Brussels, 28/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - The EU Council of Ministers is expected to use the written procedure (that expires on 30 October) to approve draft amending budgets 8 and 9 for the EU budget for 2013, regarding the EU Solidarity Fund and the payment appropriations needed to pay bills. The Council is prepared to discuss with the European Parliament details of the high-ranking group that will be commissioned to study reform of the EU's own resources system.
The Parliament has made its approval of the multiannual financial framework for the EU for 2014-2020 conditional upon adoption by the Council of the outstanding amending budgets, compromise on reform of the Cohesion Policy (see separate article) and the start of talks on the high-ranking group on income for the EU budget.
The Council is expected on Wednesday to adopt a position on the two draft amending budgets for 2013. One is for €400.5 million from the Solidarity Fund to help repair damage caused by floods in Germany and drought in Romania. The Council will say that the cash will come from redeployed resources identified by the Commission, with €289 million from the Euratom fund, €79 million from the ISPA pre-accession fund and €32.3 million from the pre-accession agricultural fund, SAPARD. The Parliament wants the €400.5 million from the Solidarity Fund to be fresh, rather than redeployed, cash.
The other amending budget, 8/13, is for a rise in payment appropriations of €3.9 billion (in addition to the €7.3 billion approved by the Council in July to cover unpaid invoices totalling €11.2 billion in 2013).
Five member states are expected to vote against the two draft amending budgets - the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden. (LC/transl.fl)