Amending budget 9/2009: mobilisation of the EU Solidary Fund for Italy

On 31 August 2009, the Commission forwarded to the Council preliminary draft amending budget (PDAB) No. 9 to the general budget for 2009, relating to the mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund for an amount of EUR 493 771 159 in commitment and payment appropriations for Italy, following the earthquake which affected the Abruzzo region in April 2009.

This mobilisation is neutral in budgetary terms as the required payment appropriations are being redeployed by a transfer to Article 13 06 01 (EU Solidarity Fund – Member States) from various budget lines in the policy areas 05 (Agricultural and Rural Development), 07 (Environment), 08 (Research) and 11 (Maritime Affairs and Fisheries).

At the simplified trilogue provided for in Point 26 of the Interinstitutional Agreement, an agreement was reached on the mobilisation of the Fund and on the amount proposed by the Commission.

On 9 October 2009, the Council established draft amending budget No. 9 for the financial year 2009, as submitted by the Commission in its preliminary draft amending budget No. 9 and as set out in the explanatory memorandum of this Council draft budget (see Council doc. 14265/09 ADD 1).