22. Expresses its concern about the proposed back-loading of certain programmes in the 2008 APS and the problems that this may be storing up for future years of the MFF taking into account the problem of increasing RALs; further notes that in the 2007 budget, for its own priority areas, Parliament adopted commitment levels above the average level of commitments foreseen in the multi-annual programme envelopes for a number of programmes; observes that some degree of interinstitutional cooperation regarding front- and back-loading of commitments across the budget may be necessary to ensure a coherent programming of commitments over the d ...[+++]uration of the MFF respecting the priorities of the Parliament as expressed in the IIA of 17 May 2006;

22. Expresses its concern about the proposed back-loading of certain programmes in the 2008 APS and the problems that this may be storing up for future years of the MFF taking into account the problem of increasing RALs; further notes that in the 2007 budget, for its own priority areas, Parliament adopted commitment levels above the average level of commitments foreseen in the multi-annual programme envelopes for a number of programmes; observes that some degree of interinstitutional cooperation regarding front- and back-loading of commitments across the budget may be necessary to ensure a coherent programming of commitments over the d ...[+++]uration of the MFF respecting the priorities of the Parliament as expressed in the IIA;

22. Expresses its concern about the proposed back-loading of certain programmes in the 2008 APS and the problems that this may be storing up for future years of the MFF taking into account the problem of increasing RALs; further notes that in the 2007 budget, for its own priority areas, Parliament adopted commitment levels above the average level of commitments foreseen in the multi-annual programme envelopes for a number of programmes; observes that some degree of interinstitutional cooperation regarding front- and back-loading of commitments across the budget may be necessary to ensure a coherent programming of commitments over the d ...[+++]uration of the MFF respecting the priorities of the Parliament as expressed in the IIA of 17 May 2006;

The French budgetary strategy is based on predetermined multi-annual spending norms, in real terms; the Council commends such a strategy, considering that a clear binding norm for expenditure secures a transparent budgetary adjustment.

It should be borne in mind that, whereas the Council has the last word on "compulsory expenditure" (especially EAGGF expenditure), it is Parliament which, within the limits set by the financial perspective, decides the amount for non-compulsory expenditure budget.

This current initiative that Canadian Friends of Burma is embarking on, what we've been discussing for a while now, is to open up an envelope within CIDA for multi-year funding, which would allow for a series of sustainable projects on all of Burma's borders. That would involve health, education, communications, human rights, gender, and environment projects.