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

The European Parliament adopted by 428 votes to 44 with 76 abstentions, a resolution approving the Council position on Draft amending budget No 6/2013 of the European Union for the financial year 2013, Section III – Commission.

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

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

Parliament noted that the Council's position on DAB No 6/2013 did not modify the Commission's proposal, as amended. 

It also recalled that this DAB was 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, Parliament noted that the drop in TOR forecast, by some EUR 3 955 million, and in the VAT based own resource, by EUR 384 million, was compensated by the above-mentioned fines for a cumulated amount of EUR 1 229 million. It also noted that this automatically resulted 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 would represent for national budgets, Parliament underlined that this technical adjustment on the revenue side should not come at the expense of fully covering justified payment needs, that had already been identified by the Commission in Draft amending budgets 8/2013 and 9/2013.

It reminded the Council of its position based on artificial under-budgeting of previous years and stressed, in this respect, that the accumulation of annual budgets for the period 2007-2013 reached 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 had de facto been returned to Members States by reducing their cumulated GNI contributions by this amount.

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

Parliament approved the Council position on Draft amending budget No 6/2013.

In an oral amendment adopted in plenary, however, Parliament underlined that the adoption of Draft amending budget 6/2013 did not address the lack of payment appropriations authorised in the 2013 budget which were necessary to pay outstanding bills. It insisted once more on the need for the Council to adopt as a matter of urgency Draft amending budget 8/2013 and reiterated that Parliament would not give its consent to the MFF 2014-2020 Regulation as long as Draft amending budget 8/2013 had not been adopted.