2003 budget: other sections

PURPOSE : to present the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the letter of amendment No 4 to the preliminary draft budget 2003 (all sections together). CONTENT : the new Financial Regulation was adopted by the Council on 25 June 2002. It will apply from 1 January 2003 and appropriate changes will therefore need to be made to the PDB, which was adopted before the final decision on the new Financial Regulation. In its second letter of amendment (please refer to the summary dated 18 September 2002), the Commission had already drawn the budgetary authority's attention to this fact and had suggested that the budgetary authority gives its agreement on the principle so that the necessary changes can be incorporated into the budget by way of technical adjustments. However, in its draft letter of amendment (refer to summary 8 October 2002), the Council stated that 'from a legal point of view it is indispensable that the Commission officially refer a letter of amendment of this kind to the Council, in accordance with the Financial Regulation. Consequently, the Council requested the Commission to present it with a letter of amendment as soon as possible to enable the budgetary authority to finally adopt the 2003 budget in strict compliance with the new Financial Regulation. It is precisely the aim of this fourth letter of amendment to the PDB 2003. It contains the necessary adaptations to reflect in the 2003 budget the changes flowing from the Council's adoption of the new Financial Regulation on 25 June 2002. In addition, the Amending Letter proposes to harmonise the budgetary remarks relating to BA lines in sub-title B7. The purpose is to clarify the use of the technical and administrative assistance facility for the deconcentration and phasing out of technical assistance offices. This Letter of amendment is therefore budgetary neutral.�