Amending budget 4/2015: mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund for Romania, Bulgaria and Italy
The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by Eider GARDIAZABAL RUBIAL (S&D, ES) on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 4/2015 of the European Union for the financial year 2015, - accompanying the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund for Romania, Bulgaria and Italy.
Members recalled that Draft amending budget No 4/2015 relates to the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) for an amount of EUR 66 505 850 in commitment and payment appropriations in relation to two floods in Romania in spring and summer 2014 (total aid EUR 8 495 950), floods in Bulgaria in July/August 2014 (total aid 1 983 600) and floods in Italy in October/November 2014 (total aid 56 026 300).
The purpose of Draft amending budget No 4/2015 is to formally enter this budgetary adjustment into the 2015 budget.
Taking note of Draft amending budget No 4/2015, as submitted by the Commission, and of the Council's position thereon, Members stressed the urgent need to release financial assistance through the EUSF to the countries affected by these natural disasters.
Following the budgetary negotiations: Members recalled that, in the framework of the 2015 budgetary negotiations, Council insisted on shifting the payments related to the mobilisation of the EUSF in Draft amending budgets No 5/2014 and No 7/2014 to the 2015 budget for a total amount of EUR 126.7 million.
Considering that given the surplus as presented in Draft amending budget No 3/2015, these two 2014 Draft amending budgets, covering in total 7 EUSF cases, could have easily been paid for from the 2014 budget.
In general, Members regretted a tendency in Council not to honour its commitments to countries which have gone through a major disaster and therefore fulfilled the conditions for the mobilisation of the EUSF, through the mobilisation of the additional resources as foreseen by the special instruments, but rather by taking money away from the other programmes.
They stressed in particular that the current critical situation on payments excludes the option of using any other source of financing than the one proposed by the Commission outlined in the Draft amending budget no 4/2015.
Members recalled that the adoption of Draft amending budget No 3/2015 will reduce the share of the GNI contributions from Member States to the Union budget by EUR 1 435 million and therefore more than compensate their contribution to the financing of Draft amending budget No 4/2015. They highlighted therefore that the two dossiers are subject to a common calendar for adoption since they are strictly linked from a political point of view.
Members called on the Parliament to approve the Council position on Draft amending budget No 4/2015.