The Council adopted its position on the
draft budget of the European Union for 2012.
The main features of the position are as
follows:
- EUR 146 245.34 in commitment
appropriations;
- EUR 129 088.04 in payment
appropriations.
Under the Council's
position on the draft budget for 2012 adopted by the Council, commitment
appropriations increase by 2.92% compared to the 2011 budget and payment
appropriations increase by 2.02%.
The total amount of
payment appropriations provided for in the Council's position on the draft
budget for 2012 corresponds to 0.98% of EU GNI.
A. Generally: the Council's position on the draft budget
for 2012:
- shows due regard to
the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline and sound financial management;
- is within the
framework of the budget guidelines established for the 2012 budget in
the Council conclusions adopted in February 2011;
- follows an approach
leading to a budget that is realistic and comprehensively balanced,
complying with budgetary discipline and sound financial management.
While recognising the efforts already made by the Commission in its draft
budget, the need of additional efforts was underlined;
- provides adequate
funding for the European Union's various priorities, determining
appropriations on the basis of the budget implementation rate in 2010,
budget forecast alerts in 2011 and realistic absorption capacities. This
approach was also followed with regard to allocations for administrative
expenditure arising from operational programmes and the expenditure of
the executive agencies responsible for their management;
- ensures a limited
and controlled growth of payment appropriations in comparison with 2011
under all headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial
framework, adjusting the amounts on the basis of an analysis of the 2010
budget implementation and the 2011 budget forecast alert. This approach
should be seen in the context of the budgetary constraints applied in
all Member States;
- leaves adequate margins under the
ceilings of the headings and sub-headings of the multiannual financial
framework, with the exception of sub-heading 1b, in order to be able to
cope with unforeseen situations, while respecting as far as possible the
amounts in commitment appropriations proposed by the Commission
regarding co-decided programmes.
Statement on payment appropriations: as well as the abovementioned principles, the Council approved a statement on payment appropriations stating that if the
payment appropriations entered in the 2012 budget are insufficient to cover
expenditure under sub-heading 1a (Competitiveness for growth and employment),
sub-heading 1b (Cohesion for growth and employment), heading 2 (Preservation
and management of natural resources) and heading 4 (EU as a global player),
the Commission should present by the end of September 2012 at the latest
updated figures concerning the state of affairs and estimates regarding
payment appropriations under sub-heading 1b and, if necessary, to present a
draft amending budget for this sole purpose. The Council will take position
on the draft amending budget as quickly as possible in order to avoid any
shortfall in payment appropriations.
B. Expenditure by heading of the
financial framework: as to expenditure under
the different headings of the financial framework the Council's position
leads to:
Heading 1: Sustainable growth (EUR
67.267 billion in commitments):
Heading 1a: as regards competitiveness for growth and employment expenditure:
the amount of this sub-heading totals EUR 14.028 billion in commitment
appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 695.90 million in the
appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget
lines under this heading, of which EUR 45.90 million resulting from the
approach followed for administrative expenditure and decentralised agencies.
The remaining reduction of EUR 650 million is linked to the possible
revision of the multiannual financial framework for ITER. The Council
has not included in its position on the draft budget for 2012 the proposed
additional financing for the ITER project based on a possible revision of the
multiannual financial framework 2007-2013 (MFF), pending the end of the
agricultural year for 2011 and new information on implementation rates. It
will re-examine the situation after the end of the agricultural year for
2011, in view of deciding on the sources and scale of additional financing.
The Council invites the Commission, in cooperation with F4E, to present by 15
October 2011 reports on the progress achieved in implementing the cost
containment and savings plan and on the performance and management of the European
Joint Undertaking for ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy and the ITER
project, and on the fulfilment of the scheduled activities within the annual
budget.
This sub-heading is also characterised by
the following:
- the creation of budget line 04 03 15 (European Year for Active Ageing and
Solidarity between generations 2012), its financing coming from budget
line 04 03 07 (Analysis, studies and awareness raising on the social
situation, demographics and the family);
- fixing the level of the appropriations
for subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations
requested in the DB by a total of EUR 15.52 million in commitments and
EUR 17.84 million in payments as a result of the approach followed for
these agencies. A total of 63 temporary posts was accepted;
- setting the level of payment
appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 1 132.00 million in
the appropriations requested in the DB of which EUR 99.46 million in the
field of competitiveness, EUR 101.99 million in the field of transports,
EUR 563.22 million in the field of research, EUR 86 million in the field
of education and training, EUR 147 million on budget lines related to
the European economic recovery plan, EUR 50 million on the budget line
for the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund and EUR 84.33 million on
various other budget lines, on the basis of an analysis of past and
current budget implementation and realistic absorption capacities.
The margin available under sub-heading 1a
would be EUR 175.30 million.
Heading 1b: concerning cohesion for
growth and employment expenditure: the Council
has provided an amount of EUR 52.739 billion in commitments as in the
Commission draft budget.
Other main characteristics of this
sub-heading are as follows:
- set the level of payment
appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a
total of EUR 1 299.28 million while resulting in an increase of 5.2 % in
comparison with 2011;
- a reduction in payment appropriations
concentrated in the field of the European Regional Development Fund (EUR
706 million), the European Social Fund (EUR 394 million) and the
Cohesion Fund (EUR 199 million), representing an adjustment on the basis
of the available information.
The margin available under sub-heading 1b
would be EUR 22.12 million.
Heading 2: Preservation and management
of natural:the amount of this heading is
set at EUR 59.613 billion in commitments. The Council foresees a total reduction of EUR 545.60 million in commitment
appropriations requested in the DB, of which EUR 197.94 million in the field
of agriculture, EUR 337.60 million on the budget line for clearance of
accounts and EUR 10.06 million on various other budget lines, on the basis of
past and current budget implementation.
The Council also aims to:
- fix the level of the appropriations for
subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations
requested in the DB by a total of EUR 1.46 million in commitments and
EUR 2.67 million in payments as a result of the approach followed for
these agencies. As regards staff requests, 4 temporary posts were
accepted;
- set the level of payment
appropriations, reducing the appropriations requested in the DB by a
total of EUR 786.51 million, of which EUR 229.93 million in the field of
agriculture, EUR 337.60 million on the budget line for clearance of
accounts, EUR 140 million in the field of Rural development, EUR 46.50
million in the field of European Fisheries Fund and EUR 32.48 million on
various other budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget
implementation. These amounts estimated on the basis of past budget
implementation and available information may be reviewed in the light of
the Autumn letter of amendment.
The margin available under heading 2
would be EUR 1 197.16 million.
Heading 3: citizenship, freedom,
security and justice: the amount of this heading
is set at EUR 1.953 billion in commitments, divided between 2
sub-headings:
Heading 3a: for freedom, security and justice expenditure (EUR 1.285 billion in commitments): for this heading, the Council
aims to:
- set the level of commitment
appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 55.65 million commitment
appropriations requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific
budget lines under this heading, on the basis of past and current budget
implementation and of realistic absorption capacities;
- fix the level of the appropriations for
subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations
requested in the DB by a total of EUR 11.55 million in commitments and
- EUR 12.73 million in payments as a
result of the approach followed for these agencies. A total of 12
temporary posts was accepted;
- set the level of payment
appropriations, targeting a total reduction of EUR 44.26 million in the
appropriations requested in the DB on a number of budget lines on the
basis of past and current budget implementation.
The margin available under sub-heading 3a
would be EUR 121.27 million.
Heading 3b: citizenship expenditure (EUR 668 million in commitments), the Council aims to:
- set the level of commitment appropriations,
reducing by a total of EUR 15.55 million the commitment appropriations
requested in the DB in respect of a number of specific budget lines
under this heading on the basis of past and current budget
implementation and of realistic absorption capacities;
- fix the level of the appropriations for
subsidies for decentralised agencies, reducing the appropriations
requested in the DB by a total of EUR 9.48 million in commitments and
EUR 6.46 million in payments as a result of the approach followed for these
agencies;
- set the level of payment
appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 14.53 million the
appropriations requested in the DB in a targeted manner over a series of
budget lines, on the basis of past and current budget implementation.
The available margin under sub-heading 3b
would be EUR 31.08 million.
Heading 4: The EU as a global player: the Council envisages an overall amount of EUR 9.206 billion
in commitments. It decided to:
- accept letter of amendment No 1/2012.
This letter is fully financed under the current ceiling of heading 4 by
additional redeployments;
- set the level of commitment
appropriations, reducing by a total amount of EUR 203.57 million the
commitment appropriations requested in the DB on a number of specific
budget lines under this heading, on the basis of past and current budget
implementation and of realistic absorption capacities;
- fix the level of the appropriations for
subsidies for the decentralised agency, reducing the appropriations
requested in the DB by a total of EUR 0.28 million in commitments and
EUR 0.40 million in payments as a result of the approach followed for
these agencies;
- set the level of payment
appropriations, reducing by a total of EUR 300.37 million the
appropriations requested in the DB, of which on the one hand EUR 190.37
million in a targeted manner over a series of budget lines, on the basis
of past and current budget implementation and of realistic absorption
capacities, and on the other hand by not retaining the amount of EUR 110
million proposed in the DB for the Emergency Aid Reserve.
The margin available under heading 4
would be EUR 50.23 million to cover additional needs at a later stage.
Heading 5: Administrative expenditure: administrative expenditure is set at EUR 8.207 billion in
commitments. The Council decided to:
- keep under strict control the volume of
the administrative expenditure of the EU institutions, in line with the
approach followed by the Member States for their national civil service;
- set the administrative budget of each institution
at the appropriate level, taking into account their specificities and
real and justified needs;
- carry out targeted reductions for all
the institutions, taking into account past and current budget
implementation and real needs;
- increase the standard flat rate
abatement on salaries for most of the institutions, taking into account
their current vacancy rate;
- not accept any new post requested by
the institutions with the exception of part
of the posts requested by the European External Action Service which is
a new institution;
- accept the requested conversions,
transformations, upgradings and transfers of posts.
This approach has resulted in an
appropriate level of administrative expenditure ensuring a proper functioning
of the institutions. A margin of EUR 546.44 million remained available under
the ceiling of heading 5 of the multiannual financial framework. When
examining the administrative budgets, the Council also focused on
administrative expenditure linked to operational programmes and on administrative
expenditure of the executive agencies. In this respect, it was decided to
carry out targeted reductions on the basis of a similar approach as the one
followed for the institutions.
Agencies:
as regards decentralised agencies, the Council also applied a similar
approach as for the institutions. Therefore, no increase in appropriations
compared to 2011 and no new posts were accepted for the agencies at
"cruising speed". Regarding agencies in charge of new tasks, an
increase limited to 1.5 % compared to 2011 and one third of the new posts
requested were accepted. In addition, the creation of new auto-financed posts
was registered. For agencies in the "start-up" phase, new posts and
increases in the corresponding contribution to Titles 1 and 2 were limited to
3/4 of the requests.