OBJECTIVE: To submit the preliminary draft budget of the Communities for the 1999 financial year - other sections. SUBSTANCE: There is a ceiling of EUR 4435 m on administrative and human resources expenditure in the projected budget for 1999 - a very slight increase on the 1998 budget (1.88%). As regards human resources, the Commission asks only for the last batch of 110 posts for officials in connection with the last enlargement. The PDB stresses the extreme strictness with which the Commission has made its choices regarding staffing, making every effort to link resources to the degree of political priority of the operations for which the staff have been requested. In this connection the main priorities for allocating resources are the impact of the accession negotiations, consolidation of the internal market, restructuring of the external relations DGs, WTO dispute settlement, strengthening of DG XXIV and development of 'third-pillar' activities following the Amsterdam Treaty (communitisation of Schengen). Operating appropriations are increased by a moderate amount (+1.3%) on 1998, the absolute figure being EUR 2407 m excluding pensions. Pensions for all the institutions increase by 6.7%. Operating expenditure (buildings etc) has been reduced by 2% thanks to the renegotiation of leases, investment in 1997 and the reduction of voice telephony tariffs.¿