General budget of the European Communities: financial regulation, funding of political parties at European level

The Committee on Constitutional Affairs adopted - without amendment under the consultation procedure - the report by Jo LEINEN (PES, DE) on the draft Council regulation amending Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities.

The report recalls that the creation of the proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 is a consequence of the decision of the Council to split from the Commission proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 on the regulations governing political parties at European level and the rules regarding their funding (see COD/2007/0130) the elements containing a derogation from the Financial Regulation in its current form.

Due to the fact that the Committee on Constitutional Affairs has already discussed and approved with amendments the Commission proposal, with the view to enable the entry into force of the amended Regulations before the end of the year 2007, the committee decided to apply the simplified procedure under the Rule 43 of its Rules of Procedure.

Having taken note of the favourable opinion delivered by the Committee on Budgets, the committee approved the proposal submitted by the Council without amendment.