Mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument: additional allocation from the Structural Funds to Cyprus

The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by Jean-Luc DEHAENE (EPP, BE) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument.

The report stated that after having examined all possibilities for re-allocating appropriations under heading 1b, it appears necessary to mobilise the flexibility instrument to complement the financing in the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2014 to finance the Cypriot Structural Funds programmes.

Members noted that, despite contained reinforcements in commitments on a limited number of budget items and several decreases on other budget items, the 2014 ceilings of subheading 1b in commitments do not allow for the adequate financing of important and urgent political priorities of the Union carried by the Parliament and the Council.

Therefore, Members agreed with the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument in commitments for the financing - under subheading 1b - of the Cypriot Structural Funds programmes for a total amount of EUR 89.33 million (as opposed to EUR 78 million proposed by the Commission).

The mobilisation of this instrument highlights, once again, the crucial need for the Union budget to be increasingly flexible.

Members called on the European Parliament to approve the proposed decision annexed to this resolution.