Amending budget 6/2014: mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund for Serbia, Croatia and Bulgaria

On 17 October 2014, the Commission submitted to the Council draft amending budget (DAB) No 7/2014 regarding the mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund, for a total amount of EUR 79 726 440 in commitment and payment appropriations.

The objective of this proposal is to provide financial assistance to Serbia, Croatia and Bulgaria in response to natural disasters that occurred in the summer of 2014.

The corresponding appropriations are to be recorded under Articles 13 06 01 (EU Solidarity Fund - Member States) and 13 06 02 (EU Solidarity Fund - Countries negotiating for accession).

Draft budget: at the trilogue on 8 December 2014, the European Parliament and the Council reached an agreement on a draft package, comprising the new draft budget for 2015 and the outstanding DABs relating to 2014.

According to that agreement, the additional commitment appropriations (EUR 79.73 million) requested for the EU Solidarity Fund in DAB No 7/2014 are approved, as proposed by the Commission. The corresponding payments are made available in the 2015 budget.

In conclusion, on 12 December 2014, the Council adopted its position on draft amending budget No 7/2014 as set out in the technical annex to this explanatory memorandum (see ST 16744/2014 ADD 1).