The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2013)0157),

–  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(1) (IIA of 17 May 2006), and in particular to point 29 thereof,

–  having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2013, as adopted on 12 December 2012(2),

–  having regard to Draft amending budget No 1/2013 of the European Union for the financial year 2013, which the Commission adopted on 18 March 2013 (COM(2013)0156),

–  having regard to the position on the draft amending budget No 1/2013, which the Council adopted on 26 June 2013 (11607/2013 – C7‑0199/2013),

–  having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A7-0247/2013),

A.  whereas the Commission, in conformity with point 29 of the IIA of 17 May 2006, has, in parallel to Amending budget No 1/2013, submitted to the budgetary authority a proposal aimed at adjusting the multiannual financial framework to incorporate into the 2013 budget the commitment and payment appropriations needed to cover expenditure related to the accession of Croatia to the Union as from 1 July 2013,

B.  whereas the proposed increase of EUR 666 million in commitments and EUR 374 million in payments reflects the financial package agreed at the Accession Conference of 30 June 2011, excluding heading 5 since the administrative expenditure linked to the accession of Croatia is already included in the 2013 budget,

1.  Takes note of the proposal for a decision amending the IIA of 17 May 2006, as submitted by the Commission, and of the Council's position thereon;

2.  Emphasises the purely technical nature of this revision, which is simply the consequence of the unanimous agreement on the Treaty concerning the Accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union (the Accession Treaty) as the 28th Member State of the Union; stresses that for that reason the revision of the IIA of 17 May 2006 accompanying Amending budget No 1/2013 has been kept separate from the ongoing political inter-institutional debate on how to settle the issue of outstanding payments from 2012 and from the negotiations on Amending budget No 2/2013;

3.  Recalls that, according to point 29 of the IIA of 17 May 2006, the resources to finance the accession of a new Member State to the Union are to be covered through an adjustment of the financial framework that is a revision of the ceilings for 2013 in commitments and payments;

4.  Reiterates its position that the eight-week period laid down in Article 4 of Protocol (No 1) on the Role of National Parliaments in the European Union to inform national parliaments of any draft legislative act does not apply to budgetary issues; regrets therefore that despite the very tight timeframe for the entry into force of this adjustment and of Amending Budget No 1/2013, the Council has nevertheless let this period elapse before adopting its position, thus squeezing the time for adoption by Parliament provided for by the Treaty;

5.  Regrets furthermore the difficulty with which, even after the eight-week deadline had elapsed, the Council reached an agreement on this revision, which has led to a delay in the availability of the funding for Croatia due as from 1 July 2013; warns that this must not become a precedent for further enlargements;

6.  Welcomes the fact that the Council was eventually able to agree on a revision without any offsetting of the 2013 ceilings for payments by the required EUR 374 million; considers that, given the limited amount concerned and the current shortage of payment appropriations in the 2013 budget, this is the proper way to fulfil the obligation that the Member States took out when signing the Accession Treaty and to respect the provisions of point 29 of the IIA of 17 May 2006;

7.  Deplores the fact, however, that as regards the revision in commitments the Council decided to neglect the political importance of adopting the Commission's proposal as such, opting instead to offset the appropriations required; considers that that position contradicts the spirit of the unanimous decision taken when signing the Treaty of Accession as well as of the IIA of 17 May 2006; highlights that such decision sends a wrong political signal not only to Croatia but to the other candidate countries as well; stresses that that decision is accepted only because it concerns the last 6 months of the current MFF (2007-2013); points out that this should not constitute a precedent for future enlargements that might occur under the next MFF (2014-2020);

8.  Regrets that heading 5 has been identified as the main source for the offsetting in commitments, since this could lead to the lack of the necessary resources to cover the challenged salary adjustments in the event that the ruling of the Court of Justice is still delivered in 2013;

9.  Nevertheless, considering the political importance and the legal urgency of ensuring the necessary funding to Croatia, decides to approve the decision annexed to this resolution, as amended by the Council;

10.  Instructs its President to sign the decision with the President of the Council and to arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

11.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution, including its annexes, to the Council and the Commission.

(1) OJ C 139, 14.6.2006, p. 1. (2) OJ L 66, 8.3.2013.

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

amending the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 on budgetary discipline and sound financial management as regards the multiannual financial framework, to take account of the expenditure requirements resulting from the accession of Croatia to the European Union

(The text of this annex is not reproduced here since it corresponds to the final act, Decision 2013/419/EU.)