The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by Gérard DEPREZ (ALDE, BE) on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 6/2014 of the European Union for the financial year 2014, Section III Commission.
Members recalled that Draft amending budget (DAB) No 6/2014 relates to the revision of the forecast of traditional own resources, VAT and GNI contributions, a reduction in the budgetary appropriations for the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the reserve for Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements, as well as an increase in the budgetary appropriations for the European Ombudsman.
The overall impact of this DAB on revenue, following the adoption of Amending letter 1/2014 to DAB No 6/2014, is a decrease in the requirements for own resources of an overall amount of EUR 4 095.5 million, comprising a reduction in Member States' GNI contributions of EUR 4 515.5 million and an increase in the amount of Traditional Own Resources of EUR 420 million.
The purpose of DAB No 6/2014 is to formally enter these budgetary adjustments into the 2014 budget.
Members noted that the decrease in budgetary appropriations related to the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the reserve for Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements amounts to a total decrease of EUR 76.3 million in commitment appropriations and of EUR 6.2 million in payment appropriations (the latter amount to be allocated to finance humanitarian aid crises by the end of the year), mainly resulting from the later adoption of the legal basis for the Fund and the updated assessment of the status of negotiations linked to the previously mentioned Fisheries Agreements.
Members called on the Parliament to endorse the Joint conclusions agreed by the Parliament and the Council on 8 December 2014 with the view of accepting DAB No 6/2014 as amended by its Amending letter, including a shift of the expenditure side to DABs No 3/2014 and No 4/2014.
They recalled that the adoption of this DAB No 6/2014 will reduce the need for Member States' GNI contributions by EUR 4 515.5 million and therefore, together with the reduced shares of the GNI contribution from Member States to the Union budget resulting from DAB No 3/2014, DAB No 4/2014 and DAB No 8/2014, will fully compensate for the additional payment needs requested in DAB No 3/2014 as agreed in the Joint conclusions of 8 December 2014.
At the same time, they called on the Parliament to approve the Council position on Draft amending budget No 6/2014.