Supplementary and amending budget 1/2001: BSE crisis

The European Parliament adopted the report by Mrs Jutta HAUG (PES, D) on the draft SAB 1/2001. The House approved the budget for 2001 of some EUR 971 million to pay for extra costs as a result of the BSE crisis. Some EUR 700 millon is to go towards paying for the destruction of 530,000 tonnes of beef and another EUR 238 million to buy-in 125,000 tonnes of beef to go into stock. The rest is to go towards paying for extra tests on animals. However, the Parliament pointed out that it is likely that the SAB 1/2001 will not be sufficient to cope with the BSE crisis. Parliament's resolution also supports the idea of agriculture spending coming under the co-decision procedure and thus subject to closer parliamentary control. Moreover, the House has approved the modifications to the budgetary remarks of heading B7-541, aiming to clarify the European Agency for Reconstruction's mandate in favour of Montenegro, within the ceiling agreed by the budgetary authority, in proportion of the appropriations dedicated to Montenegro. �