2018 general budget: all sections

The European Parliament delegation to the Conciliation Committee adopted a report by Siegfried MUREŞAN (EPP, RO) (Section III – Commission) and Richard ASHWORTH (ECR, UK) (other sections) on the joint text on the draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2018 approved by the Conciliation Committee under the budgetary procedure.

The EP delegation called on the Parliament to approve the joint text agreed by the Conciliation Committee.

The main elements are as follows:

• the overall level of commitment appropriations in the 2018 budget is set at EUR 160 113.5 million. Overall, this leaves a margin below the MFF ceilings for 2018 of EUR 1 600.3 million in commitment appropriations;
• the overall level of payment appropriations in the 2018 budget is set at EUR 144 681.0 million;
• the Flexibility Instrument for 2018 is mobilised in commitment appropriations for an amount of EUR 837.2 million for heading 3 Security and Citizenship;
• the Global margin for commitments is used at a level of EUR 1 113.7 million for heading 1a Competitiveness for Growth and Jobs and heading 1b Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion;
• Decision EU 2017/344 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the Contingency margin in 2017 will be amended to adjust the offsetting profile to decrease the amount offset in heading 5 Administration in 2018 from EUR 570 million to EUR 318 million and correspondingly introduce offsetting of EUR 252 million for the same heading in 2020;
• the 2018 payment appropriations related to the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 are estimated by the Commission at EUR 678.3 million.

Members confirmed the joint statements by Parliament, the Council and the Commission annexed to this resolution which concern in particular:

• payment appropriations;
• the youth employment initiative;
• the 5 % staff reduction.