2005 budget: others sections

 The committee adopted the report by Anne Elisabet JENSEN (ALDE, DK) on the 2005 budget for the EU institutions other than the Commission (Sections I, II, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII(A) et VIII(B)). Broadly speaking, MEPs reiterated Parliament's commitment to providing the appropriate means to cater for enlargement-related needs, though they stressed that any new posts should be justified and that the institutions should apply an activity-based approach in their budgetary requests. They also recommended further reform of administrative structures with a view to greater interinstitutional cooperation, and hence an increased cost-benefit ratio and savings, and said that the institutions should make better use of new technologies and use redeployment as the first source for new human resources.

The committee proposed to leave a limited margin under the ceiling of heading 5 (Administrative expenditure) and to restore some EUR 10 million out of the EUR 15 million cut made by the Council in its 1st reading on the budgets of the EU institutions other than the Commission.

Turning to the individual institutions, starting with the EP (Section I), the committee reiterated its support for the Members' Statute, recalled the crucial role played by the visitors' programme in helping to bring Parliament closer to the citizens of Europe, and recommended creating a new budget line with a token entry for an information campaign on the draft Constitutional Treaty for Europe.

Regarding Section II, the committee pointed out that the Council's budget for 2005 had increased by 4.9% compared with 2004, as a result inter alia of the establishment of a civilian/military cell and an operation centre relating to the European Security and Defence Policy. It decided, however, in accordance with the gentleman's agreement between Council and Parliament, not to amend the administrative expenditure for Section II. It nevertheless called on the Council to improve the transparency of its budgetary procedure and to set a self-imposed ceiling for its budget.

As regards the other institutions, MEPs wanted to anticipate especially rent and lease payments from 2005 to 2004 and to reduce the appropriations for 2005 in Parliament's 2nd reading at the latest, through frontloading.