PURPOSE: to present amending letter No 3/2009 to the preliminary draft EU budget 2009 (Section II – Council).
CONTENT: this letter of amendment, budgetarily neutral, covers the expenditure relating to the Council for the financial year 2009.
The draft letter of amendment comprises the following elements:
a) a sum of EUR 260 000 in non-differentiated appropriations, to enable the General Secretariat of the Council to engage a special adviser to act as secretary-general to the Reflection Group;
b) a sum of EUR 220 000 in non-differentiated appropriations, to cover the expense of travel to Brussels by members of the Reflection Group and their daily subsistence allowances during meetings;
c) a sum of EUR 200 000 in non-differentiated appropriations, to cover the cost of interpretation made available to the members of the Reflection Group as necessary;
d) a sum of EUR 300 000 in non-differentiated appropriations, to cover the cost of seminars and studies by external experts in line with the Group's mandate as adopted by the European Council;
e) a sum of EUR 30 000 in non-differentiated appropriations, to cover the costs of representation, and a sum of EUR 50 000 in non-differentiated appropriations, to cover other operating expenditure.
Material and logistical support for Reflection Group meetings (Secretariat officials, offices and meeting rooms) would be provided by the General Secretariat of the Council at no additional cost.
The Reflection Group's total operating expenditure for 2009 would thus be EUR 1 060 000.
It is proposed that this sum be taken from the contingency reserve (EUR 2.5 million) which is included in the preliminary draft budget for 2009.