Amending budget 3/2005: mobilisation of the flexibility instrument for the rehabilitation and the reconstruction following the tsunami disaster

The European Parliament adopted a report by SalvadorGARRIGA POLLEDO(EPP-ED, ES) andapproved Draft amending budget No 4/2005 unamended. Parliament agreed on a further mobilisation of the flexibility instrument for the year 2005 for an amount of EUR 15 million for the financing of the reconstruction and rehabilitation measures in the countries affected by the tsunami.  Nevertheless, it criticised the Council's unwillingness to mobilise the flexibility instrument in the amount of EUR 98 million, as proposed by the Commission, which delayed adoption of the amending budget.

Parliament went on to recall that according to point 24 of the Interinstitutional Agreement the portion of the annual amount which is not used may be carried over up to the year n+2 and that if the instrument is mobilised, any carryovers will be drawn on in order of age. It took the view, therefore, that the mobilised amount of EUR 15 million comes from the amount carried over from the year 2004. It noted also that after this mobilisation the amount remaining available for 2005 under the flexibility instrument will be EUR 293 million.

Parliament recalled that the re-deployments agreed for 2005 must be re-programmed by means of an equivalent additional amount (that is, EUR 60 million) in the 2007 budget, so as to respect the commitment that resources released are additional to commitments already made.