EU-instellingen streven naar kostenbeheersing, ondanks 10 nieuwe lidstaten (en)
Enlargement obviously implies new tasks and challenges for the EU institutions, who have been preparing actively for this event. Significant efforts have been undertaken to ensure that the administrative costs remain compatible with the necessary budgetary rigour.
Pre-enlargement situation
The total EU budget for 2003 was €99.7 billion, plus about €3 billion for the European Development Fund. The administrative expenses (except pensions) of all the EU Institutions came to a little less than €4.6 billion, i.e. 4.5% of EU expenditure.
Of this expenditure about €600 million has gone on the language arrangements (translators, interpreters, freelances, support staff, infrastructure and other operating costs), i.e. 13% of administrative expenditure and 0.6% of the total EU budget.
At the end of 2003 the European Institutions had some 34800 posts (agencies included) in the budget. Of this total about 4000 officials were working in the language service departments, i.e. about 11.5%.
Impact of enlargement
Enlargement of the Union will of course entail an increase in the Institutions' tasks and responsibilities. They are planning on an increase of some 6300 budget posts (about 2070 of which are linguist posts)(1) between now and 2006 (for the Commission 2008), i.e. an increase of less than 20%, plus 1000 contract staff. When it is remembered that the number of countries is increasing by 66%, the number of official languages by 82% and the number of EU citizens by 20%, the increase in European personnel is entirely reasonable.
In terms of actual cost to the budget the Institutions' additional administrative expenditure in connection with enlargement should be just as moderate. In 2006 the increase will be less than €800 million(2), i.e. up just over 17% up on the € 4.6 billion of 2003. Of this increase some €280 million will be for additional expenditure on the language arrangements.
That these increases are so limited is largely a matter of two factors: the rigorous approach taken by the Institutions in determining their needs and the savings arising from reform of the Staff Regulations for officials and other employees, which between 2004 and 2006 will amount to more than €136 million.
(1) European Commission 3400 posts, European Parliament 1094, Council of Ministers 558, Court of Justice 672, Court of Auditors 205, Committee of the Regions 206, Economic and Social Committee 1117, European Ombudsman 12. Lingist officials account for 810 (Commission); 495 (Parliament); 263 (Council); 274 (Court of Justice); 59 (Court of Auditors); 109 (Committee of the Regions) and 61 posts (Economic and Social Committee) respectively.
(2)2 European Commission €318.3 million, European Parliament €177.3 million, Council of Ministers €131.7 million, Court of Justice €79.1 million, Court of Auditors €37.2 million, Committee of the Regions €26.1 million, Economic and Social Committee €25.2 million, European Ombudsman €1.1.