2003 budget: section III, Commission

PURPOSE : to present the letter of amendment No 1 to the draft general budget of the European Communities for the financial year 2003, as established by the Council. CONTENT : this letter of amendment concerns expenditure and revenue under Section III - Commission - of the Community budget and involves two types of amendment: a) establishing the budgetary structure to accommodate three Commission administrative offices: a Paymaster Office, an Infrastructure and Logistics Office in Brussels and an Infrastructure and Logistics Office in Luxembourg; b) the creation of two new lines, with token entries, which could if necessary accommodate appropriations for the new European Union Solidarity Fund in accordance with the structure recently proposed under draft supplementary and amending budget No 4 for the financial year 2002. The Commission is also requesting agreement in principle to making the technical amendments only at the time of publication of the 2003 budget relating to the effects of the entry into force as of 1 January 2003 of the new Financial Regulation adopted by the Council on 25 June 2002, mainly on the statement of revenue and the remarks on revenue and expenditure headings for all the institutions. On 8 October 2002 the Council established letter of amendment No 1 to the draft budget for the financial year 2003. In establishing this letter of amendment, the Council requests the Commission to present it with a letter of amendment as soon as possible to enable the budgetary authority to finally adopt the 2003 budget in strict compliance with the new Financial Regulation. The Council has also agreed: - to accept the proposal in the letter of amendment described in point 2(a) above relating to the establishment of three new Commission Offices on the basis of the amounts included in the draft budget established by the Council on 22 July 2002; - to adopt the proposal in point 2(b) relating to the structure to accommodate appropriations for the European Union Solidarity Fund, with the exception of the last phrase in the first sentence of the remarks relating to headings B2-400 and B7-090"... in the event of natural, environmental or technological disasters", in accordance with the text adopted for supplementary and amending budget No 4 for the financial year 2002, approved on 26 September 2002. This letter of amendment No 1 to the draft 2003 budget does not alter the appropriations provided for in the draft budget for the financial year 2003 as established by the Council on 22 July 2002.�