budgetary implementation

ANNEX 4: HISTORICAL TREND IN COMMITMENTS AND PAYMENTS
Charts 1 and 2 illustrate the evolution of the budget and its execution from 1994 to 2012. As
mentioned above, the EAGGF-G and the FIFG are included in the data, while from 2007
onwards their successors, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the
European Fisheries Fund, are not. On the other hand, the data now include the Cohesion Fund
programmes of the 2007-2013 period, as its regulatory framework and financial management
have become the same as for the Structural Funds. As before, the pre-2007 projects funded by
the Cohesion Fund are excluded. Comparisons between pre-2007 years and the years from
2007 onwards should therefore be treated with caution.
Since the accession of ten new Member States (EU-10) in 2004, followed by Bulgaria and
Romania in 2007 (EU-2), the commitments budget for the Structural Funds has increased
considerably. Although the medium-term trend for payments also points upwards, the short
term evolution is more irregular due to variations in payment execution especially during the
start-up phase of new programmes (see also Chart 2 years 2000 until 2003).
Chart 1: Commitment and payment appropriations entered in the budget from 1994 to 2012 (EUR
million, including all transfers during the year but excluding amounts carried over.)
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