Key Benefits:
DECISION
On the Report on Implementation of the Budget
of the Baltic Assembly for 2015
The Baltic Assembly approves the Report on Implementation of the Budget of the Baltic Assembly for 2015.
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President of the Baltic Assembly
Jānis Vucāns Republic of Latvia |
Vice President of the Baltic Assembly
Helir-Valdor Seeder Republic of Estonia
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Vice President of the Baltic Assembly
Giedrė Purvaneckienė Republic of Lithuania
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Report on Implementation of the Budget of the Baltic Assembly for 2015
1. General information
The budget expenditures of the Baltic Assembly in 2015 consisted of the following categories:
- Session of the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council;
- meetings of the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly;
- meetings of the committees of the Baltic Assembly;
- international cooperation;
- informative activities and other events;
- Baltic Assembly prizes for literature, the arts and science, as well as the Baltic Innovation Prize;
- Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly;
- unplanned expenses.
The budget for 2015 consisted of membership fees from the national parliaments of the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Latvia and the Republic of Lithuania in the amount of EUR 91,380. The total budget of the Baltic Assembly for 2015 was EUR 274,140.
2. Overview of the budget expenditures by category
2.1. Session of the Baltic Assembly and Baltic Council
The 34th Session of the Baltic Assembly and the 21st Baltic Council was held on 19–20 November in Vilnius (Lithuania).
During the Session, meetings of the Presidium and committees of the Baltic Assembly, as well as joint committee meetings were held. Meetings with international organisations also took place. From the total amount of funds allocated for the Session and the Baltic Council, EUR 27,352 were spent.
2.2. Meetings of the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly
The following meetings of the Presidium took place:
- meeting of the Presidium on the margins of the meeting of the BSPC Standing Committee: 22–23 January, Brussels (Belgium);
- joint meeting with the Board of the Benelux Parliament and participation in the conference of the Benelux Parliament: 26–28 March, Brussels (Belgium);
- participation in the Session of the SEECP PA: 22–23 May, Tirana (Albania);
- meeting of the Presidium: 7–8 June, Riga (Latvia);
- meeting of the Presidium on the margins of the Session of the Benelux Parliament: 11–13 June, Brussels (Belgium);
- meeting of the Presidium on the margins of the 24th BSPC: 29 August – 1 September, Warnemunde (Germany);
- meeting of the Presidium: 24–25 September, Palanga (Lithuania);
- meeting of the Presidium on the margins of the Session of the Nordic Council: 26–29 October, Reykjavik (Iceland).
From the total amount of funds allocated for the meetings of the Presidium, EUR 10,990 were spent.
2.3. Meetings of the committees of the Baltic Assembly
On 24–25 September in Palanga (Lithuania), meeting of the BA Budget and Audit Committee took place.
From the total amount of funds allocated for committee meetings, EUR 250 were spent.
2.4. International cooperation
From the total amount of funds allocated for international cooperation, EUR 74,157 were spent.
2.4.1. International parliamentary seminars
The following international parliamentary seminars with participation of the relevant standing committees of the national parliaments of the Baltic, Nordic and Benelux countries, committees of the Nordic Council, the Benelux Parliament and the GUAM PA, as well as representatives of the Baltic Council of Ministers, took place:
- parliamentary seminar organised by the Economics, Energy and Innovation Committee, 29–30 January, Vilnius (Lithuania);
- parliamentary seminar organised by the Legal Affairs and Security Committee, 5–6 February, Vilnius (Lithuania);
- parliamentary seminar organised by the Education, Science and Culture Committee, 12–13 February, Šiauliai (Lithuania);
- parliamentary seminar organised by the Education, Science and Culture Committee; the Economics, Energy and Innovation Committee; and the Welfare Committee, 21–22 May, Jurbarkas (Lithuania);
- parliamentary seminar organised by the Education, Science and Culture Committee and the Welfare Committee, 4–5 June, Klaipėda (Lithuania);
- parliamentary seminar organised by the Legal Affairs and Security Committee, 17–18 September, Tallinn (Estonia);
- parliamentary seminar organised by the Economics, Energy and Innovation Committee and the Natural Resources and Environment Committee, 1–2 October, Kaunas (Lithuania);
- parliamentary seminar organised by the Natural Resources and Environment Committee, 22–23 October, Riga (Latvia).
From the total amount of funds allocated for the international parliamentary seminars,
EUR 42,205 were spent.
2.4.2. Thematic Conference of the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers
The thematic conference was held on 19–20 March in Vilnius (Lithuania). From the total amount of funds allocated for the conference, EUR 8,741 were spent.
2.4.3. Annual summit of the Baltic Assembly and the Nordic Council 2015
The annual summit of the Baltic Assembly and the Nordic Council took place on 7–8 December 2015 in Vilnius (Lithuania). Within the framework of the annual summit, a Nordic–Baltic seminar about the situation in Belarus after the presidential elections was organised. From the total amount of funds allocated for the summit, EUR 3,866 were spent.
2.4.4. Participation in the activities of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) and cooperation with the Baltic Sea organisations
The following meetings of the BSPC Standing Committee, the BSPC working groups, the BSPC Secretariat and other activities took place:
- meeting of the BSPC Working Group on Innovation: 5–6 March, Levanger (Norway);
- meeting of the BSPC Working Group on Innovation: 16–17 March, Tampere (Finland);
- meeting of the BSPC Secretariat: 29–30 April, Oslo (Norway);
- participation in the 4th Northern Dimension Parliamentary Forum: 9–12 May, Reykjavik (Iceland);
- participation in the European Maritime Days: 27–30 May, Athens (Greece);
- meeting of the BSPC Standing Committee: 28–29 May, Stralsund (Germany);
- meeting of the BSPC Working Group on Innovation: 10–12 June, Marienhamn (Aland Islands);
- meeting of the BSPC Secretariat: 15–16 October, Tallinn (Estonia);
- meeting of the BSPC Working Group on Sustainable Tourism, 12–13 November, Rostock (Germany);
- pre-payment for the BSPC Secretariat meeting: 7–8 January 2016, Berlin (Germany).
From the total amount of funds allocated for participation in the activities of the BSPC and cooperation with the Baltic Sea organisations, EUR 6,984 were spent.
2.4.5. Cooperation with the Nordic Council
The following joint events took place:
- participation in the Nordic Council meeting: 26–27 August, Stockholm (Sweden);
- participation in the 7th Barents Parliamentary Conference: 28–30 September, Helsinki (Finland);
- participation in the NorDan Conference: 23–24 October, Helsinki (Finland).
From the total amount of funds allocated for cooperation with the Nordic Council, EUR 1,864 were spent.
2.4.6. Cooperation with the Benelux Parliament
The following joint event took place:
- participation in the conference of the Benelux Parliament: 8–10 October, Brussels (Belgium) and Deventer (the Netherlands).
From the total amount of funds allocated for cooperation with the Benelux Parliament,
EUR 2,071 were spent.
2.4.7. Cooperation with the GUAM PA and other partners within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy
The following joint events took place:
- parliamentary seminar of the Baltic Assembly, the Nordic Council, the Benelux Parliament, the Visegrad group and the GUAM PA: 25–26 June in Kiev (Ukraine);
- meeting with the Board of the Euronest PA: 7–8 October in Strasbourg (France);
- participation in the annual session of the GUAM PA: 10–12 December in Kiev (Ukraine).
From the total amount of funds allocated for cooperation with the GUAM PA and other partners within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy, EUR 2,795 were spent.
2.4.8. Traineeship programme for the GUAM Parliamentary Assembly
The following activities took place:
- traineeship programme for the Secretariat of the GUAM PA: 10–16 May in Vilnius (Lithuania);
- traineeship programme for employees of the Georgian parliament: 26 November in Vilnius (Lithuania).
From the total amount of funds allocated for traineeship programme, EUR 5,631 spent.
2.5. Informative activities and other events
From the total amount of funds allocated for informative activities and other events,
EUR 11,102 were spent.
2.5.1. Baltic Assembly medals
A total of nine medals were produced. From the total amount of funds allocated for production of the medals, their folders and certificates, as well as travel and hotel expenses for receivers of the BA medals, EUR 2,838 were spent.
2.5.2. Baltic Assembly website
From the total amount of funds allocated for the maintenance and update of the website www.baltasam.org, EUR 823 were spent.
2.6. Baltic Assembly prizes for literature, the arts and science, and the Baltic Innovation Prize
The Baltic Assembly awards its prizes annually (monetary prize, certificate and statuette). Meetings of the national juries were held in Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia) and Vilnius (Lithuania), and a meeting of the Joint Jury was held on 5–6 October in Riga (Latvia). The award ceremony took place on 19 November 2015 in Vilnius (Lithuania). From the total amount of funds allocated for the Baltic Assembly prizes and the Baltic Innovation Prize, EUR 46,308 were spent.
2.7. Secretariat of the Baltic Assembly
From the total amount of funds allocated for the Secretariat, EUR 72,969 were spent. These expenditures include salaries for the staff members of the Secretariat, rent of the premises, office equipment, public utilities, communications, stationery, software, annual office insurance, repairs, postal services and other services, as well as unplanned expenses.
2.8. Unplanned expenses
From the total amount of funds allocated for unplanned expenses, EUR 635 were spent on changes in currency exchange rates and commission fees for money transfers.
