Brussels, 16/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - According to the guidelines for the EU budget 2016 that finance ministers will adopt on Tuesday 17 February, the Council will back “a realistic budget for 2016, striking the right balance between fiscal consolidation and new investments conducive to growth and jobs”. The 2016 budget will have to take into account the investment plan launched by the European Commission.
The Council also makes reference to the matter of the invoices that remain to be paid. “The budget 2016 should provide the necessary resources to respect commitments already made and to implement the Union's 2016 policy priorities, taking into account a still high level of unpaid applications at the end of 2014”, says the conclusions document. The level of unpaid payment applications was €24.7 billion at the end of 2014, whereas it amounted to €23.4 billion at the end of 2013. The Council calls on the Commission to present a budget in line with the aforementioned objectives, “including the delivery of EU added value”.
The Council urges the Commission to “deliver high-quality forecasts concerning both revenue and expenditure”.
Amending budgets. The Council feels that corrective budgetary tools, such as amending budgets, should be kept to the strict minimum and in line with the financial regulation. “However, if corrective measures prove to be necessary, the Council reaffirms its commitment to take a position on a potential draft amending budget as soon as possible.”
The Council acknowledges the usefulness of the Commission's budget forecast alert system. Thus, if adjustments are required to the level of appropriations, they can be made in a realistic and rigorous way at the various stages of the budgetary procedure. (Lionel Changeur)