Budget 1998: other sections

The rapporteur highlighted the context of budgetary rigour characterising the 1998 budget: Parliament would limit its expenditure to a ceiling of 20% of EU administrative expenditure and the Court of Auditors would be the only exception to the rule as it would benefit from an extra 48 posts, although it had requested 125. As for the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Mr Tomlinson stressed that the decisions made in Amsterdam would have to be integrated in the future, particularly the decision eliminating the Joint Organisational Structure of these two institutions. Finally, the rapporteur pointed out that the subsidy for restaurants and canteens would be limited in the future solely to the infrastructure and its maintenance, lighting and heating. All other subsidies would be eliminated over a period of four years. He also called for greater transparency in the appropriations destined for new technologies.