Amending budget 7/2004: section III Commission, balance of budget 2003

By adopting the report by Jan MULDER (ALDE, NL), the European Parliament approved the Council's Draft amending budget no. 7/2004 unamended. MEPs expressed dissatisfaction with the additional surplus of EUR 5 470 million for the 2003 budget, which was largely due to the poor implementation of the Structural Funds.

Moreover, Parliament recalls that, in addition to this amount, the 2003 budget was previously reduced by an amount of EUR 5 000 million by Amending Budget No 6/2003 following a large overestimation of payments in the Structural Funds. It is noted that Member States' contributions to the EU budget have therefore already been reduced by that amount. It points out that in consequence the real surplus of the 2003 budget due to under-spending amounts to nearly EUR 10 500 million.

Lastly, Parliament deeply regrets the fact that with this the positive development of the last years, the

surplus having fallen from EUR 15 000 million in 2001 to EUR 7 000 million in 2002, has come to an end.