Parliament demands right to codecision on coal and steel research fund
MEPs are demanding the right to adopt the codecision procedure for decisions on coal and steel research fund guidelines. When the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) Treaty expires in July 2002, the European Parliament, as part of the budgetary authority, will already be required to give its opinion on additional expenditure and grant the fund its budgetary discharge. In a draft report by Italian MEP Francesco Turchi, the Parliament's Budgets committee argues that the Parliament should therefore be involved via the codecision procedure in adopting the legislation defining the fund's multiannual financial and technical guidelines. The committee is also calling for the fund's annual interest to be fully integrated into the EU budget as preallocated revenue, including the administrative costs of coal and steel research. The report emphasises that the importance of the EU's coal and steel industries will rise as a result of enlargement, and stresses the need for all aspects of the industries, including social, economic and environmental issues, to be taken into account in the general budget. The report also proposes the inclusion of an enlargement clause, which would allow a review of the ratio of future funds for coal and steel research. It also suggests that new Member States contribute to the assets of the research fund as they will be the main beneficiaries of post-ECSC activities, such as modernisation and restructuring funds financed by the Community. The European Parliament will debate the report on 1 October.