A few days ago the European Commission forwarded amendments to the 2012 draft budget which was made public this spring and should be adopted in November.
The EU budget is within the jurisdiction of the European Parliament and the Council which make decisions on it following proposals from the Commission.
The Commission has now submitted an amendment to the draft budget as the date of Croatia's admission to the EU was not known during the elaboration of the 2012 draft budget. In June, the European Council designated 1 July 2013 as the day when Croatia should join the European bloc.
Of the 13.1 million euros, 7.8 million is intended for the European Parliament and the rest will be allocated to the Council, the Commission, the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Ombudsman.
Croatia will have 12 deputies in the European Parliament after the ratification of its accession treaty. From the signing of the treaty until its ratification, those 12 deputies will have the status of observers who can participate in the Parliament's work but cannot take part in the voting.
The accession treaty will be signed in December, and Croatian deputies-observers will arrive in the European Parliament in January.
A total of EUR 1.2 million will be secured for travel and daily expenses of Croatian parliamentary deputies. An additional 2.5 million is intended for costs of translation and assistance. As many as 62 people have been employed for that purpose and they are receiving their salaries from this year's budget. Another 62 people will be employed in 2012.
The European Council and the Council of the European Union will need EUR 1.375 million for their adjustment to the changes following Croatia's admission to the EU.
The Commission's costs to be caused by the addition of Croatia as a new member are estimated at EUR 3.2 million, including the temporary employment of 46 workers.
The Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Ombudsman will be given EUR 0.7 million in aggregate.