The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 272(4), penultimate subparagraph, thereof,

–   having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 177 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), and in particular Articles 37 and 38 thereof,

–   having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2006, as finally adopted on 15 December 2005(2),

–   having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary procedure(3),

–   having regard to Preliminary draft amending budget No 5/2006 of the European Union for the financial year 2006, which the Commission presented on 20 July 2006 (SEC(2006)0996),

–   having regard to Draft amending budget No 5/2006, which the Council established on 5 October 2006 (13561/2006 – C6-0333/2006),

–   having regard to Rule 69 of and Annex IV to its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A6-0340/2006),

A.   whereas Amending Budget No 5/2006 comprises three different elements, namely the mobilisation of new funds for the financial support to encourage the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community, an increase in the appropriations for the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All (2007) and the creation of two new budget lines following the modernisation of the Commission's accounting system,

B.   whereas the EUR 120 million in new commitments that are proposed by the Commission to support the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community go back to the decision of Council taken on 26 April 2004 in Luxembourg, following the results of the referenda in Cyprus, and have not been budgeted yet due to delays in the adoption of the legal basis,

C.   whereas the increase of EUR 4 million for the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All (2007) is necessary to adjust the appropriations included in the 2006 budget to the amounts noted in the relevant Decision No 771/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2006(4),

D.   whereas the first provisional closure of the accounts following the Commission's modernisation of its accounting system necessitates the creation of a new budget line for the coverage of expenditure incurred in connection with treasury management and the creation of a new budget line for the European Development Fund contribution to the common administrative support expenditure,

1.  Approves Draft amending budget No 5/2006 unamended;

2.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

(1) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1. (2) OJ L 78, 15.3.2006. (3) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1. Agreement as last amended by Decision 2005/708/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 269, 14.10.2005, p. 24). (4) OJ L 146, 31.5.2006, p. 1.