Union Solidarity Fund: mobilisation for Bulgaria, Romania and Austria following the floods in April and August 2005

PURPOSE : to mobilise the Solidarity Fund for the regions bit by severe floods in Bulgaria, Romania and Austria in 2005.

CONTENT : this proposal intends to activate the Solidarity Fund for an amount of EUR 106 357 627 to help offset the financial costs incurred in cleaning-up the disaster stricken areas, restoring basic infrastructures and in taking other emergency measures. In the light of the examination of the applications made by Bulgaria, Romania and Austria, and considering the maximum possible grant from the Fund as well as the scope for reallocating appropriations under the heading requiring additional expenditure, the Commission proposes to mobilise this Fund which shall be allocated under heading 3 of the financial perspective.

The Commission will present an amending budget (AB) in order to enter in the 2006 budget specific commitment and payment appropriations, broken down by beneficiary country, as requested in Point 4 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 7 November 2002.