European Parliament resolution of 24 November 2020 on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 9/2020 of the European Union for the financial year 2020 accompanying the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Croatia and Poland in relation to a natural disaster and to provide for the payment of advances to Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and Spain in relation to a public health emergency (12522/2020 — C9-0341/2020 — 2020/0297(BUD))
Date: 2020-11-24
Institutions: Committee on Budgets, European Parliament
Subjects: EU Member State, European Union Solidarity Fund, amending budget, commitment of expenditure, coronavirus disease, draft budget (EU), emergency aid, epidemic, financial year, general budget (EU), natural disaster








C_2021425EN.01016801.xml










20.10.2021   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 425/168






P9_TA(2020)0313
Draft amending budget No 9 to the general budget 2020: assistance to Croatia, Poland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and Spain
European Parliament resolution of 24 November 2020 on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 9/2020 of the European Union for the financial year 2020 accompanying the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Croatia and Poland in relation to a natural disaster and to provide for the payment of advances to Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and Spain in relation to a public health emergency (12522/2020 — C9-0341/2020 — 2020/0297(BUD))
(2021/C 425/24)

The European Parliament,






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having regard to Article 314 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,










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having regard to Article 106a of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community,










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having regard to 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, amending Regulations (EU) No 1296/2013, (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 1304/2013, (EU) No 1309/2013, (EU) No 1316/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) No 283/2014, and Decision No 541/2014/EU and repealing Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 (1), and in particular Article 44 thereof,










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having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020, as definitively adopted on 27 November 2019 (2),










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having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 of 2 December 2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020 (3) (MFF Regulation),










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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 management (4),










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having regard to Council Decision 2014/335/EU, Euratom of 26 May 2014 on the system of own resources of the European Union (5),










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having regard to Draft amending budget No 9/2020, which the Commission adopted on 9 October 2020 (COM(2020)0961),










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having regard to the position on Draft amending budget No 9/2020 which the Council adopted on 30 October 2020 and forwarded to Parliament on 3 November 2020 (12522/2020 — C9-0341/2020),










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having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Croatia and Poland in relation to a natural disaster and to provide for the payment of advances to Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and Spain in relation to a public health emergency (COM(2020)0960),










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having regard to Rules 94 and 96 of its Rules of Procedure,










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having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A9-0223/2020),










A.


whereas Draft amending budget No 9/2020 covers the proposed mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Croatia and Poland following natural disasters that took place in those Member States in the course of 2020, as well as for advances to seven Member States, namely Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, in response to the major public health emergency caused by the Covid-19 outbreak in early 2020;










B.


whereas the Commission consequently proposes to amend the 2020 budget and to increase budget line 13 06 01 ‘Assistance to Member States in the event of a major natural disaster with serious repercussions on living conditions, the natural environment or the economy’ by EUR 823 548 633, both in commitment and payment appropriations;










C.


whereas Croatia requested the payment of an advance as laid down in Article 4a of Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 (6) and on 10 August 2020 the Commission awarded an advance equivalent to EUR 88 951 877 on the Union’s anticipated financial contribution; whereas, as the appropriations for advance payments initially available in the 2020 budget are already fully consumed, the Commission proposes the mobilisation of the necessary additional resources within the annual ceiling set out for the European Union Solidarity Fund;










D.


whereas Draft amending budget No 9/2020 proposes to enter EUR 734 596 756 in the 2020 budget, both in commitments and payments, after having deducted the advance of EUR 88 951 877 already paid out to Croatia;










E.


whereas the European Union Solidarity Fund is a special instrument as defined in the MFF Regulation, and the corresponding commitment and payments appropriations are to be budgeted over and above the MFF ceilings;












1.


Takes note of Draft amending budget No 9/2020 as submitted by the Commission;












2.


Approves the Council position on Draft amending budget No 9/2020;












3.


Instructs its President to declare that Amending budget No 8/2020 has been definitively adopted and arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;












4.


Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.






(1)  OJ L 193, 30.7.2018, p. 1.

(2)  OJ L 57, 27.2.2020.

(3)  OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 884.

(4)  OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1.

(5)  OJ L 168, 7.6.2014, p. 105.

(6)  Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 of 11 November 2002 establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund (OJ L 311, 14.11.2002, p. 3).