Amending budget 3/2019: assistance to Romania, Italy and Austria

The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by John HOWARTH (S&D, UK) on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 3/2019 of the European Union for the financial year 2019 accompanying the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Romania, Italy and Austria.

The European Union Solidarity Fund aims to enable the Union to respond in a rapid, efficient and flexible manner to emergency situations in order to show solidarity with the population of regions struck by natural disasters.

The Fund is not to exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 500 000 000 (2011 prices).

Draft amending budget No 3/2019 covers the proposed mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Romania for the flooding in the North-East Region, to Italy for the flooding and landslides following heavy rainfall from the Alpine areas in the North down to Sicily, as well as to Austria for the same phenomenon in the Alpine/southern regions in the course of 2018.

The Commission consequently proposed to amend the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2019 and to increase budget line 13 06 01 'Assistance to Member States in the event of a major natural disaster with serious repercussions on living conditions, the natural environment or the economy' by EUR 293 551 794 both in commitment and payment appropriations.

Members approved the Council position on Draft amending budget No 3/2019.