1997 ECSC Operating Budget

Adoption of the report by Mr Jean-Antoine GIANSILY (UPE, F). Faced with the European Commission's proposal for an ECSC operating budget of ECU 265.5 million for 1997, the report noted that the real requirement was lower than this (ECU 172 million). Similarly, requirements were down while resources are up (commitments cancelled, unused resources from the previous year etc.). The Committee on Budgets considered that the Commission should undertake to extend programmes which had proven profitable to 2002 and called for expenditure to continue, especially with regard to ECSC aid for readaptation/restructuring and social measures. It accepted that the levy rate on companies should be set at 0.17% but proposed modification of the breakdown of expenditure and the creation of a new line of expenditure funded from the appropriations for the reserves for the benefit of the agency which would take over ECSC research activities in 2002. It also suggested maintaining the remaining reserve in order to set up a foundation/agency subject to Community political and budgetary control to inherit the ECSC's remaining assets in 2002.�