Draft amending budget No 3/2025: adjustment in payment appropriations, update of revenues and other technical updates
The European Parliament adopted by 519 votes to 99, with 45 abstentions, a resolution on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 3/2025 to the general budget for 2025: Adjustment in payment appropriations, update of revenues and other technical updates.
Parliament approved the Council's position on draft amending budget No. 3/2025.
Overall budgetary impact
Parliament took note of the draft amending budget presented by the Commission, and in particular of the overall very low impact on Member States’ GNI contributions, due to the balance of higher payment needs and additional revenue flows.
Agricultural and regional policies
Parliament welcomed the EUR 2 billion increase in payment appropriations for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), alongside the reinforcements for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in this year's global transfer. It continued to urge the acceleration of the implementation of measures under the ERDF, the ESF+, and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (BMVI), while also welcoming the faster than expected uptake of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP).
Savings on the technical support instrument
Parliament welcomed the savings (EUR 5 million) achieved in the commitment appropriations of the technical support instrument due to efficiency gains from competitive procurement procedures.
Delays in customs equipment
Members deplored the reduction in commitment appropriations (EUR 78 million) and payment appropriations (EUR 48 million) for the instrument relating to customs control equipment due to delays affecting implementation in Member States.
Ukraine facility
Parliament took note of the pace of implementation of reforms and the commensurate slowdown of the absorption of payments under the Ukraine Facility. It acknowledged that parts of the non-absorbed appropriations may be carried over to the next budget year. It encouraged all actors involved to make progresses on measures linked to reforms and investments, such as the blending agreements.
Decentralised bodies
Parliament welcomed the adjustments, mainly technical, to the Union's contribution to several decentralised bodies but nevertheless regretted that the underlying reason for ‘returning’ commitment and payment appropriations from the respective agency lines to the related programme lines is a delay in the recruitment of staff or a delay in the roll-out of new policy and legislative initiatives such as Retail Investment Strategy (which concerns ESMA and EIOPA), the Asylum and Migration Pact (which concerns the EUAA), the maritime safety package (which concerns EMSA) or the proposal on new genomic techniques (which concerns EFSA). Parliament fully supported the Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) but remain deeply concerned about the ongoing delays in the implementation phase.
Revenue from fines
Parliament welcomed the incorporation in the budget of additional revenue amounting to EUR 1 185.1 million from definitive fines and penalty payments. It considered these amounts to be genuine Union revenue sources which decrease the GNI-based contributions of the Member States.
Surplus of traditional own resources
Members took note of the proposal to include in the budget an amount of EUR 1.3 billion corresponding to the estimated ‘surplus of traditional own resources’, but doubt the merit of repeated updates of the revenue stemming from customs duties during the financial year.
Salary adjustments
Parliament agreed to integrate the budgetary impact of these adjustments as a technical amendment in draft amending budget No. 3/2025; this implies a reduction of a total of EUR 78.8 million in non-differentiated appropriations across the relevant budget lines and sections under Heading 7.