29. Points out that the EU budget commits expenditure amounting to approximately EUR 5.25 billion in the years 2007-2013 on common European space activities, resulting in an average expenditure of EUR 750 million per year over that period;

(a) in paragraph 1, the first sentence is replaced by the following: "The authorising officer shall be liable for payment of compensation as laid down in the Staff Regulations, which specify that a member of staff covered by the relevant provisions may be required to make good, in whole or in part, any damage suffered by the Communities as a result of serious misconduct on his/her part in the course of or in connection with the performance of his/her duties, in particular if he/she determines entitlements to be recovered or issues recovery orders, commits expenditure or signs a payment order without complying with this Regulation and the ...[+++] implementing rules".

(b) "Community programme" means any activity, set of activities or other initiative which the relevant basic instrument or budgetary authorisation requires the Commission to implement for the benefit of one or more categories of specific beneficiaries, by committing expenditure.

The Sapard agency's accounting procedure shall ensure that the accounting system can produce, in euro and national currency, for each regional office, per project, contract or measure/sub-measure, the total cost, the committed expenditure, part payments and balance payments.

It does not, however, confer any powers on any institution to commit expenditure to support European political parties nor does it set out a procedure for the adoption of a measure which would provide for such expenditure to be made.

The authorising officer administers the appropriations. He alone has the power to "commit" expenditure, i.e. to give the initial authorisation for expenditure.