Budgets Committee approves additional funding for ITER project

To provide €1.3 billion in additional funding needed for the ITER nuclear fusion research project ITER in France, Parliament's Budgets Committee on Monday approved an agreement reached by Parliament's negotiating team and the Council of Ministers on 1 December to revise the multi-annual financial framework for 2007-2013 and raise the annual budget ceilings for 2012 and 2013.

Parliament, the Council and the Commission agreed in "trilogue" meetings concluded on 1 December to the financing of the additional €1.3 billion cost of the ITER project until the end of the current financial programming period.

€ 840 million will be covered via a revision of the current multiannual financial framework: The ceiling on heading 1 (Competitiveness for growth and employment) will be increased by €650 million in 2012 and €190 million in 2013 (in commitments).

To compensate for this, the commitment ceilings for Preservation and Management of Natural Resources (Heading 2) and Administration (Heading 5) will be decreased in 2011 and 2012.

Of the remaining € 460 million (in commitments), €100 million are already foreseen in the 2012 budget. The other €360 million will be financed during the budgetary procedure for 2013.

The annual ceilings for payment appropriations will be adjusted to keep an appropriate relationship between commitments and payments. The ceiling for total payments will be increased by €580 million for 2013, offset by a corresponding decrease in the 2011 ceiling.

Next steps

The revision of the multiannual financial framework 2007-2013 to address the additional financing needs of the ITER project will need to be approved by Parliament and the Council of Ministers. Parliament's plenary vote is scheduled for 13 December.

05.12.2011

In the chair: Alain Lamassoure (EPP, FR)