Active European citizenship: Europe for Citizens programme 2007-2013

The Commission accepts the four amendments adopted by the European Parliament. These amendments are the result of an overall compromise between the European Parliament and the Council with a view to the second reading. They are in line with the objectives of the Commission’s initial proposal and the Communication from the Commission on the common position.

§         the 1^st amendment adds the promotion of tolerance to the aims of the programme;

§         the 2^nd amendment is a technical one, changing the period between publication of the Decision and its entry into force from 20 days to one day, which will speed up the implementation of the programme;

§         the 3^rd and 4^th amendments relate to the percentages of the budget allocated to Actions I and II. At least 45% of the budget will be allocated to Action I and approximately 31% to Action II.

The Commission would draw the legislative authority’s attention to the need, by the time of final publication in the OJ, for the financial envelope referred to in the basic act to be quoted at current prices. That is the usual budgetary practice and serves to make compliance with the legislative authority’s decision quite clear. For the programme in question, the figure at current prices amounts to EUR 215 million.