Amending budget 6/2003: section III Commission, structural Funds and budget line B7-811

On 31 October 2003, the Commission sent the Council preliminary draft amending budget (PDAB) No 7 for the financial year 2003. This PDAB aimed at the : a) reduction on the revenue side of the budget and thus in the contribution by Member States of EUR 5 billion as a result of the reduction in payment appropriations entered for the outstanding commitments in relation to the pre-2000 Structural Fund programmes; b) addition of a remark to budget heading B7-811 "Contribution to international environmental activities", covering tasks resulting from the Commission's institutional prerogatives and implemented without a legal basis. Following conciliation with the Parliament delegation on 24 November 2003, prior to the meeting of the Budget Council, the Council, in the framework of an overall agreement with the European Parliament and the Commission, established draft amending budget No 6 for the financial year to be adopted at a single reading, as presented by the Commission. According to draft amending budget No 6 for the financial year 2003, total appropriations for payments amount to EUR 92 502 937 098, and the appropriations for commitments remain unchanged. It should be noted that the Council amended the nomenclature of the draft budget and it therefore becomes draft amending budget No 6/2003 for the financial year 2003 (instead and in place of draft amending budget 7/2003).�