Amending budget 6/2018: reduction of payment and commitment appropriations in line with updated forecasts of expenditure and update of revenue (own resources)

The Committee on Budgets adopted a report by Siegfried MUREŞAN (EPP, RO) on the Council's position on Draft amending budget No 6/2018 of the European Union for the financial year 2018: Reduction of payment and commitment appropriations in line with updated forecasts of expenditure and update of revenue (own resources).

On the expenditure side, Draft amending budget No 6/2018 reduces commitment and payment appropriations for budget lines by EUR 48.7 million and EUR 4.7 million respectively in headings 1a “Competitiveness for growth and employment” and 2 “Sustainable growth - natural resources”.

As regards the revenue side, Draft amending budget No 6/2018 concerns a revision of the forecasts for traditional own resources (customs duties and contributions in the sugar sector) and value added tax (VAT) and gross national income (GNI) bases, and a revision of the budget entry for the corresponding UK corrections and their financing.

Members approve the Council's position on Draft amending budget No 6/2018. They welcome the fact that the implementation of the 2014-2020 programmes is reaching cruising speed and results in only a minor adjustment of the expenditure side compared to the considerable amending budgets adopted in 2016 and 2017. They encourage the Commission and the Member States to make up for the significant delays accumulated over the last three years.

Members take note of the technical process of rebalancing own resources made necessary by the revision of the forecasts for traditional own resources and VAT and by the updates of the UK correction.