Council of Europe general accounts and budgets for the years 1982, 1984 and 1985

Opinion 119 (1984)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

See Doc. 5236, report of the Committee on the Budget and the Intergovernmental Work Programme. Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly, on 28 June 1984.

Thesaurus

The Assembly,

1. Having noted the report giving an opinion on the Council of Europe general accounts and budgets for the years 1982, 1984 and 1985, presented by its Committee on the Budget and the Intergovernmental Work Programme (Doc. 5236);

2. Having regard to the texts relating to the competence of the Assembly in budgetary matters [(1) See Rules of Procedure of the Assembly (1984), p. 82-85 and the Texts on budgetary and financial matters (1980), pp. 115-151.] ;

3. Having examined the Council of Europe general accounts for 1982, the last financial year for which accounts were drawn up and discharge given ;

4. Having regard to the Council of Europe budget for 1984 as adopted by the Committee of Ministers ;

5. Believing that greater publicity might be given within the Council of Europe to the provisions of Article 8 of the Pension Scheme Rules, governing the early payment of pensions to staff from the age of 50,

6. Adopts the following opinion : The Assembly,

a Welcomes the Board of Auditors' statement that the financial management of the organisation was conducted with a commendable sense of economy ;

b Notes that the ordinary budget for 1984 shows a net increase of 0.57% and regrets that the Intergovernmental Work Programme was reduced by 0.35% in real terms in comparison with 1983, with a considerable variation between the various fields in the programme ;

c Invites the Committee of Ministers to restore the Assembly's appropriations in 1985, following the cuts it sustained in the 1984 financial year, bearing in mind its statutory and political role within the organisation ;

d Also invites the Committee of Ministers :

6.4.1 to grant the necessary appropriations for the organisation by the Council of Europe of a European Youth Week in 1985 ;

6.4.2 to take steps to finance the Council of Europe's contribution to European Music Year 1985, a non-renewable item of exceptional expenditure which must not be allowed to place a burden on the regular activities of the Council of Europe ;

6.4.3 to grant the necessary means for the effective implementation of the Intergovernmental Activities Programme of the Council of Europe in accordance with the priorities laid down by the Secretary General ;

6.4.4 to develop the resources for providing information about the Council of Europe and its activities, particularly by increasing the appropriations for the visitors service ;

6.4.5 to envisage the application- on the lines of the decisions occasionally taken by the Council of the European Communities- of additional financial measures to encourage the early retirement of staff in particular situations.