1999 ECSC operating budget

OBJECTIVE: To present the ECSC operating budget for 1999, amounting to EUR 211 m. SUBSTANCE: The draft ECSC budget for 1999 has been drawn up in the context of the forthcoming expiry of the ECSC Treaty in 2002. As the levy was set at zero as from 01.01.1998, the priority for the ECSC budget for 1999 is identified needs for social aid and aid to research geared to the appropriations actually available. The draft budget is as follows: -resources: on the basis of the zero rate of levy, ECSC resources comprise only the net balance for the 1998 financial year (EUR 80 m), use of provisions for financing the operating budget (EUR 76 m), cancellations of commitments (EUR 50 m) and miscellaneous revenue (EUR 5 m). -needs: according to the budget, they are as follows: .EUR 5 m for administrative expenditure; .EUR 92 m for social aid (including 67 m for the traditional redeployment aid and 25 m for social measures relating to coal); .EUR 84 m for research (including 56 m for steel and 28 m for coal); .EUR 30 m for conversion operations (Article 95 of the ECSC Treaty). Thus the draft operating budget of the ECSC for 1999 totals EUR 211 m.�