Brussels, 25/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - The conclusions on the budgetary guidelines for 2003, that the Ecofin Council is to adopt on 5 March, give some indication of the subjects that will be discussed this year in order to establish the budget for 2003. Such subjects will mainly include: continued financial effort for reconstruction of Afghanistan, pressure on Heading 5 (administrative spending), the taking into account, where necessary, of proposals for the mid-term review of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), as well as the mobilisation of the flexibility instrument that should still be found at the heart of budgetary negotiation this year. The European Commission will adopt, on Wednesday, its guidelines for 2003 before presenting its preliminary draft budget on 30 April, while the European Parliament's Committee on budgets is, on Tuesday, to adopt the report on this same theme by Göran Färm (PES, Sweden), concerning the Commission's budget, and that by Per Stenmarck (EPP-ED, Sweden).
Concerning the Heading "Agriculture", the Council should call on the Commission to take into account, in its "autumn correcting letter" (which assesses the new spending needs of agricultural and fishing agreements with third countries), proposals for mid-term reform of the CAP.
One of the main concerns of the Council covers external actions. The effort made in 2002 to reconstruct Afghanistan and the neighbouring countries should be continued the following year at least (Chris Patten told MEPs last week that this effort should be at least a medium-term effort: see EUROPE of 21 February, p.4). Furthermore, given the ambitions for the Balkans (including the setting up of a police force in Bosnia), the Council will make a discreet appeal to the Commission for an amount to be proposed under the CFSP budgetary line, at least equal to that of 2002 (EUR 30 million) (Ed.: in conformity with the 1999 interinstitutional agreement, the Commission proposal prevails during disagreement between the EP and the Council over the CFSP line).
Concerning the administrative spending heading, the Council will call on all institutions to make an effort to keep to the financial perspectives (mainly through better multi-annual planning of real-estate spending). In this context, the Parliament will be called upon to reduce early reimbursement funding for the acquisition of its buildings, and the Court of Justice to defer the commitment for work at its new seat. Furthermore, the Council will reaffirm that the interinstitutional agreement of May 1999 remains the keystone to ensure that budgetary procedure unfolds as it should, and that all its mechanisms allow unforeseen situations to be adequately faced. In other words, the only margin of manoeuvre tolerated will be the use of the flexibility instrument (but above all revision of budgetary perspectives) that each institution will eventually seek to match its priorities.