Amending and supplementary budget 4/2002

PURPOSE : to present the letter of amendment No 1 to preliminary draft supplementary and amending budget No 4/2002 (Section III-Commission). CONTENT : in the wake of the disastrous floods which struck a number of countries this August, the Commission proposed on 11 September 2002 establishing, by interinstitutional agreement, a new flexibility instrument to endow the EU Solidarity Fund which will provide relief in the event of natural, technological and environmental disasters. This fund may operate in the EU Member States and in countries negotiating for accession. It will operate in accordance with the arrangements laid down in the Council regulation on the Solidarity Fund, proposed by the Commission on 18 September 2002, which will constitute the legal basis for the expenditure (please refer to procedure reference CNS/2002/0228). In accordance with these proposals, this letter of amendment will insert two budget lines: - under heading 3, internal policies : B2-4 (new title): European Union Solidarity Fund - Member States, - under heading 7, pre-accession strategy : B7-09 (new chapter): European Union Solidarity Fund - countries negotiating for accession. These lines will be able to accommodate the fund's operations from 2002. The lines would carry token entries and would be endowed after the fund had been mobilised. �