Brussels, 06/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - In its adoption (625 votes in favour, 14 against and 29 abstentions), on Tuesday 5 July, of the report by Sidonia El¿bieta Jêdrzejewska (EPP, Poland) on the draft rectifying budget no. 3/2011 of the EU for 2011, the European Parliament is accepting the position of the Council of Ministers of the EU, which is to cut the contribution of the EU countries to the budget of this year (2011) by €4.5 billion. The proposal aims to include in the budget the surplus resulting from the execution of the budgetary year 2010, of a total of €4,539,394,283. The surplus can essentially be broken down into the following elements: a positive implementation of revenue in excess of €1.8 billion, underspending of €2.72 billion and a positive exchange rate difference equivalent to €22.3 million. The lion's share of the “revenue” part (€1.28 billion out of €1.8 billion) comes from default interest and fines. The EP accepts the positive exchange rate difference rectifying budget, but takes the view that the proportion of the revenue calculated on the basis of default interest and fines should not be seen as a surplus and should therefore not be deducted from the member states' contributions (own resources based on gross national income, GNI). It feels that this revenue, which comes from the implementation of the European competition policy, “should be paid directly into the budget of the Union to be reinvested”. (L.C./transl.fl)