Supplementary and amending budget 1/2001: BSE crisis

The committee adopted the report by Jutta HAUG (PES, D) accepting the Draft Supplementary and Amending Budget (SAB) 1/2001. It issued a warning, however, that the adjustment of the euro/dollar exchange rate required under the Regulation on budgetary discipline distorted the real picture of the 2001 budget, and might give rise to savings (for example, a larger margin remaining under subheading 1a after approval of SAB 1/2001) which were only virtual and provisional. While approving the proposed measures to counter problems in the beef and veal sector, the committee noted that it was likely that the SAB 1/2001 would not be sufficient to cope with the BSE crisis. It called on the Commission to study the feasibility of alternative schemes for financing the consequences of outbreaks of animal diseases in which the costs were more equally shared among all the parties concerned, and urged that funds be made available for more research into BSE and improved testing of younger animals. The committee also called on the Commission, in the context of its mid-term review of Agenda 2000, to put forward a coherent package of proposals for reforming the CAP. Lastly, it felt that the time had come for Parliament to be fully involved in decision-making on agricultural expenditure in subheading 1a, by making such expenditure subject to the codecision procedure.�