Brussels, 30/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - As previously announced (see EUROPE 10952) on Wednesday 30 October, the Council of Ministers of the EU approved, by written procedure, an increase in payment appropriations for 2013, by formally adopting draft budgets numbers 8 and 9.
The Council adopted by qualified majority, its position on draft budget 8/2013 providing for an increase in payment appropriations of €3.9 billion. This envelope complements the €7.3 billion envelope approved in July by the Council for the payment appropriations needed for 2013 (a total of €11.2 billion). Five countries, United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands and Sweden, voted against the text.
The Council underlines that, as accepted, the draft amending budget 8/2013 effectively takes 2013 payment appropriations to the ceiling established by the current Multiannual Financial Framework (2007/2013) which amounts to €144.29 billion. Since the beginning of 2013, the Council has approved a total increase in payment appropriations of €11.59 billion.
The Council ratified its position on the draft amending budget for €400.5, following the floods in Germany and the drought in Romania. The United Kingdom was the only country to vote against this text. The Council decided that the money would come from redeployed funding identified by the Commission in an overall payment (€289 million from Euratom, €79 million from the pre-accession ISPA fund and €32.3 million from the pre-accession agricultural fund SAPARD). The European Parliament would like the €400.5 from the EU solidarity fund to be freshly allocated money.
To ensure that funds are available, these two draft amending budgets still need to be approved by the European Parliament. It is expected to do so on 20 November at the same time it is due to approve the regulation on the EU Multiannual Framework for 2014-2020.
Although the Council and Parliament positions diverge on these draft amending budgets, as well as on amending budget 7/20013 (€150 million in commitments from the European social fund that the Council approved recently), a conciliation period of three months is expected to be launched. The Council has already adopted its position on draft amending budget number 6 for 2013 (only Finland voted against), which includes a review of the forecasts for the EU budget receipts. This text will effectively increase EU countries' budget costs by €2.7 billion. (LC/transl.fl)