26.2.2013   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 56/130

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having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and in particular Article 314 thereof, and to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community and in particular Article 106a thereof,

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having regard to Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (1), and particularly Articles 37 and 38 thereof,

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having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2011, as definitively adopted on 15 December 2010 (2),

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having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management (3),

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having regard to Draft amending budget No 4/2011 of the European Union for the financial year 2011, which the Commission presented on 17 June 2011 (COM(2011)0375),

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having regard to Council’s position on Draft amending budget No 4/2011, which the Council established on 12 September 2011 (13990/2011 – C7-0243/2011),

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having regard to Rules 75b and 75e of its Rules of Procedure,

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having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A7-0312/2011),

A.

whereas the aim of Draft amending budget No 4/2011 to the general budget 2011 is twofold, namely a reinforcement of appropriations under subheading 3a and a revision of the forecast of traditional own resources,

B.

whereas the reinforcement of commitment appropriations by nearly EUR 41,1 million for the management of migration and refugee flows (through the Frontex Agency, the External Borders Fund, the European Return Fund and the European Refugee Fund) is part of a multiform response of the Union to the political developments in Southern Mediterranean countries,

C.

whereas the increase in commitment appropriations is net and in line with the principle of ‘new appropriations for new tasks’,

D.

whereas the proposed concomitant reinforcement of payment appropriations by EUR 43,9 million is rendered possible by redeployments from under-implemented payments from the budget item ‧Energy projects to aid economic recovery – Energy networks‧,

E.

whereas the under-implemented payments from the above-mentioned budget item will have been exhausted through the adoption of Amending budget No 2/2011, Draft amending budget No 4/2011, and several transfers,

F.

whereas any potential forthcoming requirements for payments for the year 2011 should be presented taking into account the Joint Statement on payment appropriations adopted by the two branches of the budgetary authority,

1.

Takes note of Draft amending budget No 4/2011;

2.

Notes, with great surprise, the contradictory positions taken by the Council, which approved reinforcements of several programmes under subheading 3a in Draft amending budget No 4/2011 but takes an opposite position on the very same instruments for the financial year 2012 by reducing appropriations;

3.

Recalls, in that respect, that consistency and coherence of Union commitments on its instruments are prerequisites for efficient and optimised spending, which is much sought after in a tense and constrained budgetary environment;

4.

Approves, without amendment, the Council’s position on Draft amending budget No 4/2011 and instructs its President to declare that Amending budget No 4/2011 has been definitively adopted and to arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

5.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.