2003 discharge: EC general budget, European Ombudsman

PURPOSE : to present the revenue and expenditure account and the balance sheet concerning the activities of the budget for the financial year 2003 (European Ombudsman).

CONTENT : this document sets out the amount of expenditure and the balance sheet for the other institutions of the Union (except the Commission) for the financial year 2003, in particular, the European Ombudsman.

The appropriations entered in the final budget 2003 amount to EUR 4 438 653 committed to the amount of 91.3%.

In 2003, the year of the appointment of the new European Ombudsman, the implementation of the budget was marked by several transfers of appropriations between posts in particular as regards:

- the reinforcement of the allocation of “stages” given that the number of “stages” within the Ombudsman keeps increasing;

- the readjustment of the allocation of posts in order to take account of the Ombudsman’s new requests;

- the strengthening of positions within the publications sector given that the new Ombudsman wishes to increase the dissemination of brochures concerning the Ombudsman’s role in the new Member States;

- the increase of appropriations for translation (notably for the Ombudsman’s Annual Report);

- the increase of certain specific posts such as “agents” in order to take account of the recruitment of new staff.

It should be noted that the Ombudsman regrets that the position “mission costs”, which was strengthening by a transfer of appropriations in 2003, was not as sufficiently funded as it should have been. It wishes therefore that its allocation be strengthened.