PURPOSE: to present the Preliminary Draft Amending Budget No 4 to the general budget 2009.
CONTENT: Preliminary Draft Amending Budget (PDAB) 4/2009 concerns the translation into the Community budget of the political agreement reached on the financing of the European Economic Recovery Plan:
1) for energy projects to aid economic recovery, commitment appropriations of EUR 2 billion and payment appropriations of EUR 76.2 million are proposed for budget 2009;
2) for broadband internet infrastructure in rural areas and CAP Health Check "new challenges", commitment appropriations of EUR 600 million are proposed for budget 2009.
In order to accommodate these increases, the Commission has submitted a proposal to revise the ceilings of the multi-annual financial framework for Headings 1a and 2.
Energy projects to aid economic recovery: on 28 January 2009, the Commission presented its Communication "Investing today for tomorrow's Europe". This was accompanied by a proposal for a Regulation establishing a programme to aid economic recovery by granting Community financial assistance to projects in the field of energy (COD/2009/0010). Following the political agreement reached on the financing of this initiative, it is proposed to create a new budget article 06 04 14 — Energy projects to aid economic recovery as well as four new budget items.
Broadband and infrastructure and CAP “Health Check”: the Commission has also proposed to amend Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EARDF) (refer to CNS/2009/0011) and Decision 2006/493/EC laying down the amount of Community support for rural development for the period from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2013, its annual breakdown and the minimum amount to be concentrated in regions eligible under the Convergence Objective.
Accordingly, it is now proposed to increase budget item 05 04 05 01 Rural Development Programmes by EUR 600 million in commitment appropriations for 2009.