Overview of the general budget of the European Communities for 1994
The preliminary draft of the general budget of the European Communities for the financial year of 1994 has recently been published. The Commission adopted its proposal for the new framework budget early in 1992 (COM(92) 2000 and COM(92) 2001) and the subsequent negotiations culminated in the Edinburgh European Council conclusions of December 1992. The draft budget is now the subject of negotiations towards an interinstitutional agreement. In the "Overview to the draft general budget" (SEC(93) 800) the Commission notes that it is in the interests of the Community and all the institutions involved to agree on a binding medium-term financial framework and on an efficient code of discipline as soon as possible. In general, after an unusually large increase in 1993, the appropriations for the Structural Funds are the same in real terms, while the allocation for the Cohesion Fund has risen substantially. Expenditure for external action and research has tended to level off. There is little overall increase for the other internal policies, but the Commission has set a number of clear priorities in the preliminary draft budget: development of the trans-European networks, implementation of the internal market programme and environmental protection. The expenditure proposals in the preliminary draft budget total ECU 73,167 million in commitment appropriations and ECU 70,099 million in payment appropriations. These figures are up by 5.9% and 7.0% respectively from 1993. Commitments for research and technological development amount to ECU 2,552 million and payments to 2,401 million. For training, youth, audiovisual, culture, information and other social operations, commitments total ECU 529.3 million and payments, ECU 514.94 million. Energy, Euratom nuclear safeguards and environment commitments are ECU 333.18 million and the corresponding payments, ECU 303.94 million.