Amending budget 1/2009: mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund for Romania, financing

On 26 January 2009, the Commission forwarded to the Council preliminary draft amending budget (PDAB) No 1 to the general budget for 2009, relating to the mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund for an amount of EUR 11 785 377 in commitment and payment appropriations for Romania, following the severe floods and landslides which affected a part of the country in July 2008.

This mobilisation is neutral in budgetary terms as the required payment appropriations are being redeployed by a transfer from Article 13 03 16 (European Regional Development Fund - Convergence) to Article 13 06 01 (EU Solidarity Fund - Member States).

At the simplified trilogue, an agreement was reached on the mobilisation of the Fund and on the amount proposed by the Commission. Therefore, on 26 February 2009, the Council established draft amending budget No 1 for the financial year 2009, as submitted by the Commission in its Preliminary Draft Amending Budget No 1 and as set out in the technical annex to the explanatory memorandum of the Council draft amending budget (see Council doc. 6952/09 ADD 1).