Amending budget 6/2013: own resources; other revenue; Union trust funds for external actions

The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT) on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 6/2013 of the European Union for the financial year 2013, Section III – Commission.

Members recall that that Draft amending budget No 6/2013, as amended on 18 September 2013 by the Commission by amending letter, concerns a revision in the level and distribution between Member States of their own resources contributions to the Union budget.

DAB No 6/2013 also covers the creation of the necessary budgetary structure to accommodate the creation of the Union trust funds foreseen in Article 187 of the Financial Regulation,

Members note that the Council's position on DAB No 6/2013 does not modify the Commission's proposal, as amended. 

They also recall that this DAB is crucial to avoid cash shortages that could lead to an implementation deficit in 2013, on the basis of the level of payment appropriations authorised in the Budget 2013 including Amending Budgets 1 to 5/2013 only.

Consequently, the committee notes that the drop in TOR forecast, by some EUR 3 955 million, and in the VAT based own resource, by EUR 384 million, is compensated by the above-mentioned fines for a cumulated amount of EUR 1 229 million. They also note that this automatically results in an increase in the complementary GNI based contributions from Member States, by an amount of EUR 3 110 million, i.e. a net increase in “national contributions” (including VAT) by EUR 2 736 million.

While acknowledging the significant burden that this will represent for national budgets, Members underline that this technical adjustment on the revenue side should not come at the expense of fully covering justified payment needs, that have already been identified by the Commission in Draft amending budgets 8/2013 and 9/2013.

They remind the Council of its position based on artificial under-budgeting of previous years and stress, in this respect, that the accumulation of annual budgets for the period 2007-2013 reaches a level that is by EUR 60 billion less than the agreed MFF overall payment ceiling for period 2007-2013, while a cumulated surplus of EUR 12 billion for the period 2007-2013 has de facto been returned to Members States by reducing their cumulated GNI contributions by this amount.

Members request that the Commission provide the European Parliament with all information it has on when and how these increased national contributions will be transferred from Member States' treasuries to the Union budget. They also ask the Commission to provide Parliament with the net impact that these increased GNI contribution will have, if any, on the balance of Member States' budgets in 2013 or 2014.

In all, Members call on Parliament to approve the Council position on Draft amending budget No 6/2013.