Interinstitutional Agreement of 7 November 2002 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on the financing of the European Union Solidarity Fund supplementing the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary procedure
Date: 2002-11-07
Institutions: Council of the European Union, European Commission, European Parliament
Subjects: EU financial instrument, budgetary discipline (EU), budgetary procedure, financial aid, financing, interinstitutional agreement, natural disaster

20.11.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 283/1

I

(Information)

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

COUNCIL

COMMISSION

INTERINSTITUTIONAL AGREEMENT

of 7 November 2002

between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on the financing of the
European Union Solidarity Fund supplementing the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999
on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary procedure

(2002/C 283/01)

1. The European Parliament, the Council and the Commission
hereby agree upon the following flexibility mechanism
concerning the European Union Solidarity Fund, hereinafter
referred to as ‘the Fund’, established by Council Regulation
(EC) No 2012/2002 (1).

The Fund is intended to allow rapid financial assistance in
the event of a major disaster occurring on the territory of a
Member State or of a candidate country whose accession to
the European Union is currently under negotiation, as
defined in the relevant basic act.

proposal,
force by the appropriate budgetary instrument.

in accordance with the Financial Regulation in

The corresponding expenditure shall be entered in the
budget over and above the relevant headings
in the
financial perspective, as laid down in Annex I to the Inter-
institutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 between the
European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on
budgetary discipline and improvement of
the budgetary
procedure (2).

2. There shall be a ceiling on the annual amount available for
expenditure by the Fund of EUR 1 thousand million. On 1
October each year, at
the annual
amount should remain available in order to cover needs
arising until
the year. No non-budgetised
portion of the annual amount may be carried over.

least one-quarter of

the end of

to cover

In exceptional cases and if the remaining financial resources
available in the Fund in the year of the occurrence of the
disaster, as defined in the relevant basic act, are not
the amount of assistance deemed
sufficient
the Commission
necessary by the budgetary authority,
may propose that the difference be financed through the
next year's Fund. The annual budgetary ceiling of the Fund
in the year of
the disaster and the
following year shall under all circumstances be respected.

the occurrence of

initiate

the Commission will

4. At the same time as it presents its proposal to deploy the
a
flexibility mechanism,
trialogue procedure,
if necessary in a simplified form, to
secure the agreement of the two arms of the budgetary
flexibility
authority on the need to resort
mechanism and on the amount to be allocated over and
above each heading. The decision to deploy the flexibility
mechanism will be taken jointly by the two arms of the
budgetary authority in accordance with the voting rules
under
the
Treaty establishing the European Community.

the fifth subparagraph of Article 272(9) of

to the

5. Following the agreement reached in the tripartite dialogue
and the adoption of the joint decision, the two arms of the
budgetary authority will undertake to adopt the relevant
amending budget as soon as possible and preferably in a
single reading by each of the institutions concerned.

3. When the conditions for mobilising the Fund as set out in
the relevant basic act are met, the Commission will make a
proposal to deploy the flexibility mechanism. Where there is
scope for reallocating appropriations under the heading
requiring additional expenditure,
the Commission shall
into account when making the necessary
take

this

6. This Interinstitutional Agreement supplements the Interinsti-
tutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 on budgetary discipline
the budgetary procedure from the
and improvement of
budgetary year 2002 and for the duration of the current
financial perspective, as defined in that Agreement.

(1) OJ L 311, 14.11.2002, p. 3.

(2) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1.

C 283/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

20.11.2002

Done at Brussels, on 7 November 2002.

For the European Parliament

The President

For the Council

The President

For the European Commission

The President