Brussels, 18/12/2000 (Agence Europe) - In parallel to the adoption of the Budget 2001 by the European Parliament, the Council and Parliament adopted a joint declaration on internal reform of the European Commission. The Parliament and Council congratulate the Commission on the "efforts to improve the efficiency and performance of budget implementation" and ask it to present, before 30 June 2001, a report including the following elements:
"1. Progress made on: - the reduction of outstanding commitments to a normal level by December 2003; - improved simplification of the cycle of projects; - improved implementation of programmes; - and limitation of the duration of commitments.
2. Functioning of comitology in the framework of Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999, in particular in relations to Heading 4 of the Budget (external policy).
3. Progress on the reform package of the Commission, including the early retirement proposal.
4. Information on the performance targets for each of the major programmes in Heading 4, on the basis of quarterly expenditure plans and profiles of commitments and payments during the year in order to monitor how the programmes are performing.
5. Improvements made to ensure a better match between legislative and budgetary procedure, without changing the pragmatic budgetary timetable agreed by the three Institutions".
When examining this report, the Council and Parliament will also take stock of the procedure for approval by the Budget Authority of the financial impact of foreign policy proposals and will discuss the state of play concerning "access by the European Parliament to confidential foreign policy information held by the Council".
Rapporteur for Budget 2001, Jutta Haug, explained during the debate on this budget that the Parliament had decided to waive reservations expressed at first reading on certain administrative spending and foreign policy expenditure "thanks to the very firm determination of the Commission which is willing to work with us".