Translation of "Suivi des dépenses des organisations et des étudiants " (French → English) :

14. Stresses that delays in the approval of management and control systems for the 2007-2013 programmes may have made it more difficult to detect errors and possible fraud in expenditure on advances; considers furthermore that the resulting delays in spending on interim payments could give rise to a rush to spend just before the decommitment deadline is reached; urges the Commission to consider revising the decommitment rules with a view to improving the quality of spending and ensuring that quantitative targets are met;

1. Without prejudice to Articles 27 and 28, expenditure incurred in the organisation of the mandatory meetings of the Monitoring Committee provided for in Article F of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1164/94 shall be eligible on presentation of supporting documents.

Consequently, the Commission concluded Financing Memoranda with the national authorities in ISPA Beneficiary countries to provide financial assistance for certain organisational expenditures of Monitoring Committees.

Consequently, the Commission concluded Financing Memoranda with the national authorities in Candidate Countries to provide financial assistance for certain organisational expenditures of Monitoring Committees.

Supports every measure aimed at reorganising the services of the institution on a rational basis (such as, for example, the agreement concluded recently between the Luxembourg Government and Parliament on the transfer of 99 posts from Luxembourg to Brussels) which contributes to a reduction in the number of missions; stresses, in this connection, that all the services directly related to Members" activities (DG II, DG III, interpreters, the necessary number of parliamentary ushers, drivers etc.) must be based in the working place where these activities take place; welcomes the attempt to reduce Parliament's operating expenditure, inclu ...[+++]ding spending on missions, but considers that the quality of Parliament's work must not thereby be jeopardised; calls for consideration to be given to the widespread use of teleconferencing for cooperation between staff in Luxembourg and Brussels with a view to reducing movements of staff and the corresponding costs as far as possible;

4. The Commission should plan the implementation of specific RD programmes in such a way that the cost to SMEs (including the cost in terms of time) of applying for grants does not under any circumstances exceed 10% of the grant; the Commission should ensure that decisions to award grants are taken more quickly than is presently the case; the Commission should study the possibilities and consequences of increasing the percentage which may be contributed to research projects above 50%, while maintaining cost neutrality for the research budget.