16.6.2022
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 233/11
3.
SUPPORT FROM EU FUNDS
The actions outlined in this Communication can be supported by various EU funds and initiatives.
Recent amendments to existing Regulations have focused on unspent funds under the 2014-2020 programming period, notably the European Social Fund (ESF), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Fund for European Aid to the most Deprived (FEAD) and the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).
The CARE initiative (‘Cohesion’s Action for Refugees in Europe’), by amending the Regulations governing the Funds (47), has focused on providing greater flexibility to Member States to quickly mobilise EU Cohesion Funds, without changing their scope.
CARE initiative The main changes introduced with the CARE Regulation are the following: — Support for operations addressing the Ukraine crisis as of 24 February 2022, also for requests submitted after that date. — Member States can use the ESF or ERDF to support actions eligible under the other Fund without any limitations.
For example, ERDF resources earmarked for infrastructure projects can be reallocated to social inclusion, care and education for ESF type of measures, and, conversely, ESF resources can be used to finance equipment and infrastructure for refugees people fleeing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; — Member States can benefit from a 100 % reimbursement of expenditure declared to the Commission up to 30 June 2022 (48). — In addition, Member States may also programme their REACT-EU allocation (up to €10 billion overall) to address the crisis. — Member States received EUR 3.5 billion of additional REACT-EU pre-financing (benefitting especially those Member States that received the highest numbers of people fleeing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine (49)). — Member States can use a new unit cost of EUR 40 per week per person, which will help to provide immediate relief while simplifying the rules on expenditure declaration (50).
(47) Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 320) and Regulation (EU) No 223/2014 on the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (OJ L 72, 12.3.2014, p. 1).
(48) For the accounting period starting on 1 July 2021 and ending on 30 June 2022.
(49) Increase of the initial REACT-EU pre-financing of 11 % to 15 % for all Member States, and to 45 % for frontline Member States (HU, PL, RO, SK) and those with the largest numbers of arrivals compared to their population (above 1 % of their population on 23 March: AT, BG, CZ, EE, LT).
(50) Ukraine: making it easier and quicker for Member States to use cohesion funding to support immediate needs of refugees | European Social Fund Plus (europa.eu).
This will apply to each of those who have been granted temporary protection under the Temporary Protection Directive, to be used for up to 13 weeks after their arrival.