PURPOSE : to present the letter of amendment No 3 to the draft general budget of the European Communities for the financial year 2004.
CONTENT : on 13 November 2003 the Commission forwarded to the Council letter of amendment No 3 to the preliminary draft general budget of the European Communities for the financial year 2004 (please refer to the summary dated 11/11/2003).
The purpose of the Commission's proposal is to enter a budget heading in the general statement of revenue, in the relevant section for each institution and in the annex for each
administrative office. The heading will provide a structure to accommodate the revenue deriving from the new "special levy" provided for in the political agreement, adopted by the Council on 29 September 2003, on the amendment of the Staff Regulations of officials of the European Communities.
Following conciliation with the Parliament delegation on 24 November 2003 prior to the Budget Council meeting, the Council, as part of an overall agreement with the European Parliament and the Commission involving adoption of the letter at a single reading, decided to accept the letter of amendment No 3 to the preliminary draft budget for the financial year 2004 as submitted by the Commission.�