Brussels, 19/04/2001 (Agence Europe) - During its weekly meeting on Wednesday 25 April, the European Commission must adopt the preliminary draft supplementary and amending budget No3/2001 for reshuffling the different categories of agents at the Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). The supplementary and amending budget, which is neutral, meets the requirements set in place by the European Parliament when it adopted the Budget 2001 last December, with rebalancing between temporary agents and permanent officials at OLAF.
In order to encourage OLAF and the Commission to meet its request, the EP had even decided to temporarily freeze 76 OLAF posts. On the Commission's side, it trusts that this supplementary and amending budget will make it possible to lift this measure that has been in place four months now, while insisting that, in order to increase the independence and the effectiveness of OLAF's work, fifteen new magistrates will be appointed to ensure not only the follow-up of inquiries but also the coordination with national Member State judicial authorities.
It is also foreseen that, after adoption of the supplementary and amending budget, OLAF will have 200 permanent posts and 100 temporary posts, as opposed to 173 and 127 respectively in the 2001 budget and 194 and 30 in the 2000 budget. The aim is thus to go from a ratio of 1 temporary post: 6 permanent posts to a ratio of 1: 2.
The next preliminary draft of the supplementary and amending budget No4 will concern the new estimates concerning credits not used in 2000 and which must be refunded to Member States. It should be adopted on 8 May, at the same time as the preliminary draft budget for 2002, on the basis of guidelines that the Commission approved on 21 February this year (see EUROPE of 22 February, p.6), and which had been the subject of an EP resolution on 3 April (see EUROPE of 4 April, p.12) and Council conclusions on 12 March (see EUROPE of 10 March, p.8).