EUROPEAN COMMISSION: NEW TEAM FACES INTENSE WORK PROGRAMME UP TO JANUARY 2000.

A policy debate on administrative reform should be held on October 13 and pursued in November. However, no concrete developments are expected on this question before next month, apart from a Communication on the redeployment of human resources due out by the end of October and a progress report on SEM 2000 due to be published in November. By contrast, Communications eagerly awaited by the Council and Parliament on changes to the Regulation on the remuneration of officials and pension schemes (see European Report No 2431 for further details), on the administrative Code of Conduct for civil servants (see European Report No 2436), and on the internal disciplinary regime are mentioned without a precise date being given for their adoption.Questions connected to financial control and the fight against fraud carry considerable weight in the work programme, with a Communication on the Court of Auditors' report for 1998 and on the protection of the Union's financial interests due at the end of October or the beginning of November. The overhaul of the Financial Regulation will also lie at the heart of policy debates on administrative reform, following the strong criticism in this regard contained in the second report from the Committee of Independent Experts (see European Report No 2433 for further details). In this same sphere, the Commission also proposes to bring forward a Communication on October 13 on simplification of the management of external markets and a Communication on improving cooperation with NGOs in December. Regarding purely budgetary matters, in addition to a weighty package on October 20, including a 5th Supplementary and Amending Budget for 1999, a letter of amendment for the 2000 Budget, and perhaps a proposal for a revision of the financial perspective for 2000 (see European Report No 2439 for further details), the programme will be notable for two innovations: a Communication on the system of budgeting by activity for the 2001 Budget in November and a budgetary policy debate for 2001 in January.Regarding the...