Measures necessary for the implementation of the Protocol, annexed to the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the financial consequences of the expiry of the ECSC Treaty and on the Research Fund for Coal and Steel

PURPOSE: to revise the rules on the cancellation of commitments made under the research programme of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) and the rules on amounts recovered under the research programme of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS).

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act. 

BACKGROUND: Protocol No 37 on the financial consequences of the expiry of the ECSC Treaty and on the Research Fund for Coal and Steel has transferred all the assets and liabilities of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) to the European Community and allocated the net worth of the assets and liabilities to research in sectors related to the coal and steel industry.

The Protocol has also assigned the revenues from those assets, referred to as ‘Research Fund for Coal and Steel’, to research in sectors related to the coal and steel industry.

Decision 2003/76/EC lays down the rules necessary for implementing Protocol No 37.

In view of the exceptional decrease, due to the low-interest-rate environment on the capital markets in recent years, in the revenue stemming from the assets of the ECSC in liquidation dedicated to research in the sectors related to the coal and steel industry, it is necessary to revise the rules on the cancellation of commitments made under the research programme of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel. It is also necessary to revise the rules on the amounts recovered under the programme.

CONTENT: the draft amendment to Council Decision 2003/76/EC provides that:

• unused revenue and appropriations deriving from this revenue still available on 31 December in any given year, as well as amounts recovered, shall be carried over automatically to the following year. Those appropriations may not be transferred to other budget items.
• budgetary appropriations corresponding to cancellations of commitments shall automatically lapse at the end of each financial year. Provisions for commitments released as a result of the cancellations shall be made available to the Research Fund for Coal and Steel.

Amounts corresponding to cancellations of commitments that have occurred since 24 July 2002 should also be made available to the Research Fund for Coal and Steel.