2002 budget: section III, Commission

PURPOSE : to present the amending letter 1 to the preliminary draft budget 2002- section VIII B · European data protection supervisor Section III · Commission. CONTENT: the present proposal covers different sections of the budget: the first concerns the creation of subsection VIII b to cater for the creation of the European Data Protection Supervisor. The second is related to the development of the Schengen Information System II. The total amount in expenditures of the amending letter is EUR 1 793 000 and EUR 176 997 in revenues. With regard to he European data protection supervisor, Regulation 45/2001/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data provides for the establishment of an independent supervisory authority entrusted with ensuring the application of the provision of the Regulation. This authority is entitled the European Data Protection Supervisor and is assisted by an Assistant Supervisor. The Commission stressed its determination to take the steps needed on its part to enable the European Data Protection Supervisor to be established and become operational as soon as possible and in particular to take action in the budget procedure to ensure that the Supervisor appointed has the necessary human and financial resources needed for the performance of his tasks upon taking office. The present estimates rely on the assumption that a number of services related to the administrative functions of the Supervisor will be provided by the administrative services of the EP in a way similar to what is the case for the European Ombudsman. Should this not be the case, additional staff needs could amount to 5 new posts. The present letter of amendment covers only 2002, the year of setting up when the total cost will be EUR 1 526 000 for 15 posts and revenues of EUR 137 000. In the medium term there would be 21 posts for a total amount of EUR 2 899 000 and revenues of EUR 319.000. With regard to the Schengen Information System - SIS II, the Council concluded that SIS-II development would be financed by the Community budget from 2002. On 20 July the Budget Council entered EUR 950 000 into Article B5-840 - Schengen - to finance the launch of SIS II. Given that this is a new major and growing task decided by the Council but administered by the Commission, the Commission would ask the budgetary authority that the additional human resources needed for the new work linked to SIS II development be entered in the 2002 budget. To recall, the Schengen Information System (SIS) is essential to the functioning of the Schengen area without frontiers. It has been decided to develop a second-generation SIS (SIS II) to enable the applicant countries to be incorporated into the SIS andto introduce new functionalities. As the preliminary draft budget does not provide any appropriations for Article B5-840 or the corresponding administrative resources (EUR 267 000), these are included in this letter of amendment.�