DRAFT AMENDING BUDGET No 2 TO THE GENERAL BUDGET 2020 Providing emergency support to Member States and further reinforcement of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism/rescEU to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak
Date: 2020-04-02
Institutions: Directorate-General for Budget, European Commission
Subjects: EU expenditure, European Structural and Investment Funds, amending budget, civil defence, draft budget (EU), emergency aid, epidemic, financial year, general budget (EU), infectious disease

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 2.4.2020  COM(2020) 170 final  DRAFT AMENDING BUDGET No 2 TO THE GENERAL BUDGET 2020   Providing emergency support to Member States and further reinforcement of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism/rescEU to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak  
 
 
Having regard to: 

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the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in  particular Article 314 
thereof,  in  conjunction  with  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European  Atomic  Energy 
Community, and in particular Article 106a thereof, 

Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council 
of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union 
(…)1, and in particular Article 44 thereof, 

the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020, as adopted on 
27 November 20192, 
draft amending budget No°1/203, adopted on 27 March 2020, 

The  European  Commission  hereby  presents  to  the  European  Parliament  and  to  the  Council 
Draft Amending Budget No 2 to the 2020 budget. 

CHANGES  TO  THE  STATEMENT  OF  REVENUE  AND  EXPENDITURE  BY 
SECTION 

The  changes  to  the  general  statement  of  revenue  and  section  III  are  available  on  EUR-Lex 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/budget/www/index-en.htm). 

1  
2  
3  

OJ L 193, 30.7.2018. 
OJ L 57, 27.2.2020. 
COM(2020) 145, 27.3.2020. 

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Table of Contents 

1. 

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 3 

PROVIDING EMERGENCY SUPPORT TO MEMBER STATES THROUGH THE RE-ACTIVATION OF 

2. 
THE EMERGENCY SUPPORT INSTRUMENT WITHIN THE UNION ..................................................................... 3 

2.1.  
2.2. 

CONTEXT ............................................................................................................................................................. 3 
ACTIONS TO BE FINANCED THROUGH THE ESI .................................................................................................. 4 

3. 
FURTHER REINFORCEMENT OF THE UNION CIVIL PROTECTION MECHANISM (WITHIN THE 
UNION) .................................................................................................................................................................................. 5 

4. 

5. 

FINANCING ................................................................................................................................................................ 5 

SUMMARY TABLE BY MFF HEADING ............................................................................................................... 7 

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

in  commitment  appropriations  and  EUR 1 530,0 million 

The  purpose  of  Draft  Amending  Budget  (DAB)  No 2  for  the  year  2020  is  to  provide 
in  payment 
EUR 3 000,0 million 
appropriations  under  heading  3 Security and Citizenship  to  finance  the  provision  of  emergency 
support  within  the  Union  through  the  Emergency  Support  Instrument,  which  is  proposed  to  be  re-
activated  to  help  tackle  the  consequences  of  the  COVID-19  outbreak  and  to  further  reinforce  the 
Union Civil Protection Mechanism/rescEU to  allow wider stock-piling and coordination of essential 
resource distribution across Europe4. 

2. 

PROVIDING EMERGENCY SUPPORT TO MEMBER STATES THROUGH THE RE-ACTIVATION OF 
THE EMERGENCY SUPPORT INSTRUMENT WITHIN THE UNION 

2.1.  

Context 

Given the depth of the crisis following the COVID-19 outbreak as well as the extent and nature of the 
needs  requiring  support  from  the  EU  budget  in  the  immediate  future,  the  Commission  proposes  in 
parallel  to  this  DAB  that  the  Council  reactivates  and  amends  Council  Regulation  2016/369  on  the 
provision  of  emergency  support  within  the  Union5  to  equip  the  EU  with  a  broader  toolbox 
commensurate to the large scale of the current COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Emergency Support Instrument (ESI) was created in March 2016 and was activated for a period 
of  3  years  to  address  the  emergency  situation  which  had  arisen  following  the  massive  influx  of 
refugees  in  Greece.  It  was  designed  as  a  general  purpose  tool  to  fight  crises  within  the  EU  and 
intervenes only in exceptional circumstances of severe difficulties. It can be mobilised to address any 
crisis requiring humanitarian aid and covers a broad scope of eligible actions: “Emergency support 
…  may  include  any  of  the  humanitarian  aid  actions  and  may  consequently  encompass  assistance, 
relief  and,  where  necessary,  protection  operations  to  save  and  preserve  life  in  disasters  or  in  their 
immediate aftermath”6.  

The  measures  foreseen  under  the  Union  Civil  Protection  Mechanism  (rescEU),  the  Civil  Protection 
Mechanism,  the  Coronavirus  Response  Investment  Initiative  to  deploy  European  Structural  and 
Investment  Funds  and  other  Union  instruments  are  contributing  to  partly  address  the  public  health 
emergency; however, the scale and scope of the challenge requires to  address  effectively the public 
health  related  humanitarian  consequences  of  the  outbreak  within  the  Union.  Emergency  support 
provided  under  the  ESI  promotes  complementarity  to  and  consistency  with  actions  of  the  affected 
Member  States,  as  well  as  synergies  with  actions  financed  at  EU  level  under  other  funds  and 
instruments.  

In view of the above, support under the Emergency Support Regulation (No 2016/369) is proposed to 
be activated and provided with the necessary appropriations as soon as possible. This will allow the 
Union  to  deploy  measures  preventing  and  mitigating  severe  consequences  in  one  or  more  Member 
States  and  to  address  in  a  coordinated  manner  the  needs  related  to  the  COVID-19  disaster,  by 
complementing any assistance provided under other EU instruments. 

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5  
6  

On  top  of  the  reinforcement  (EUR 80,0 million,  out  of  which  EUR 10,0 million  by  redeployment  within  the 
Union Civil Protection Mechanism) included in DAB No 1/2020 (COM(2020) 145, 27.3.2020). 
COM(2020) 175, 2.4.2020. 
Council Regulation 2016/369 Art 3(2) 

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2.2. 

Actions to be financed through the ESI 

Given  the  urgency  of  the  situation  and  the  serious  nature  of  the  COVID-19  outbreak  related  public 
health  crisis  in  all  Member  States,  the  Commission  proposes  to  provide  EUR 2 700,0 million  in 
commitment appropriations and EUR 1 380,0 million in payment appropriations to the ESI.  

Support may be used to finance inter alia the following actions: 

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wider  and  faster  stock-piling  and  coordination  of  essential  resource  distribution  across 
Europe; 

meeting the transport needs for protective gear to be imported from international partners as 
well as transport across the EU; 

transportation of patients in need to cross-border hospitals which can offer free capacity; 

cross-border cooperation to alleviate the pressure on health systems in the most affected EU 
regions;  

central procurement and distribution of essential medical supplies to hospitals and emergency 
supply  of  protective  gear  for  hospital  staff,  such  as  respirators,  ventilators,  personal 
protective  equipment,  reusable  masks,  medicines,  therapeutics  and  laboratory  supplies  and 
disinfectants; 

increasing and converting production capacities of EU enterprises to ensure rapid production 
and deployment of equipment and material needed to urgently address supplies shortages of 
essential products and medicines; 

increasing  care  facilities  and  resources,  including  temporary  and  semi-permanent  field 
hospitals and support for reconverted facilities; 

increasing the production of testing kits and support for acquiring key basic substances;  

boosting the swift development of medication and testing methods; 

developing, purchasing and distributing testing supplies (testing kits, reagents, hardware). 

The  Commission  will  ensure  full  coordination  so  that  actions  financed  under  the  ESI  complement  
other existing instruments such as rescEU or the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) in 
certain areas (for instance in reception facilities for migrants). The deployment will be adapted to the 
development  of  the  outbreak  and  coordinated  with  measures  undertaken  by  Member  States  to 
maximise impact. 

Budget line 

Name 

Section III – Commission 
18 01 04 05 
18 07 01 
Total 

Support expenditure for emergency support within the Union 

Emergency support within the Union 

Commitment 
appropriations 

Payment 
appropriations 

EUR 

54 000 000 
2 646 000 000 
2 700 000 000 

54 000 000 
1 326 000 000 
1 380 000 000 

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3. 

FURTHER  REINFORCEMENT  OF  THE UNION CIVIL PROTECTION MECHANISM (WITHIN  THE 
UNION) 

As  part  of  the  EU’s  response  to  the  COVID-19  outbreak,  UCPM  facilitates  cooperation  between 
Member States. In addition to the joint procurement and as a further safety net, the Commission has 
adopted  a  new  Implementing  Act  under  UPCM/rescEU  in  order  to  support  Member  States  in 
purchasing  some  of  the  needed  equipment  (including  therapeutics,  medical  equipment,  Personal 
Protective Equipment, laboratory supplies), thus increasing the volume, complimenting and widening 
the  scope  of  priority  items  purchased  through  the  joint  procurement.  The  rescEU  direct  grant  will 
provide 100 % financing  from  the EU budget,  which includes full financing for development  of the 
these capacities and full financing of deployment. The equipment purchased will be hosted by one or 
more Member States, while decision-making is organised at EU level, providing emergency supplies 
over and beyond the national stocks. It will be available to all Member States and will be used in case 
of insufficient national capacity.  
As  announced  with  the  Draft  Amending  Budget  No 1/20207,  the  Commission  redeployed 
EUR 10,0 million in commitment appropriations to support COVID-19 medical countermeasures and 
equipment  from  within  the  existing  UCPM/rescEU  budget  for  2020  (prevention  and  preparedness 
within  the  Union)  and  proposed  a  reinforcement  of  EUR 70,0 million  in  commitment  and 
EUR 40,0 million in payment appropriations. 

In view of the rapid development of the crisis and the associated needs in the Member States, the scale 
of our stock-piling efforts needs to be further reinforced. rescEU can contribute to wider stock-piling, 
coordination  and  distribution  of  essential  medical  supplies  in  high  demand  to  hospitals,  including 
protective  gear  for  hospital  staff  (masks,  goggles,  overalls,  nano-materials  for  medical  use, 
disinfectants),  ventilators  (both  invasive  and  non-invasive  ventilators)  needed  for  an  effective 
response. Stocks are to be used to dispatch at short notice necessary medical equipment successively 
to those MS and regions experiencing outbreaks and epidemic peaks in infections, making an efficient 
and effective use of reusable equipment where it is most needed. 

A  further  reinforcement  of  EUR 300,0 million  in  commitment  and  EUR 150,0 million  in  payment 
appropriations are therefore proposed.  

The  reinforced  rescEU  and  the  re-activated  ESI  will  be  complementary  and  will  ensure  the  most 
efficient provision of the needed medical equipment. 

Budget line 

Name 

Section III – Commission 
23 03 01 01 
Total 

Disaster prevention and preparedness within the Union 

4. 

FINANCING 

Commitment 
appropriations 

Payment 
appropriations 

EUR 

300 000 000 
300 000 000 

150 000 000 
150 000 000 

Given  the  absence  of  margins  and  room  for  redeployment  under  heading  3  of  the  multiannual 
financial framework (MFF), the Commission  proposes to mobilise the following special instruments 
for the total amount of EUR 3 000,0 million: 

  The remaining Global  Margin  for Commitments for an  amount of EUR 2 042,4 million8. An 
amendment of the MFF Regulation removing the limitations in the scope of this instrument is 
proposed in parallel to this Amending budget9; 

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8 

9 

COM(2020) 145 final, 27.3.2020. 
This amount takes into  the remaining  margin  from 2019 (EUR 1 316,9 million)  made  available  for 2020  in the 
“Technical adjustment in respect of special instrument” COM(2020) 173, 2.4.2020. 
COM(2020) 174, 2.4.2020. This amendment of Regulation No 1311/2013 should enter into force at the latest on 
the same day as the final adoption of this DAB. 

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  The Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 243,0 million10; and 
  The  Contingency  Margin  for  the  balance  (EUR 714,6 million)  with  a  corresponding  offset 

against the margin available in 2020 under heading 5 Administration11. 

10  
11  

COM(2020) 171, 2.4.2020. 
COM(2020) 172, 2.4.2020. 

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5. 

SUMMARY TABLE BY MFF HEADING 

Heading 

Budget 2020 

(incl. DAB 1/2020) 

Draft Amending Budget 2/2020 

In EUR 

Budget 2020 

(incl. DAB 1-2/2020) 

1.  Smart and inclusive growth 

83 930 597 837 

72 353 828 442 

83 930 597 837 

72 353 828 442 

CA 

PA 

CA 

PA 

CA 

PA 

Ceiling  

Margin 

83 661 000 000 

83 661 000 000 

1a  Competitiveness for growth and jobs 

25 284 773 982 

22 308 071 592 

25 284 773 982 

22 308 071 592 

Of which under global margin for commitments 

 93 773 982 

Ceiling 

Margin 

25 191 000 000 

 93 773 982 

25 191 000 000 

1b   Economic  social and territorial cohesion 

58 645 823 855 

50 045 756 850 

58 645 823 855 

50 045 756 850 

Of which under global margin for commitments 

 175 823 855 

Ceiling 

Margin 

58 470 000 000 

 175 823 855 

58 470 000 000 

2.  Sustainable growth: natural resources 

59 907 021 051 

57 904 492 439 

59 907 021 051 

57 904 492 439 

60 421 000 000 

 513 978 949 

Margin 
Of which: European Agricultural Guarantee Fund 
(EAGF) — Market related expenditure and direct 
payments 

Ceiling 

60 421 000 000 

 513 978 949 

43 410 105 687 

43 380 031 798 

43 410 105 687 

43 380 031 798 

Sub-ceiling 
Rounding difference excluded from margin 
calculation 
EAGF Margin 

43 888 000 000 

  888 000 

 477 006 313 

43 888 000 000 

  888 000 

 477 006 313 

3.  Security and citizenship 

4 152 374 489 

3 748 527 141 

3 000 000 000 

1 530 000 000 

7 152 374 489 

5 278 527 141 

Of which under Flexibility Instrument 

Of which under global margin for commitments 

Of which under Contingency margin 

4.  Global Europe 

Ceiling 

Margin 

Ceiling 

Margin 

 851 374 489 

 350 000 000 

2 951 000 000 

 243 039 699 

2 042 402 163 

 714 558 138 

1 094 414 188 

2 392 402 163 

 714 558 138 

2 951 000 000 

10 406 572 239 

8 944 061 191 

10 406 572 239 

8 944 061 191 

10 510 000 000 

 103 427 761 

10 510 000 000 

 103 427 761 

5.  Administration 

10 271 193 494 

10 274 196 704 

10 271 193 494 

10 274 196 704 

Ceiling 

11 254 000 000 

Of which offset against Contingency margin 

- 252 000 000 

- 714 558 138 

Margin 

 730 806 506 

11 254 000 000 

- 966 558 138 

 16 248 368 

Of which: Administrative expenditure of the 
institutions 

7 955 303 132 

7 958 306 342 

7 955 303 132 

7 958 306 342 

Of which offset against Contingency margin 

- 252 000 000 

- 714 558 138 

Sub-ceiling 

9 071 000 000 

Margin 

 863 696 868 

9 071 000 000 

- 966 558 138 

 149 138 730 

Total 

168 667 759 110 

153 225 105 917 

3 000 000 000 

1 530 000 000 

171 667 759 110 

154 755 105 917 

Of which under Flexibility Instrument 

Of which under global margin for commitments 

 851 374 489 

 619 597 837 

Of which under Contingency margin 

 893 079 197 

 243 039 699 

 123 950 247 

1 094 414 188 

1 017 029 444 

2 042 402 163 

 714 558 138 

2 662 000 000 

 714 558 138 

Ceiling 

168 797 000 000 

172 420 000 000 

168 797 000 000 

172 420 000 000 

Of which offset against Contingency margin 

- 252 000 000 

- 714 558 138 

- 966 558 138 

   Other special Instruments 

 587 763 000 

 418 500 000 

Margin 

1 348 213 216 

20 087 973 280 

 633 655 078 

18 681 923 527 

 587 763 000 

 418 500 000 

Grand Total 

169 255 522 110 

153 643 605 917 

3 000 000 000 

1 530 000 000 

172 255 522 110 

155 173 605 917 

7