11 ALINORM 97/5 and ALINORM 97/5 Corrigendum.
16. The Commission noted the budget and expenditure for the last and present biennium as well as the estimated magnitude of the host government support for individual Codex Committees. As regards the proposed budget for the next biennium 1998/1999, the Commission noted with satisfaction that US$ 400 000 had been restored mainly to strengthen the documentation service and provide additional expert support to the Commission, subsequent to the strong support in favour of the Codex programme by Member Countries at the 112th Session of the FAO Council which had met early in June 1997.
17. The Commission however felt that the implications of the proposed reduction in the overall Codex budget should be carefully evaluated and it was stressed that the budgetary reduction as currently proposed should not lead to inefficiency in Codex document distribution nor in its other important activity areas. Delegations expressed concern that the level of the budget, being the minimum necessary to provide adequate support to the Commission should not be further reduced in the final review of the budget-setting process. Several delegations stated that the budgetary implications of the on-going exercise of the review of Codex subsidiary bodies initiated by FAO12 should be closely examined.
12 See Agenda Item 14.
18. The Commission also raised concern that reducing the duration of Codex sessions would not allow sufficient time for the consideration of the matters in question and limiting the length of Codex meeting reports would make them less useful for understanding how positions were reached (especially for those of the commodity committees). This might result in false economy and could eventually decrease the transparency and efficiency of the work of Codex.
