Convention on the future of the European Union: Fund to financing and financial rules

PURPOSE : to setting up a Fund for the financing of the Convention on the future of the European Union and laying down the financial rules for its management. COMMUNITY MEASURE : Decision 2002/176 of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council of 21 February 2002 setting up a Fund for the financing of the Convention on the future of the European Union and laying down the financial rules for its management. CONTENT : pursuant to the Laeken Declaration on the future of the European Union, the Convention has a Praesidium assisted by a Secretariat provided by the General Secretariat of the Council. In each Member State, the Fund shall have the most extensive legal capacity accorded to legal persons under its national laws. It may receive gifts, conclude contracts and be a party to legal proceedings. To that end, it shall be represented by the Secretary-General of the Convention. The Governments of the Member States shall whenever possible take the appropriate measures to remit or refund the amount of indirect taxes or sales taxes included in the price of movable property or charges for the provision of services, where the Fund makes, for its official use, substantial purchases the price of which includes taxes of this kind. These provisions shall not be applied, however, so as to have the effect of distorting competition within the Communities. The role of the Fund shall be to collect the revenue and manage the expenditure of the Convention other than that relating to the infrastructure needed for its operation. The budget of the Fund shall be the act adopted by the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, which sets out forecasts of, and authorises in advance, for each financial year, the revenue and expenditure of the Fund. The budget shall be adopted on the proposal of the Secretary-General of the Convention and with the agreement of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission. A special bank account shall be opened in the name of the Fund. The Secretary-General of the Convention shall be authorised to use this bank account in order to meet his obligations under this Decision. The revenue and expenditure shown in the budget shall be in balance. The amount of expenditure of the Fund is estimated at EUR 4 million. The first financial year shall run from the day of entry into force of this Decision until 31 December 2002. The second financial year shall run from 1 January 2003 until the Convention's proceedings end. The expenditure of a financial year shall be entered in the accounts for that year on the basis of expenditure for which the financial controller received authorisation no later than 31 December and for which the corresponding payments were made by the accounting officer before the following 15 January. Appropriations not committed at the end of the first financial year and appropriations in respect of payments still outstanding by virtue of commitments duly entered into before the end of the first financial year shall be carried over automatically to the second financial year. With regard to the travel expenses of the members of the Convention, acting on a proposal from the Secretary-General ofthe Convention and on the basis of existing practices at the Council, the Praesidium shall adopt a Decision specifying the conditions and practical arrangements for the reimbursement of the travel expenses of the members of the Convention, insofar as these expenses are to be charged to the budget. ENTRY INTO FORCE : This Decision shall enter into force on the 21/02/2002. It shall apply until 31 December 2002. When the Interinstitutional Agreement concerning the financing of the Convention on the future of the European Union is extended in accordance with paragraph 9 of that Agreement, this Decision will be extended with effect from 1 January 2003 until the end of the Convention's proceedings by a decision of the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States.�