1994 discharge: 6th EDF

The Commission communication to the Court of Auditors, the Parliament and the Council on the balance sheets and accounts of the sixth and seventh European Development Funds for the 1994 financial year contains the management account of these Funds showing total income and expenditure reported in 1994, together with a statement of movements on the accounts during the year. . General: The Commission reiterates in its communication that the Community and its Member States are the primary source of official development aid in the world, accounting for 43% of world aid to beneficiary countries. EDF resources are divided into: - programmable aid or the total sum allocated to a ACP or OCT country or region over a five-year period, as set out in a financial protocol on the basis of national indicative programmes and - non-programmable aid or assistance granted outside the framework of the financial protocols (Stabex, Sysmin and emergency and refugee aid). 70 countries currently benefit from the EDF, the resources of which are managed by the Commission, with the exception of venture capital and interest subsidies, which are managed by the EIB. The Commission notes that the EDF differ from other Community financial instruments in that their resources are provided by the Member States outside the budget and each EDF has its own financial regulation. Consequently, the financial regulations which generally apply to budgetary appropriations do not apply to the EDF, which operate on a multiannual basis, meaning that the Commission has to manage several EDF at once pending their final closure. . 1994 balance sheet and management account: The Commission reports that Community aid planning under the first financial protocol to Lomé IV has now been completed and that the average rate of decisions for national indicative programmes was 59% in 1994 with a decision rate of over 80% in several counties, 10 of which have already used up almost their entire allocation. . With regard to the sixth EDF in particular, the Member States' contributions have been paid in full. Contributions of ECU 7,557,048,000 were called up at 31 December 1994, while the balance sheet total in 1994 was ECU 7,983,704,000. The Commission proposes that it be granted discharge for the implementation of the sixth EDF for the 1994 financial year on the basis of this total.�