Proposal for a DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Portugal
Date: 2017-01-26
Institutions: Directorate-General for Budget, European Commission
Subjects: Cyprus, Portugal, United Kingdom, aid to disaster victims, commitment of expenditure, financial aid, fund (EU), general budget (EU), natural disaster, payment appropriation

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 26.1.2017  COM(2017) 45 final   Proposal for a DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Portugal  
 
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

Council  Regulation  (EU,  EURATOM)  No 1311/2013  of  2  December  2013  laying  down  the 
multiannual  financial  framework  for  the  years  2014-20201,  and  in  particular  the  Article  10 
thereof allows for the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund, within an annual 
ceiling  of  EUR 500 000 000 (2011  prices),  over  and  above  the  relevant  headings  of  the 
financial framework.  

The  conditions  of  eligibility  to  the  Fund  are  detailed  in  the  Council  Regulation  (EC) 
No 2012/2002 as amended by Regulation (EU) No 661/2014 of the European Parliament and 
of the Council of 15 May 2014 establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund.  

On  the  basis  of  the  applications  from  the  United  Kingdom,  Cyprus  and  Portugal,  the 
calculation  of  the  aid  from  the  Fund,  based  on  the  estimate  of  total  damage  caused  is  as 
follows:  

Total direct 
damage  

Applied regional 
disaster 
threshold 

Applied major 
disaster 
threshold 

2,5% of total 
direct 
damage up to 
the major 
threshold 

6% of total 
direct damage 
above the 
major 
threshold 

Total amount 
of aid 
proposed 

(million EUR) 

(million EUR) 

(million EUR) 

(EUR) 

(EUR) 

(EUR) 

2 412,042 

626,764 

n/a 

60 301 050 

- 

60 301 050 

180,803 

n/a 

101,412 

2 535 300 

4 763 460 

7 298 760 

157,000 

40,850 

n/a 

3 925 000 

- 

3 925 000 

71 524 810 

Disaster 

United Kingdom 
- Floods in 2016 
(regional 
disaster) 

- 
Cyprus 
and 
Drought 
fires 
in  2016 
(major disaster) 

– 
Portugal 
Madeira  fires  in 
2016 
(regional 
disaster) 

TOTAL 

In  the  light  of  the  examination  of  the  above  applications2  and  considering  the  maximum 
possible contribution from the Fund as well as the scope for reallocating appropriations, the 
Commission proposes to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund for a total amount of 
EUR 71 524 810. 

The  Commission  will  present  a  draft  amending  budget  (DAB)  in  order  to  enter  in  the  2017 
budget the specific commitment and payment appropriations.   

In the event of disagreement, a trilogue procedure will be initiated in accordance with Point 
11 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, 

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2 

OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 884. 
Communications to the Commission C(2017) 124 of 13.01.2017 for the United Kingdom and C(2017) 
358 of 24.01.2017 for Cyprus and Portugal. 

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the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters 
and on sound financial management3. 

3 

OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1. 

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Proposal for a 

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 

on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to the 
United Kingdom, Cyprus and Portugal 

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, 

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 of 11 November 2002 establishing 
the European Union Solidarity Fund4, and in particular Article 4(3) thereof, 

Having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European 
Parliament,  the  Council  and  the  Commission  on  budgetary  discipline,  on  cooperation  in 
budgetary matters and on sound financial management5, and in particular point 11 thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, 

Whereas: 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

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The European Union Solidarity Fund (the "Fund") aims to enable the Union to respond 
in  a  rapid,  efficient  and  flexible  manner  to  emergency  situations  in  order  to  show 
solidarity with the population of regions struck by natural disasters.  

The  Fund  is  not  to  exceed  a  maximum  annual  amount  of  EUR 500 000 000  (2011 
prices),  as  laid  down  in  Article  10  of  Council  Regulation  (EU,  Euratom)  No 
1311/20136. 

On  26  February  2016,  the  United  Kingdom  submitted  an  application  to  mobilise  the 
Fund, following floods that affected 11 regions7 during the period of December 2015 
to  January  2016.  In  their  application  the  authorities  of  the  United  Kingdom  stressed 
that  the  damage  assessment  was  incomplete  and  that  the  relevant  figures  were  only 
provisional. The final application file was completed on 22 September 2016. 

On  5  September  2016,  Cyprus  submitted  an  application  to  mobilise  the  Fund, 
following  the  consequences  of  severe  drought  built  up  since  October  2015  and  wild 
fires on 18 and 19 of June 2016.  

On  21  September  2016,  Portugal  submitted  an  application  to  mobilise  the  Fund, 
following wild fires in the island of Madeira between 8 and 13 August 2016. 

The applications by the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Portugal meet the conditions for 
providing  a  financial  contribution  from  the  Fund,  as  laid  down  in  Article  4  of 
Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002. 

OJ L 311, 14.11.2002, p. 3. 
OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p.1. 
Council  Regulation  (EU,  Euratom)  No  1311/2013  of  2  December  2013  laying  down  the  multiannual 
financial framework for the years 2014-2020 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 884). 
UKC2-Northumberland,  UKD1-Cumbria,  UKD3-Great  Manchester,  UKD4-Lancashire,  UKE2-North 
Yorkshire,  UKE4-West  Yorkshire,  UKL1-West  Wales  and  the  Valleys,  UKM2-Eastern  Scotland,   
UKM3-South Western Scotland, UKM5-North Eastern Scotland and UKN0-Northern Ireland. 

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(7) 

(8) 

The Fund should therefore be mobilised in order to provide a financial contribution to 
United Kingdom, Cyprus and Portugal. 

In order to minimise the time taken to mobilise the Fund, this Decision should apply 
from the date of its adoption, 

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 

Article 1 

For  the  general  budget  of  the  Union  for  the  financial  year  2017,  the  European  Union 
Solidarity Fund shall be mobilised as follows in commitment and payment appropriations: 

(a) the amount of EUR 60 301 050 shall be provided to the United Kingdom; 
(b) the amount of EUR 7 298 760  shall be provided to Cyprus; 
(c) the amount of EUR 3 925 000 shall be provided to Portugal; 

This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the 
European Union. 

Article 2 

It shall apply from … [the date of its adoption]. 

Done at [Brussels], 

For the European Parliament 
The President 

For the Council 
The President 

 Date to be inserted by the Parliament before the publication in OJ. 

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