Legal bases and maximum amounts. Communication and interinstitutional statements

During the debate Mr Samland stated that Parliament should be able to exercise its budgetary powers in full. He hoped that each of the EP’s own-initiative reports would be accompanied by a financial statement. On behalf of the EPP, Mr Pronk expressed his satisfaction that a solution had been found to this quarrel. Mr Bourlanges (EPP) indicated that he would abstain as he felt that the approved text was highly ambiguous in that it did not state clearly enough that the amounts laid down in the legislative texts could not be considered to be ceilings. Finally, Mr Dell’Alba (ARE) stated that he believed the text to be a step in the right direction but had reservations about the final compromise, which, in his view, tied the EP to positions expressed by the Council, even though ‘the EP should be able to adjust the annual amounts under a financial allocation in accordance with the needs identified each year’. Commissioner Liikanen highlighted the need to agree on new rules of the game and stated that ‘if applied in good faith’ the joint declaration would certainly result in a satisfactory balance overall. He believed that the illustrative nature of the financial reference included in acts not subject to the codecision procedure should be explicit in order to ensure ‘recognition of the budgetary authority in relation to the legislative authority’.