budget of the European Communities

This is to the detriment of the budget of the European Communities.

It intends to propose a joint action to serve as a legal basis for the allocation of funds from the budget of the European Communities.

Implementing the regulation will provide greater flexibility and transparency in the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities.

So Mrs Baldi's call for the development aid budget to be integrated into the general budget of the European Communities is not unreasonable, but very sensible.

I have the honour, on behalf of the Presidency of the Council, to present the 2003 draft budget of the European Communities, prepared by the Council on 22 July.

Ladies and gentlemen, today, on behalf of the Council Presidency, it is my honour to present the draft budget of the European Communities, as drawn up by the Council on 20 July.

Draft general budget for 2007, amended by the Council (all sections) - Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities - Draft amending budget No 6/2006 (debate)

Mr President, it is an honour and a privilege to be back in this Chamber to represent the Presidency of the Council in this important debate on the budget of the European Communities for 2006.

This is clearly the aim of the new financial regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities, which will enter into force on 1 January 2003, and, specifically, the aim of the new implementing rules proposed by the Commission.

The report by Mr Leinen on the amendment of the regulation on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities is approved pursuant to Rule 43(1) and is registered for voting.

Madam President, the report to be considered by the European Parliament concerns a Commission proposal to establish a Council Regulation amending certain orders in the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Presidency of the Council, I have the honour to present to you the draft general budget of the European Communities for the financial year 2007, which the Council adopted on 17 July 2006.

I myself, in fact, was the author of a report on the EDF some ten years ago, and hoped at the time - to no avail - to see the EDF integrated into the general budget of the European Communities.

The Commission has difficulty in accepting Amendment 13. Most of the aspects mentioned in the amendment are covered either by the Council conclusions on fisheries partnership agreements, or by the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities.

Similarly, paragraph 3 goes on to say that in cases where expenditure is not charged to the budget of the European Communities, it will be charged to the Member States in accordance with the gross national product scale, unless the Council acting unanimously decides otherwise.

I support the rapporteur's proposals aimed at harmonising the deadlines for the discharge procedure and bringing the text of the standard financial regulation for the executive agencies into line with the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities.

This paragraph 3 states that any operational expenditure to which the implementation of these provisions gives rise is to be charged to the budget of the European Communities, except for such expenditure arising from operations having military or defence implications and cases where the Council acting unanimously decides otherwise.

The next item is the report (A4-0502/98) by Mr Elles, on behalf of the Committee on Budgetary Control, on the discharge to the Commission in respect of implementation of the general budget of the European Communities for the 1996 financial year.

Indeed, the current process of reforming the Commission, and in particular the adoption of the new Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities, requires basic instruments to be adopted for a number of grants that have been financed to date without being covered by a specific basic instrument.

Regarding direct aid to the victims of these disasters, the Commission reminds you that the budget of the European Communities for 1997 unfortunately does not include credits for emergency aid within the European Union, since line B4/3400 was given a record amount for the second year running by the budgetary authority.

The European Parliament has been asked to give its opinion on the proposal for a regulation tabled by Ingeborg Gräßle and Crescenzio Rivellini pertaining to the creation of a general budget of the European Communities for the European External Action Service (EEAS).

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, if today's debate on giving discharge to the Commission in respect of the implementation of the general budget of the European Communities for the 1996 financial year is one of dramatic intensity and not without passion, it is because, unquestionably, we have gone beyond the bounds what is acceptable.

(These rules and procedures are explained in very much detailed in the Practical Guide to contract procedures financed from the General Budget of the European Communities in the context of External Actions (PRAG) and also published on the internet web site of the EC.)