The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Articles 310 and 314 thereof, and to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 106a thereof,

–  having regard to Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities(1) ('the Financial Regulation'), and in particular Articles 37 and 38 thereof,

–  having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2012, as definitively adopted on 1 December 2011(2),

–  having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management(3),

–  having regard to Draft amending budget No 4/2012 of the European Union for the financial year 2012, which the Commission submitted on 20 June 2012 (COM(2012)0340),

–  having regard to the position adopted by the Council on 24 September 2012 on Draft amending budget No 4/2012 (14059/2012 – C7-0305/2012),

–  having regard to Regulation (EU) No 423/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2012 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 as regards certain provisions relating to risk-sharing instruments for Member States experiencing or threatened with serious difficulties with respect to their financial stability(4),

–  having regard to Rules 75b and 75e of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A7-0308/2012),

A.  whereas the aim of Draft amending budget No 4/2012 to the general budget 2012 is threefold, namely the creation of four budget lines in order to reallocate financial appropriations from up to 10 % of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Cohesion Fund 2007-2013 allocation to risk-sharing instruments, a revision and budgeting of the forecast of the own resources, resulting in a change in the distribution between Member States of their own resources contributions to the Union budget, and the replacement of the ‘dash’ presented in payment appropriations for a budget line 16 03 05 01 – Preparatory action – EuroGlobe by a token entry (p.m.) to make a transfer possible;

B.  whereas the adjustment in own resources stems from the revision of the forecast of TOR, VAT and GNI bases, the correction of budgetary imbalances in favour of the United Kingdom (UK correction), concerning 2008, 2010 and 2011, as well as the impact on the share of Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden in the financing of the UK rebate, which is reduced to one fourth of their normal share, such reduction being financed by the other Member States, excluding the UK;

C.  whereas Draft amending budget No 4/2012 provides for the possibility of adding reflows and amounts left-over from Union support to risk-sharing instruments financed from cohesion policy to the following year, at the request of the Member State concerned, to its cohesion policy financial allocation;

D.  whereas Draft amending budget No 4/2012 is fully consistent with the modifications of the Financial Regulation agreed between the European Parliament and the Council, in particular in Article 131 thereof;

1.  Takes note of Draft amending budget No 4/2012;

2.  Considers that any transfer from cohesion policy to those to-be-defined financial instruments should be duly justified and well controlled, as provided for by Regulation (EU) No 423/2012;

3.  Requires that prior to operating any such transfer as specified in paragraph 2 the budgetary authority be informed by the Commission;

4.  Requires that regular and detailed information on the operational programmes to be reduced, on the financial instruments to be implemented and on the projects to be supported, be transmitted to Parliament;

5.  Approves, without amendment, the Council’s position on Draft amending budget No 4/2012;

6.  Instructs its President to declare that Amending budget No 4/2012 has been definitively adopted and to arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

7.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.

(1) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1. (2) OJ L 56, 29.2.2012. (3) OJ C 139, 14.6.2006, p.1. (4) OJ L 133, 23.5.2012, p.1.