The European Parliament,

–  having regard to Article 314 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

–  having regard to Article 106a of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community,

–  having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002(1), and in particular Article 41 thereof,

–  having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, amending Regulations (EU) No 1296/2013, (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 1304/2013, (EU) No 1309/2013, (EU) No 1316/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) No 283/2014, and Decision No 541/2014/EU and repealing Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012(2), and in particular Article 44 thereof,

–  having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2018, as definitively adopted on 30 November 2017(3),

–  having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 of 2 December 2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020(4),

–  having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management(5),

–  having regard to Council Decision 2014/335/EU, Euratom of 26 May 2014 on the system of own resources of the European Union(6),

–  having regard to Draft amending budget No 6/2018, which the Commission adopted on 12 October 2018 (COM(2018)0704),

–  having regard to the position on Draft amending budget No 6/2018, which the Council adopted on 26 November 2018 and forwarded to Parliament on the same day (13961/2018 – C8-0488/2018),

–  having regard to Rules 88 and 91 of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A8-0399/2018),

A.  whereas Draft amending budget No 6/2018 aims to update both the expenditure and the revenue sides of the budget to take account of the latest developments;

B.  whereas, on the expenditure side, Draft amending budget No 6/2018 decreases the commitment and payment appropriations of budget lines by EUR 48,7 million and EUR 44,7 million respectively, in heading 1a "Competitiveness for growth and jobs" and heading 2 "Sustainable growth – natural resources";

C.  whereas, on the revenue side, Draft amending budget No 6/2018 concerns a revision of the forecast of traditional own resources (i.e. customs duties and sugar sector levies), value-added tax (VAT) and gross national income (GNI) bases, and of the budgeting of the relevant UK corrections and their financing, which all affect the distribution of own resources contributions from Member States to the Union budget;

1.  Welcomes the fact that implementation of 2014-2020 programmes is finally reaching cruising speed and results in only a minor adjustment to the expenditure side compared to the very significant amending budgets adopted in 2016 and 2017; encourages the Commission and the Member States to make up for the major delays accumulated in the last three years;

2.  Takes note of the technical process of rebalancing of own resources made necessary by the revision of the forecast of Traditional Own Resources and VAT and by updates to the UK correction;

3.  Approves the Council position on Draft amending budget No 6/2018;

4.  Instructs its President to declare that Amending budget No 6/2018 has been definitively adopted and arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

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

(1) OJ L 298, 26.10.2012, p. 1. (2) OJ L 193, 30.7.2018, p. 1. (3) OJ L 57, 28.2.2018, p. 1. (4) OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 884. (5) OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1. (6) OJ L 168, 7.6.2014, p. 105.