cover part of the costs of a new building for EUROJUST; an increase of EUR 3.9 million in commitment appropriations for the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) – Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

To sum up, the net effect of the modifications to expenditure is an increase of EUR 6.1 million in commitment appropriations , with no change in payment appropriations.

PURPOSE: to present the Preliminary Draft Amending Budget No 6/2008.

CONTENT: this PDAB covers the following elements:

the necessary budgetary adaptations arising from the extension of the mandate of three executive agencies: the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), the Executive Agency for the Public Health Programme (PHEA), the Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency (TEN-T EA); the creation of the necessary budgetary structure to accommodate the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU); an increase of EUR 2.2 million in commitment appropriations, to cover part of the costs of a new building for EUROJUST; an increase of EUR 3.9 million in commitment appropriations for the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP) – Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

To sum up, the net effect of the modifications to expenditure is an increase of EUR 6.1 million in commitment appropriations , with no change in payment appropriations.