Brussels, 05/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - In the framework of preparing for the European Council in Brussels on 24/25 October, the Danish Presidency launched discussions on Thursday at EU Member States' Permanent Representatives level (the COREPER committee) on potential ways of calculating the budget balances of the ten future Member States (relation between the funding received under various EU policies and the contributions to be paid under the Own Resources heading of the general budget). To structure the negotiations, the European Commission has sent the EU ambassadors a working document setting out estimates and figures for the budget balances of the future Member States from 2004 to 2006, showing that several of them will be net contributors, particularly in 2004. The figures given an idea of the size of any "compensatory payments" (mentioned by the European Commission in its financial information note of 30 January 2002) that might be paid out to countries whose net balance fell when it joined the EU.
Discussions over the Commission's document will first be held at technical level (in a Council working group of budget experts and enlargement specialists). The working group will draw up a report for COREPER reporting on the outcome of the discussions. On 13 September 2002, a meeting is being organised between the candidate countries and the Commission to discuss calculation methods for the budget balances.