Dzintars Kudums Translation

Dzintars Kudums Translation REGULATIONS On the Use of the Baltic Assembly Funds

1. The purpose of the Regulations On the Use of the Baltic Assembly Funds is to regulate the procedure for using financial resources in order to ensure their rational and effective spending.
2. Within the limits of their competence, a decision about the use of the Baltic Assembly funds shall be made by the session, the Presidium, the Budget and Audit Committee or the Secretary of the Baltic Assembly.
3. Funds of the Baltic Assembly shall be used in accordance with the Baltic Assembly Statute, the approved budget of the Baltic Assembly, and these Regulations.
4. The funds of the Baltic Assembly shall consist of the membership fees of the Baltic Assembly Member States, as well as of donations, earnings from economic activity permitted in accordance with the Statute of the Baltic Assembly and from other income included in the budget of the Baltic Assembly by the decision of its Presidium.
5. The budget resources of the Baltic Assembly shall be used for ensuring the work of the Baltic Assembly and its bodies (the Baltic Assembly sessions, meetings of its Presidium, Committees, the Secretariat, etc.) and any events organised by the Baltic Assembly (Baltic Assembly prizes, seminars, etc.) Expending funds for purposes unrelated to the work of the Baltic Assembly shall not be allowed. Drafting and Approval of the Budget
6. The budget draft shall be planned so as to ensure the work of the Baltic Assembly bodies and the holding of the planned Baltic Assembly events. The budget draft should be itemized and should give a clear and full picture of the intended use of the budget resources.
7. The budget shall be drafted in conformity with the plan of activities of the Baltic Assembly. In developing activity programmes, Baltic Assembly delegations shall submit the estimates of the financial resources required for their implementation.
8. By April of each year, the Baltic Assembly Secretary shall prepare and submit to the parliaments of the Baltic Assembly Member States targeted budget figures for the coming year.
9. The Baltic Assembly budget shall be drafted jointly by the Presidium and the Secretary of the Baltic Assembly. The first draft of the budget should be ready by 20 September and should be submitted to the Budget and Audit Committee. The Budget and Audit Committee, jointly with representatives of the Committees, shall review the submitted draft budget and shall make amendments to it. By 1 November the draft budget shall be submitted to the Presidium, which shall later present it at the autumn session of the Baltic Assembly, to be approved in accordance with the procedure set by the Baltic Assembly Statute.
10. The autumn session of the Baltic Assembly shall review the presented draft budget and approve it. Amendments to the Budget
11. If required, amendments may be made to the allocations of the Baltic Assembly budget. The Baltic Assembly Secretariat shall prepare a decision on the amendments and shall submit it to the Presidium. After coordination with the Budget and Audit Committee, the Presidium shall present the draft resolution to the Baltic Assembly session for approval.
12. In cases of unplanned income, a draft resolution of the Presidium shall be prepared concerning the inclusion of such resources in the Baltic Assembly budget. The draft resolution shall contain the estimates of such income and the justification for its use. The relevant estimates shall be forwarded to the Budget and Audit Committee for coordination. After that it shall be approved, and the received income shall be included in the Baltic Assembly budget. Spending of the Budget Resources
13. The Baltic Assembly Member States shall pay their membership fees to the Baltic Assembly budget by 1 March of the current year.
14. The Secretary of the Baltic Assembly shall manage the Baltic Assembly funds. The financial resources shall be used only in conformity with the approved Baltic Assembly budget. The Secretary of the Baltic Assembly shall manage the budget resources so that the work of the Baltic Assembly bodies is ensured.
15. The Secretary of the Baltic Assembly shall approve and sign all financial documents and keep accounting records in compliance with the legislative acts of the Republic of Latvia.
16. The funds of the Baltic Assembly shall be kept in a bank account. The decision concerning the choice of the bank servicing the Baltic Assembly shall be made by the Budget and Audit Committee as proposed by the Secretary of the Baltic Assembly. Control over the Use of the Budget Resources
17. Control over the use of the budget resources shall be exercised by the Baltic Assembly Presidium, the Budget and Audit Committee, and the Baltic Assembly session.
18. The Budget and Audit Committee shall have the right to examine and check the financial documents of the Baltic Assembly at any time.
19. Before an event is organized, the Secretary of the Baltic Assembly shall submit to the Presidium an estimate of costs required for this event. The Presidium shall examine the cost estimate and make adjustments in it, if required.
20. Every quarter of the year, the Secretary of the Baltic Assembly shall prepare and submit to the Presidium and the Budget and Audit Committee a report about the budget resources spent during the previous quarter. Every year in January, the Secretary of the Baltic Assembly shall prepare a report about the budget resources spent during the previous year and shall submit this report to the Presidium and to the Budget and Audit Committee. The Budget and Audit Committee shall check and examine the report and make adjustments in it, if required. After the approval of the report the Committee shall issue an opinion on the justification of the budget expenses of the Baltic Assembly. At the Baltic Assembly spring session, the Budget and Audit Committee shall present a report on the annual budget expenditure and the opinion on its justification.
21. At the Baltic Assembly regular session, the Budget and Audit Committee shall present a report on use of the funds received from donations and other unplanned income during the time between Baltic Assembly sessions.
22. These Regulations shall be an appendix to the Baltic Assembly Statute. Riga, 4 December 1999