2003 budget: other sections

The Council reiterates its view that the Community budget must suitably cover all real needs and the resources required to implement the various polcies of the Union effectively. It emphasises that this includes applying the same degree of budgetary restraint as exercised by Member States of the Union. The Council stresses once again the importance of keeping a tight grip on payment appropriations for 2003. The Council regrets the shortcomings in budgetary implementation for 2000 which resulted in the figure for that year greatly overshooting that of the previous years. The Council points to the need to keep the level of outstanding commitments under control. It welcomes the agreement reached in November 2001 between the two arms of the budgetary authority and the Commission aimed at eliminating abnormal outstanding commitments in the medium term. In this context, the Council stresses the fact that the reduction of abnormal outstanding commitments can be achieved not only by an increase of appropriations for payments but also by a significant resource to decommitments. In this agreement, the Commission made a commitment to submit, with the preliminary draft budget for 2003, an action plan that foresees examining all the potentially abnormal files. The Council invites the Commission to undertake this task without delay. It intends to pay close attention to the monitoring of the action plan. With regard in particular to heading 5, the Council expects the search for potential savings to continue so that the ceiling under heading 5 is not overstepped and calls on all institutions to work to this end and to submit forecasts for 2003 showing a growth rate compatible with the adjustment rate agreed for the financial perspective and the forecast increase in pensions. Moreover, it believes that better multiannual programming of their property expenditure by the institutions is one way of keeping administrative under the ceiling for heading 5. The Council is actively pursuing its work with a view to preparing the enlargement of the European Union to include the candidate countries and emphasises the need for precise evaluation of future budgetary implications. The Council wishes these guidelines to be taken into account in the budget procedure, particularly in the preparation of the preliminary draft budget for 2003.�