Amending and supplementary budget 4/2002

By adopting the report by Mr Guido PODEST� (EPP-ED, I) on a Supplementary and Amending Budget 4/2002, Parliament gave its support to the budgetary structure for a European Union Solidarity Fund which aims to give relief to the victims of natural disasters in the Member States and in candidate countries. Two budget lines for the Solidarity Fund will need to be created. Parliament states that the necessary credit payments will be taken from existing non-used credits from other budget lines. In order to make the fund operational, two conditions still need to be fulfilled at this stage: a new inter-institutional agreement needs to be signed and the legal base established. It is only with a fifth Supplementary and Amending Budget that the final definitive figure will be determined for the fund. It is foreseen that the total amount will be 1 billion for this year. The fifth Supplementary and Amending Budget should be adopted by Parliament during its Strasbourg plenary session in October 2002. Parliament calls on the Commission to submit Preliminary Draft Supplementary and Amending Budget No 5/2002 as soon as possible. The House also approved an increase of 70 million to support reconstruction measures in Afghanistan. Lastly, the Parliament approved unamended the Draft Supplementary and Amending Budget No 4/2002 drawn up by the Council on 20 September 2002 (please refer to summary dated 20/09/02).�