Amending budget 4/2005: budgeting the surplus from the implementation of the budget year 2004

The European Parliament adopted the resolution drafted by Salvador GARRIGA POLLEDO (EPP-ED, ES) by 606 votes in favour to 16 against and 44 abstentions and decided to accept Draft amending budget No 3/2005 unamended. (Please see the summary of 14/07/2005.)

Parliament welcomed the positive development compared to last year, when the real surplus of the 2003 budget due to underspending amounted to nearly EUR 10 500 million taking into account the reduction of EUR 5 000 million resulting from Amending budget No 6/2003 following a large overestimation of payments in the Structural Funds. Nevertheless, it is dissatisfied with the additional surplus of EUR 2.7 billion for the 2004 budget. The challenges that the European Union is facing today cannot justify such an underspending, in particular in Headings 3 and 4 of the financial perspective as well as pre-accession aid. Parliament therefore expects a better level of implementation to be obtained in 2005 in order to reduce significantly the level of EU surplus.