Article 23 Eligible actions linked to equipment and transport resources
1. The following actions shall be eligible for financial assistance in order to allow access to equipment and transport resources under the Union Mechanism: (a) providing and sharing information on equipment and transport resources that Member States decide to make available, with a view to facilitating the pooling of such equipment or transport resources; (b) assisting Member States to identify, and facilitating their access to, transport resources that may be available from other sources, including the commercial market; (c) assisting Member States to identify equipment that may be available from other sources, including the commercial market; and (d) financing transport resources necessary for ensuring a rapid response to disasters. Such actions shall be eligible for financial support only if the following criteria are met: (i) a request for assistance has been made under the Union Mechanism in accordance with Articles 15 and 16; (ii) the additional transport resources are necessary for ensuring the effectiveness of disaster response under the Union Mechanism; (iii) the assistance corresponds to the needs identified by the ERCC and is delivered in accordance with the recommendations given by the ERCC on the technical specifications, quality, timing and modalities for delivery; (iv) the assistance has been accepted by a requesting country, directly or through the United Nations or its agencies, or a relevant international organisation, under the Union Mechanism; and (v) the assistance complements, for disasters in third countries, any overall Union humanitarian response. 2. The amount of Union financial support for transport resources shall not exceed 55 % of the total eligible cost. 3. The Union financial support for transport may, in addition, cover a maximum of 85 % of the total eligible cost in the following situations: (a) the costs relate to the transport of the capacities pre-committed to the voluntary pool in accordance with Article 11; or (b) the assistance is necessary to address a critical need and the assistance is not, or not sufficiently, available in the voluntary pool. 4. The Union financial support for transport resources may, in addition, cover a maximum of 100 % of the total eligible cost described under points (i), (ii) and (iii) if this is necessary to make the pooling of Member States' assistance operationally effective and if the costs relate to one of the following: (i) the short-term rental of warehousing capacity to temporarily store the assistance from Member States with a view to facilitating their coordinated transport; (ii) the repackaging of Member States' assistance to make maximum use of available transport capacities or to meet specific operational requirements; or (iii) the local transport of pooled assistance with a view to ensuring a coordinated delivery at the final destination in the requesting country. The Union financial support under this paragraph shall not exceed EUR 75 000 in current prices for each activation of the Union Mechanism. In exceptional cases, that ceiling may, by means of implementing acts, be exceeded. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 33(2). 5. In case of pooling of transport operations involving several Member States, a Member State may take the lead in requesting Union financial support for the entire operation. 6. When a Member State requests the Commission to contract transport services, the Commission shall request partial reimbursement of the costs according to the funding rates set out in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4. 7. The following costs shall be eligible for Union financial support for transport resources under this Article: all costs relating to the movement of transport resources, including the costs of all services, fees, logistical and handling costs, fuel and possible accommodation costs as well as other indirect costs such as taxes, duties in general and transit costs.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal The proposal is intended to amend Decision No 1313/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on a Union Civil Protection Mechanism 1 (‘ the Decision’ ), under which the European Union supports, coordinates and supplements the action s of Member States 2 in the field of civil protection to prevent, prepare for and respond to natural and man-made disasters within and outside the Union. The sole purpose of the proposed change is to ensure that the Union can continue providing emergency support to Member States in fighting wildfires through the capacities developed under the ‘rescEU transition’, until the permanent European aerial forest firefighting fleet will become available. In concrete terms, this proposal suggests extending the end of the transitional period referred to in Article 35 from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027. This date is aligned with the end of the current Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). With rising temperatures and prolonged periods of drought, the wildfire risk in the Union is increasing in scope and the wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense. The 2022 wildfire season in the Union was a record-breaking season. The total number of wildfires in the Union above 30 hectares totalled 2 707. 786 316 hectares (over three times the size of Luxembourg) of land were burnt. This amount has significantly increased compared to the year before (416 413 hectares). Furthermore, the data for 2022 reveal a more than 250% increase over the average burnt area of land since Union-level recording started in 2006. Wildfires have become a serious pan-European concern, affecting not only the Mediterranean region, but also countries including Czech Republic, Germany and Slovenia, as demonstrated by their recent activations of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. As a notable example, Sweden experienced severe wildfires in 2018. In 2022, 20 Member States have recorded more burned areas than their average over previous years. As demonstrated by the wild fire seasons of recent years , the en vironmental, climatic, economic and societal losses associated with wildfires are immense. In 2022 a lone , the wild fires have led to estimated economic losses above EUR 2 billion, and more than 25 million ton ne s of CO2 emitted. Approximately 35% of the burnt areas in 2022 are in cluded in Natura 2000 sites 3 . This alarming acceleration of wildfires across Europe is expected to continue in the coming years due to the impact of climate change. President Von der Leyen addressed this concern in her State of the Union speech in September 2022, where she stated that “ as disasters become more frequent and more intense, Europe will need more capacity. This is why I can today announce that we will double our firefighting capacity over the next year. ” With an amendment to the Decision in 2019 4 , rescEU was created as a European reserve of capacities to provide assistance in overwhelming situations where overall existing capacities at national level and those pre-committed by Member States to the European Civil Protection Pool are not able or are insufficient to ensure an effective response to the various kinds of disasters . Such capacities have been developed , in particular , in the area of aerial forest firefighting to supplement national capacities 5 . While some of those capacities are readily accessible on the market and can be purchased relatively quickly , the availability of the aerial forest firefighting capacities takes more time. To ensure a smooth transition towards the full implementation of rescEU, the Commission was empowered , for a transitional period of an initial five years , to provide financing to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities . It was also specified that the Commission and the Member States should endeavour to obtain additional capacities, including fire-fighting helicopters, in order to better and more efficiently respond to the risk of wildfires , as early as the summer of 2019 6 . It was estimated at the time , based on a market study on currently available aerial forest firefighting assets released on 9 July 2018 7 , that five years would be sufficient , in particular for specialised aircraft to be accessible once again on the market , allowing for the development of permanent fleet . T herefore , an end date of 1 January 2025 was introduced in Article 3 5 of the Decision for the application of that transitional provision . However, recent market developments and more specifically, the absence of the required highly-specialised aircraft on the market show that a longer timeframe ( beyond 2024 ) is needed for the development of amphibious aerial forest firefighting aircraft. The negotiations with the manufacturer of such specialised aircraft are in their final stage ; the delivery of such first planes at an agreed cost is expected to start in 2026 according to the latest reassurances provided by the manufacturer . Thus, the end date set out in Article 35 needs to be further extended until the end of the current MFF , which is 31 December 2027. This period would cover the entire MFF financial envelope of the UCPM in accordance with Article 19 .1a . This proposal is meant to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities beyond the 2024 wildfire season, when the application of the current transitional provision is set to expire. The contracts will need to be prepared well in advance, in 2024, for the deployment of aerial forest firefighting capacities. As a result, the Decision needs to be amended in the current legislature period to allow for the preparations to start in 2024. Therefore, it is urgent that the co-legislators deliberate swiftly on this targeted proposal.
Revised version (Article 23 Eligible actions linked to equipment and operations):
1a. The amount of Union financial assistance for the transport of capacities not pre-committed to the European Civil Protection Pool and deployed in the event of a disaster or imminent disaster inside or outside the Union and for any other transport support needed to respond to a disaster shall not exceed 75 % of the total eligible cost. 2. The amount of Union financial assistance for capacities pre-committed to the European Civil Protection Pool shall not exceed 75 % of the costs of operating the capacities, including transport, in the event of a disaster or imminent disaster inside or outside the Union. 4a. When rescEU capacities are used for national purposes in accordance with Article 12(5), all costs, including maintenance and repair costs, shall be covered by the Member State using the capacities. 4b. In the event of deployment of rescEU capacities under the Union Mechanism, Union financial assistance shall cover 75 % of the operational costs. By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, Union financial assistance shall cover 100 % of the operational costs of rescEU capacities necessary for low probability disasters with a high impact, when those capacities are deployed under the Union Mechanism. 4c. For deployments outside the Union, as referred to in Article 12(10), Union financial assistance shall cover 100 % of the operational costs. 4d. When the Union financial assistance referred to in this Article does not cover 100 % of costs, the remaining amount of the costs shall be borne by the requester of the assistance, unless otherwise agreed with the Member State offering assistance or the Member State hosting the rescEU capacities. 4e. For the deployment of rescEU capacities, Union financial assistance may cover 100 % of any direct costs necessary for the transport of cargo, logistical means and services, within the Union, and to the Union from third countries. 5. In the case of pooling of transport operations involving several Member States, a Member State may take the lead in requesting Union financial support for the entire operation. 6. When a Member State requests the Commission to contract transport services, the Commission shall request partial reimbursement of the costs according to the funding rates set out in paragraphs 1a, 2 and 4. In the event of an environmental disaster as referred to in the first subparagraph which does not affect a Member State, the actions referred to in points (a), (b) and (c) shall be carried out by the assisting Member State. 7. The following costs shall be eligible for Union financial assistance for transport and logistical resources under this Article: all costs relating to the movement of transport and logistical resources, including the costs of all services, fees, logistical and handling costs, fuel and possible accommodation costs as well as other indirect costs such as taxes, duties in general and transit costs. 8. Transport costs may consist of unit costs, lump sums or flat rates, determined per category of cost.
Article 24 Beneficiaries
Grants awarded under this Decision may be awarded to legal persons, whether governed by private or public law.
Article 25 Types of financial intervention and implementing procedures
1. The Commission shall implement the Union's financial assistance in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012. 2. Financial assistance under this Decision may take any of the forms provided by Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012, in particular grants, reimbursement of expenses, public procurement or contributions to trust funds. 3. In order to implement this Decision, the Commission shall adopt annual work programmes, by means of implementing acts, except for actions falling under the disaster response of Chapter IV, which it is not possible to provide for in advance. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 33(2). The annual work programmes shall set out the objectives pursued, the expected results, the method of implementation and their total amount. They shall also contain a description of actions to be financed, an indication of the amount allocated to each action and an indicative implementation timetable. With regard to the financial assistance referred to in Article 28(2), the annual work programmes shall describe the actions foreseen for countries referred to therein.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal The proposal is intended to amend Decision No 1313/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on a Union Civil Protection Mechanism 1 (‘ the Decision’ ), under which the European Union supports, coordinates and supplements the action s of Member States 2 in the field of civil protection to prevent, prepare for and respond to natural and man-made disasters within and outside the Union. The sole purpose of the proposed change is to ensure that the Union can continue providing emergency support to Member States in fighting wildfires through the capacities developed under the ‘rescEU transition’, until the permanent European aerial forest firefighting fleet will become available. In concrete terms, this proposal suggests extending the end of the transitional period referred to in Article 35 from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027. This date is aligned with the end of the current Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). With rising temperatures and prolonged periods of drought, the wildfire risk in the Union is increasing in scope and the wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense. The 2022 wildfire season in the Union was a record-breaking season. The total number of wildfires in the Union above 30 hectares totalled 2 707. 786 316 hectares (over three times the size of Luxembourg) of land were burnt. This amount has significantly increased compared to the year before (416 413 hectares). Furthermore, the data for 2022 reveal a more than 250% increase over the average burnt area of land since Union-level recording started in 2006. Wildfires have become a serious pan-European concern, affecting not only the Mediterranean region, but also countries including Czech Republic, Germany and Slovenia, as demonstrated by their recent activations of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. As a notable example, Sweden experienced severe wildfires in 2018. In 2022, 20 Member States have recorded more burned areas than their average over previous years. As demonstrated by the wild fire seasons of recent years , the en vironmental, climatic, economic and societal losses associated with wildfires are immense. In 2022 a lone , the wild fires have led to estimated economic losses above EUR 2 billion, and more than 25 million ton ne s of CO2 emitted. Approximately 35% of the burnt areas in 2022 are in cluded in Natura 2000 sites 3 . This alarming acceleration of wildfires across Europe is expected to continue in the coming years due to the impact of climate change. President Von der Leyen addressed this concern in her State of the Union speech in September 2022, where she stated that “ as disasters become more frequent and more intense, Europe will need more capacity. This is why I can today announce that we will double our firefighting capacity over the next year. ” With an amendment to the Decision in 2019 4 , rescEU was created as a European reserve of capacities to provide assistance in overwhelming situations where overall existing capacities at national level and those pre-committed by Member States to the European Civil Protection Pool are not able or are insufficient to ensure an effective response to the various kinds of disasters . Such capacities have been developed , in particular , in the area of aerial forest firefighting to supplement national capacities 5 . While some of those capacities are readily accessible on the market and can be purchased relatively quickly , the availability of the aerial forest firefighting capacities takes more time. To ensure a smooth transition towards the full implementation of rescEU, the Commission was empowered , for a transitional period of an initial five years , to provide financing to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities . It was also specified that the Commission and the Member States should endeavour to obtain additional capacities, including fire-fighting helicopters, in order to better and more efficiently respond to the risk of wildfires , as early as the summer of 2019 6 . It was estimated at the time , based on a market study on currently available aerial forest firefighting assets released on 9 July 2018 7 , that five years would be sufficient , in particular for specialised aircraft to be accessible once again on the market , allowing for the development of permanent fleet . T herefore , an end date of 1 January 2025 was introduced in Article 3 5 of the Decision for the application of that transitional provision . However, recent market developments and more specifically, the absence of the required highly-specialised aircraft on the market show that a longer timeframe ( beyond 2024 ) is needed for the development of amphibious aerial forest firefighting aircraft. The negotiations with the manufacturer of such specialised aircraft are in their final stage ; the delivery of such first planes at an agreed cost is expected to start in 2026 according to the latest reassurances provided by the manufacturer . Thus, the end date set out in Article 35 needs to be further extended until the end of the current MFF , which is 31 December 2027. This period would cover the entire MFF financial envelope of the UCPM in accordance with Article 19 .1a . This proposal is meant to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities beyond the 2024 wildfire season, when the application of the current transitional provision is set to expire. The contracts will need to be prepared well in advance, in 2024, for the deployment of aerial forest firefighting capacities. As a result, the Decision needs to be amended in the current legislature period to allow for the preparations to start in 2024. Therefore, it is urgent that the co-legislators deliberate swiftly on this targeted proposal.
Revised version (Article 25 Types of financial intervention and implementing procedures):
1. The Commission shall implement the Union’s financial support in accordance with the Financial Regulation. 2. The Commission shall implement the Union’s financial support in direct management in accordance with the Financial Regulation or, where justified by the nature and content of the action concerned, in indirect management with the bodies referred to in point (c)(ii), (iv), (v) and (vi) of Article 62(1) of the Financial Regulation. 3. Financial support under this Decision may take any of the forms laid down in the Financial Regulation, in particular the form of grants, procurement or contributions to trust funds. 4. In accordance with point (a) of the second subparagraph of Article 193(2) of the Financial Regulation, taking into account the delayed entry into force of Regulation (EU) 2021/836 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 6 ) and in order to ensure continuity, in duly justified cases specified in the financing decision and for a limited period, costs incurred in respect of actions supported under this Decision may be considered eligible as of 1 January 2021, even if they were incurred before the grant application was submitted. 5. In order to implement this Decision, the Commission shall adopt annual or multi-annual work programmes, by means of implementing acts. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 33(2). The annual or multi-annual work programmes shall set out the objectives pursued, the expected results, the method of implementation and their total amount. They shall also contain a description of actions to be financed, an indication of the amount allocated to each action and an indicative implementation timetable. With regard to the financial assistance referred to in Article 28(2), the annual or multi-annual work programmes shall describe the actions foreseen for countries referred to therein. No annual or multi-annual work programmes shall be required for actions falling under the disaster response laid down in Chapter IV, which cannot be provided for in advance. 6. For the purposes of transparency and predictability, the budgetary execution and the projected future allocations shall be presented and discussed on a yearly basis in the committee referred to in Article 33. The European Parliament shall be kept informed. 7. In addition to Article 12(4) of the Financial Regulation, commitment and payment appropriations that have not been used by the end of the financial year for which they were entered in the annual budget shall be automatically carried over and may be committed and paid up to 31 December of the following year. The carried-over appropriations shall be used solely for response actions. The carried-over appropriations shall be the first appropriations to be used in the following financial year.
Article 26 Complementarity and consistency of Union action
1. Actions receiving financial assistance under this Decision shall not receive assistance from other Union financial instruments. The Commission shall ensure that the applicants for financial assistance under this Decision and beneficiaries of such assistance provide it with information about financial assistance received from other sources, including the general budget of the Union, and about on-going applications for such assistance. 2. Synergies and complementarity shall be sought with other instruments of the Union. In the case of a response to humanitarian crises in third countries the Commission shall ensure the complementarity and coherence of actions financed under this Decision and actions financed under Regulation (EC) No 1257/96. 3. When assistance under the Union Mechanism contributes to a Union humanitarian response, particularly in complex emergencies, actions receiving financial assistance under this Decision shall be based on identified needs and shall be consistent with the humanitarian principles as well as the principles on the use of civil protection and military resources as set out in the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal The proposal is intended to amend Decision No 1313/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on a Union Civil Protection Mechanism 1 (‘ the Decision’ ), under which the European Union supports, coordinates and supplements the action s of Member States 2 in the field of civil protection to prevent, prepare for and respond to natural and man-made disasters within and outside the Union. The sole purpose of the proposed change is to ensure that the Union can continue providing emergency support to Member States in fighting wildfires through the capacities developed under the ‘rescEU transition’, until the permanent European aerial forest firefighting fleet will become available. In concrete terms, this proposal suggests extending the end of the transitional period referred to in Article 35 from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027. This date is aligned with the end of the current Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). With rising temperatures and prolonged periods of drought, the wildfire risk in the Union is increasing in scope and the wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense. The 2022 wildfire season in the Union was a record-breaking season. The total number of wildfires in the Union above 30 hectares totalled 2 707. 786 316 hectares (over three times the size of Luxembourg) of land were burnt. This amount has significantly increased compared to the year before (416 413 hectares). Furthermore, the data for 2022 reveal a more than 250% increase over the average burnt area of land since Union-level recording started in 2006. Wildfires have become a serious pan-European concern, affecting not only the Mediterranean region, but also countries including Czech Republic, Germany and Slovenia, as demonstrated by their recent activations of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. As a notable example, Sweden experienced severe wildfires in 2018. In 2022, 20 Member States have recorded more burned areas than their average over previous years. As demonstrated by the wild fire seasons of recent years , the en vironmental, climatic, economic and societal losses associated with wildfires are immense. In 2022 a lone , the wild fires have led to estimated economic losses above EUR 2 billion, and more than 25 million ton ne s of CO2 emitted. Approximately 35% of the burnt areas in 2022 are in cluded in Natura 2000 sites 3 . This alarming acceleration of wildfires across Europe is expected to continue in the coming years due to the impact of climate change. President Von der Leyen addressed this concern in her State of the Union speech in September 2022, where she stated that “ as disasters become more frequent and more intense, Europe will need more capacity. This is why I can today announce that we will double our firefighting capacity over the next year. ” With an amendment to the Decision in 2019 4 , rescEU was created as a European reserve of capacities to provide assistance in overwhelming situations where overall existing capacities at national level and those pre-committed by Member States to the European Civil Protection Pool are not able or are insufficient to ensure an effective response to the various kinds of disasters . Such capacities have been developed , in particular , in the area of aerial forest firefighting to supplement national capacities 5 . While some of those capacities are readily accessible on the market and can be purchased relatively quickly , the availability of the aerial forest firefighting capacities takes more time. To ensure a smooth transition towards the full implementation of rescEU, the Commission was empowered , for a transitional period of an initial five years , to provide financing to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities . It was also specified that the Commission and the Member States should endeavour to obtain additional capacities, including fire-fighting helicopters, in order to better and more efficiently respond to the risk of wildfires , as early as the summer of 2019 6 . It was estimated at the time , based on a market study on currently available aerial forest firefighting assets released on 9 July 2018 7 , that five years would be sufficient , in particular for specialised aircraft to be accessible once again on the market , allowing for the development of permanent fleet . T herefore , an end date of 1 January 2025 was introduced in Article 3 5 of the Decision for the application of that transitional provision . However, recent market developments and more specifically, the absence of the required highly-specialised aircraft on the market show that a longer timeframe ( beyond 2024 ) is needed for the development of amphibious aerial forest firefighting aircraft. The negotiations with the manufacturer of such specialised aircraft are in their final stage ; the delivery of such first planes at an agreed cost is expected to start in 2026 according to the latest reassurances provided by the manufacturer . Thus, the end date set out in Article 35 needs to be further extended until the end of the current MFF , which is 31 December 2027. This period would cover the entire MFF financial envelope of the UCPM in accordance with Article 19 .1a . This proposal is meant to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities beyond the 2024 wildfire season, when the application of the current transitional provision is set to expire. The contracts will need to be prepared well in advance, in 2024, for the deployment of aerial forest firefighting capacities. As a result, the Decision needs to be amended in the current legislature period to allow for the preparations to start in 2024. Therefore, it is urgent that the co-legislators deliberate swiftly on this targeted proposal.
Revised version (Article 26 Complementarity and consistency of Union action):
1. Actions receiving financial assistance under this Decision shall not receive assistance from other Union financial instruments. However, in accordance with Article 191(1) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 ( 7 ), financial assistance granted pursuant to Articles 21, 22 and 23 of this Decision shall not prevent financing from other Union instruments in accordance with the conditions established therein. The Commission shall ensure that applicants for financial assistance under this Decision, and beneficiaries of such assistance, provide it with information about financial assistance received from other sources, including the general budget of the Union, and about on-going applications for such assistance. 2. Synergies, complementarity and increased coordination shall be developed with other instruments of the Union such as those supporting cohesion, rural development, research, health, migration and security policies, as well as the European Union Solidarity Fund. In the case of a response to humanitarian crises in third countries, the Commission shall ensure the complementarity and coherence of actions financed under this Decision with actions financed under Regulation (EC) No 1257/96, and that those actions are implemented in line with the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid. 3. When assistance under the Union Mechanism contributes to a Union humanitarian response, particularly in complex emergencies, actions receiving financial assistance under this Decision shall be based on identified needs and shall be consistent with the humanitarian principles as well as the principles on the use of civil protection and military resources as set out in the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid.
Article 27 Protection of the financial interests of the Union
1. The Commission shall take appropriate measures ensuring that, when actions financed under this Decision are implemented, the financial interests of the Union are protected by the application of preventive measures against fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities, by effective checks and, if irregularities are detected, by the recovery of the amounts wrongly paid and, where appropriate, by effective, proportionate and dissuasive administrative and financial penalties. 2. The Commission or its representatives and the Court of Auditors shall have the power of audit, on the basis of documents and on the spot, over all grant beneficiaries, contractors and subcontractors, who have received Union funds under this Decision. 3. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) may carry out investigations, including on-the-spot checks and inspections, in accordance with the provisions and procedures laid down in Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 15 ) and Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 ( 16 ) with a view to establishing whether there has been fraud, corruption or any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of the Union in connection with a grant agreement or grant decision or a contract funded under this Decision. 4. Without prejudice to paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, cooperation agreements with third countries and with international organisations, contracts, grant agreements and grant decisions, resulting from the implementation of this Decision shall contain provisions expressly empowering the Commission, the Court of Auditors and OLAF to conduct such audits and investigations, according to their respective competences.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal The proposal is intended to amend Decision No 1313/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on a Union Civil Protection Mechanism 1 (‘ the Decision’ ), under which the European Union supports, coordinates and supplements the action s of Member States 2 in the field of civil protection to prevent, prepare for and respond to natural and man-made disasters within and outside the Union. The sole purpose of the proposed change is to ensure that the Union can continue providing emergency support to Member States in fighting wildfires through the capacities developed under the ‘rescEU transition’, until the permanent European aerial forest firefighting fleet will become available. In concrete terms, this proposal suggests extending the end of the transitional period referred to in Article 35 from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027. This date is aligned with the end of the current Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). With rising temperatures and prolonged periods of drought, the wildfire risk in the Union is increasing in scope and the wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense. The 2022 wildfire season in the Union was a record-breaking season. The total number of wildfires in the Union above 30 hectares totalled 2 707. 786 316 hectares (over three times the size of Luxembourg) of land were burnt. This amount has significantly increased compared to the year before (416 413 hectares). Furthermore, the data for 2022 reveal a more than 250% increase over the average burnt area of land since Union-level recording started in 2006. Wildfires have become a serious pan-European concern, affecting not only the Mediterranean region, but also countries including Czech Republic, Germany and Slovenia, as demonstrated by their recent activations of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. As a notable example, Sweden experienced severe wildfires in 2018. In 2022, 20 Member States have recorded more burned areas than their average over previous years. As demonstrated by the wild fire seasons of recent years , the en vironmental, climatic, economic and societal losses associated with wildfires are immense. In 2022 a lone , the wild fires have led to estimated economic losses above EUR 2 billion, and more than 25 million ton ne s of CO2 emitted. Approximately 35% of the burnt areas in 2022 are in cluded in Natura 2000 sites 3 . This alarming acceleration of wildfires across Europe is expected to continue in the coming years due to the impact of climate change. President Von der Leyen addressed this concern in her State of the Union speech in September 2022, where she stated that “ as disasters become more frequent and more intense, Europe will need more capacity. This is why I can today announce that we will double our firefighting capacity over the next year. ” With an amendment to the Decision in 2019 4 , rescEU was created as a European reserve of capacities to provide assistance in overwhelming situations where overall existing capacities at national level and those pre-committed by Member States to the European Civil Protection Pool are not able or are insufficient to ensure an effective response to the various kinds of disasters . Such capacities have been developed , in particular , in the area of aerial forest firefighting to supplement national capacities 5 . While some of those capacities are readily accessible on the market and can be purchased relatively quickly , the availability of the aerial forest firefighting capacities takes more time. To ensure a smooth transition towards the full implementation of rescEU, the Commission was empowered , for a transitional period of an initial five years , to provide financing to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities . It was also specified that the Commission and the Member States should endeavour to obtain additional capacities, including fire-fighting helicopters, in order to better and more efficiently respond to the risk of wildfires , as early as the summer of 2019 6 . It was estimated at the time , based on a market study on currently available aerial forest firefighting assets released on 9 July 2018 7 , that five years would be sufficient , in particular for specialised aircraft to be accessible once again on the market , allowing for the development of permanent fleet . T herefore , an end date of 1 January 2025 was introduced in Article 3 5 of the Decision for the application of that transitional provision . However, recent market developments and more specifically, the absence of the required highly-specialised aircraft on the market show that a longer timeframe ( beyond 2024 ) is needed for the development of amphibious aerial forest firefighting aircraft. The negotiations with the manufacturer of such specialised aircraft are in their final stage ; the delivery of such first planes at an agreed cost is expected to start in 2026 according to the latest reassurances provided by the manufacturer . Thus, the end date set out in Article 35 needs to be further extended until the end of the current MFF , which is 31 December 2027. This period would cover the entire MFF financial envelope of the UCPM in accordance with Article 19 .1a . This proposal is meant to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities beyond the 2024 wildfire season, when the application of the current transitional provision is set to expire. The contracts will need to be prepared well in advance, in 2024, for the deployment of aerial forest firefighting capacities. As a result, the Decision needs to be amended in the current legislature period to allow for the preparations to start in 2024. Therefore, it is urgent that the co-legislators deliberate swiftly on this targeted proposal.
Revised version (Article 27 Protection of the financial interests of the Union):
Where a third country participates in the Union Mechanism by means of a decision adopted pursuant to an international agreement or on the basis of any other legal instrument, the third country shall grant the necessary rights and access required for the authorising officer responsible, OLAF and the Court of Auditors to comprehensively exercise their respective competences. In the case of OLAF, such rights shall include the right to carry out investigations, including on-the-spot checks and inspections, as provided for in Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 8 ).
Article 28 Third countries and international organisations
1. The Union Mechanism shall be open to the participation of: (a) European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries which are members of the European Economic Area (EEA), in accordance with the conditions laid down in the EEA Agreement, and other European countries when agreements and procedures so provide; (b) acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates in accordance with the general principles and general terms and conditions for the participation of those countries in Union programmes established in the respective Framework Agreements and Association Council Decisions, or similar arrangements; 2. Financial assistance referred to in Article 20 and points (a), (b), (f) and (h) of Article 21(1) may also be granted to candidate countries and potential candidates not participating in the Union Mechanism, as well as to countries that are part of the ENP, to the extent that that financial assistance complements funding available under a future Union legislative act relating to the establishment of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA II) and a future Union legislative act relating to the establishment of a European Neighbourhood Instrument. 3. International or regional organisations may cooperate in activities under the Union Mechanism where relevant bilateral or multilateral agreements between those organisations and the Union so allow.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal The proposal is intended to amend Decision No 1313/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on a Union Civil Protection Mechanism 1 (‘ the Decision’ ), under which the European Union supports, coordinates and supplements the action s of Member States 2 in the field of civil protection to prevent, prepare for and respond to natural and man-made disasters within and outside the Union. The sole purpose of the proposed change is to ensure that the Union can continue providing emergency support to Member States in fighting wildfires through the capacities developed under the ‘rescEU transition’, until the permanent European aerial forest firefighting fleet will become available. In concrete terms, this proposal suggests extending the end of the transitional period referred to in Article 35 from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027. This date is aligned with the end of the current Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). With rising temperatures and prolonged periods of drought, the wildfire risk in the Union is increasing in scope and the wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense. The 2022 wildfire season in the Union was a record-breaking season. The total number of wildfires in the Union above 30 hectares totalled 2 707. 786 316 hectares (over three times the size of Luxembourg) of land were burnt. This amount has significantly increased compared to the year before (416 413 hectares). Furthermore, the data for 2022 reveal a more than 250% increase over the average burnt area of land since Union-level recording started in 2006. Wildfires have become a serious pan-European concern, affecting not only the Mediterranean region, but also countries including Czech Republic, Germany and Slovenia, as demonstrated by their recent activations of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. As a notable example, Sweden experienced severe wildfires in 2018. In 2022, 20 Member States have recorded more burned areas than their average over previous years. As demonstrated by the wild fire seasons of recent years , the en vironmental, climatic, economic and societal losses associated with wildfires are immense. In 2022 a lone , the wild fires have led to estimated economic losses above EUR 2 billion, and more than 25 million ton ne s of CO2 emitted. Approximately 35% of the burnt areas in 2022 are in cluded in Natura 2000 sites 3 . This alarming acceleration of wildfires across Europe is expected to continue in the coming years due to the impact of climate change. President Von der Leyen addressed this concern in her State of the Union speech in September 2022, where she stated that “ as disasters become more frequent and more intense, Europe will need more capacity. This is why I can today announce that we will double our firefighting capacity over the next year. ” With an amendment to the Decision in 2019 4 , rescEU was created as a European reserve of capacities to provide assistance in overwhelming situations where overall existing capacities at national level and those pre-committed by Member States to the European Civil Protection Pool are not able or are insufficient to ensure an effective response to the various kinds of disasters . Such capacities have been developed , in particular , in the area of aerial forest firefighting to supplement national capacities 5 . While some of those capacities are readily accessible on the market and can be purchased relatively quickly , the availability of the aerial forest firefighting capacities takes more time. To ensure a smooth transition towards the full implementation of rescEU, the Commission was empowered , for a transitional period of an initial five years , to provide financing to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities . It was also specified that the Commission and the Member States should endeavour to obtain additional capacities, including fire-fighting helicopters, in order to better and more efficiently respond to the risk of wildfires , as early as the summer of 2019 6 . It was estimated at the time , based on a market study on currently available aerial forest firefighting assets released on 9 July 2018 7 , that five years would be sufficient , in particular for specialised aircraft to be accessible once again on the market , allowing for the development of permanent fleet . T herefore , an end date of 1 January 2025 was introduced in Article 3 5 of the Decision for the application of that transitional provision . However, recent market developments and more specifically, the absence of the required highly-specialised aircraft on the market show that a longer timeframe ( beyond 2024 ) is needed for the development of amphibious aerial forest firefighting aircraft. The negotiations with the manufacturer of such specialised aircraft are in their final stage ; the delivery of such first planes at an agreed cost is expected to start in 2026 according to the latest reassurances provided by the manufacturer . Thus, the end date set out in Article 35 needs to be further extended until the end of the current MFF , which is 31 December 2027. This period would cover the entire MFF financial envelope of the UCPM in accordance with Article 19 .1a . This proposal is meant to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities beyond the 2024 wildfire season, when the application of the current transitional provision is set to expire. The contracts will need to be prepared well in advance, in 2024, for the deployment of aerial forest firefighting capacities. As a result, the Decision needs to be amended in the current legislature period to allow for the preparations to start in 2024. Therefore, it is urgent that the co-legislators deliberate swiftly on this targeted proposal.
Revised version (Article 28 Third countries and international organisations):
1a. Participation in the Union Mechanism shall include participation in its activities in accordance with the objectives, requirements, criteria, procedures and deadlines provided for in this Decision, and shall be in accordance with the specific conditions laid down in the agreements between the Union and the participating state. 2. Financial assistance referred to in Article 20 and points (a), (b), (f) and (h) of Article 21(1) may also be granted to candidate countries and potential candidates not participating in the Union Mechanism, as well as to countries that are part of the ENP, to the extent that that financial assistance complements funding available under a future Union legislative act relating to the establishment of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA II) and a future Union legislative act relating to the establishment of a European Neighbourhood Instrument. 3. International or regional organisations, or countries that are part of the European Neighbourhood Policy may cooperate in activities under the Union Mechanism where relevant bilateral or multilateral agreements between those organisations or countries and the Union so allow.
Article 29 Competent authorities
For the purposes of applying this Decision, Member States shall appoint the competent authorities and inform the Commission accordingly.
Article 30 Exercise of the delegation
1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article. 2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Article 19(5) and (6) shall be conferred on the Commission until 31 December 2020. 3. The delegation of power referred to in Article 19(5) and (6) may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force. 4. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council. 5. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 19(5) shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or the Council.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal The proposal is intended to amend Decision No 1313/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on a Union Civil Protection Mechanism 1 (‘ the Decision’ ), under which the European Union supports, coordinates and supplements the action s of Member States 2 in the field of civil protection to prevent, prepare for and respond to natural and man-made disasters within and outside the Union. The sole purpose of the proposed change is to ensure that the Union can continue providing emergency support to Member States in fighting wildfires through the capacities developed under the ‘rescEU transition’, until the permanent European aerial forest firefighting fleet will become available. In concrete terms, this proposal suggests extending the end of the transitional period referred to in Article 35 from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027. This date is aligned with the end of the current Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). With rising temperatures and prolonged periods of drought, the wildfire risk in the Union is increasing in scope and the wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense. The 2022 wildfire season in the Union was a record-breaking season. The total number of wildfires in the Union above 30 hectares totalled 2 707. 786 316 hectares (over three times the size of Luxembourg) of land were burnt. This amount has significantly increased compared to the year before (416 413 hectares). Furthermore, the data for 2022 reveal a more than 250% increase over the average burnt area of land since Union-level recording started in 2006. Wildfires have become a serious pan-European concern, affecting not only the Mediterranean region, but also countries including Czech Republic, Germany and Slovenia, as demonstrated by their recent activations of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. As a notable example, Sweden experienced severe wildfires in 2018. In 2022, 20 Member States have recorded more burned areas than their average over previous years. As demonstrated by the wild fire seasons of recent years , the en vironmental, climatic, economic and societal losses associated with wildfires are immense. In 2022 a lone , the wild fires have led to estimated economic losses above EUR 2 billion, and more than 25 million ton ne s of CO2 emitted. Approximately 35% of the burnt areas in 2022 are in cluded in Natura 2000 sites 3 . This alarming acceleration of wildfires across Europe is expected to continue in the coming years due to the impact of climate change. President Von der Leyen addressed this concern in her State of the Union speech in September 2022, where she stated that “ as disasters become more frequent and more intense, Europe will need more capacity. This is why I can today announce that we will double our firefighting capacity over the next year. ” With an amendment to the Decision in 2019 4 , rescEU was created as a European reserve of capacities to provide assistance in overwhelming situations where overall existing capacities at national level and those pre-committed by Member States to the European Civil Protection Pool are not able or are insufficient to ensure an effective response to the various kinds of disasters . Such capacities have been developed , in particular , in the area of aerial forest firefighting to supplement national capacities 5 . While some of those capacities are readily accessible on the market and can be purchased relatively quickly , the availability of the aerial forest firefighting capacities takes more time. To ensure a smooth transition towards the full implementation of rescEU, the Commission was empowered , for a transitional period of an initial five years , to provide financing to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities . It was also specified that the Commission and the Member States should endeavour to obtain additional capacities, including fire-fighting helicopters, in order to better and more efficiently respond to the risk of wildfires , as early as the summer of 2019 6 . It was estimated at the time , based on a market study on currently available aerial forest firefighting assets released on 9 July 2018 7 , that five years would be sufficient , in particular for specialised aircraft to be accessible once again on the market , allowing for the development of permanent fleet . T herefore , an end date of 1 January 2025 was introduced in Article 3 5 of the Decision for the application of that transitional provision . However, recent market developments and more specifically, the absence of the required highly-specialised aircraft on the market show that a longer timeframe ( beyond 2024 ) is needed for the development of amphibious aerial forest firefighting aircraft. The negotiations with the manufacturer of such specialised aircraft are in their final stage ; the delivery of such first planes at an agreed cost is expected to start in 2026 according to the latest reassurances provided by the manufacturer . Thus, the end date set out in Article 35 needs to be further extended until the end of the current MFF , which is 31 December 2027. This period would cover the entire MFF financial envelope of the UCPM in accordance with Article 19 .1a . This proposal is meant to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities beyond the 2024 wildfire season, when the application of the current transitional provision is set to expire. The contracts will need to be prepared well in advance, in 2024, for the deployment of aerial forest firefighting capacities. As a result, the Decision needs to be amended in the current legislature period to allow for the preparations to start in 2024. Therefore, it is urgent that the co-legislators deliberate swiftly on this targeted proposal.
Revised version (Article 30 Exercise of the delegation):
1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article. 2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Article 19(6) and in the second subparagraph of Article 21(3) shall be conferred on the Commission until 31 December 2027. 4. The delegation of power referred to in Article 19(6) and in the second subparagraph of Article 21(3) may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force. 5. Before adopting a delegated act, the Commission shall consult experts designated by each Member State in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making. 6. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council. 7. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 19(6) or the second subparagraph of Article 21(3) shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council.
Article 31 Urgency procedure
1. Delegated acts adopted under this Article shall enter into force without delay and shall apply as long as no objection is expressed in accordance with paragraph 2. The notification of a delegated act to the European Parliament and to the Council shall state the reasons for the use of the urgency procedure. 2. Either the European Parliament or the Council may object to a delegated act in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 30(5). In such a case, the Commission shall repeal the act without delay following the notification of the decision to object by the European Parliament or by the Council.
Article 32 Implementing acts
1. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts on the following matters: (a) the interaction of the ERCC with Member States' contact points, as provided for in point (b) of Article 8, Article 15(3) and point (a) of Article 16(3); and the operational procedures for the response to disasters within the Union, as provided for in Article 15, as well as outside the Union, as provided for in Article 16, including identification of relevant international organisations; (b) the components of CECIS as well as the organisation of information sharing through CECIS, as provided for in point (b) of Article 8; (c) the process for deploying expert teams, as provided for in Article 17; (d) the identification of modules, other response capacities and experts as provided for in Article 9(1); (e) the operational requirements for the functioning and interoperability of modules, as provided for in Article 9(2), including their tasks, capacities, main components, self-sufficiency and deployment; (f) the capacity goals, the quality and interoperability requirements and the certification and registration procedure necessary for the functioning of the EERC, as provided for in Article 11, as well as the financial arrangements, as provided for in Article 21(2); (g) identifying and filling gaps in the EERC, as provided for in Article 12; (h) the organisation of the training programme, exercise framework and lessons learnt programme, as provided for in Article 13; and (i) the organisation of support for the transport of assistance, as provided for in Articles 18 and 23. 2. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 33(2).
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal The proposal is intended to amend Decision No 1313/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on a Union Civil Protection Mechanism 1 (‘ the Decision’ ), under which the European Union supports, coordinates and supplements the action s of Member States 2 in the field of civil protection to prevent, prepare for and respond to natural and man-made disasters within and outside the Union. The sole purpose of the proposed change is to ensure that the Union can continue providing emergency support to Member States in fighting wildfires through the capacities developed under the ‘rescEU transition’, until the permanent European aerial forest firefighting fleet will become available. In concrete terms, this proposal suggests extending the end of the transitional period referred to in Article 35 from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027. This date is aligned with the end of the current Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). With rising temperatures and prolonged periods of drought, the wildfire risk in the Union is increasing in scope and the wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense. The 2022 wildfire season in the Union was a record-breaking season. The total number of wildfires in the Union above 30 hectares totalled 2 707. 786 316 hectares (over three times the size of Luxembourg) of land were burnt. This amount has significantly increased compared to the year before (416 413 hectares). Furthermore, the data for 2022 reveal a more than 250% increase over the average burnt area of land since Union-level recording started in 2006. Wildfires have become a serious pan-European concern, affecting not only the Mediterranean region, but also countries including Czech Republic, Germany and Slovenia, as demonstrated by their recent activations of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. As a notable example, Sweden experienced severe wildfires in 2018. In 2022, 20 Member States have recorded more burned areas than their average over previous years. As demonstrated by the wild fire seasons of recent years , the en vironmental, climatic, economic and societal losses associated with wildfires are immense. In 2022 a lone , the wild fires have led to estimated economic losses above EUR 2 billion, and more than 25 million ton ne s of CO2 emitted. Approximately 35% of the burnt areas in 2022 are in cluded in Natura 2000 sites 3 . This alarming acceleration of wildfires across Europe is expected to continue in the coming years due to the impact of climate change. President Von der Leyen addressed this concern in her State of the Union speech in September 2022, where she stated that “ as disasters become more frequent and more intense, Europe will need more capacity. This is why I can today announce that we will double our firefighting capacity over the next year. ” With an amendment to the Decision in 2019 4 , rescEU was created as a European reserve of capacities to provide assistance in overwhelming situations where overall existing capacities at national level and those pre-committed by Member States to the European Civil Protection Pool are not able or are insufficient to ensure an effective response to the various kinds of disasters . Such capacities have been developed , in particular , in the area of aerial forest firefighting to supplement national capacities 5 . While some of those capacities are readily accessible on the market and can be purchased relatively quickly , the availability of the aerial forest firefighting capacities takes more time. To ensure a smooth transition towards the full implementation of rescEU, the Commission was empowered , for a transitional period of an initial five years , to provide financing to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities . It was also specified that the Commission and the Member States should endeavour to obtain additional capacities, including fire-fighting helicopters, in order to better and more efficiently respond to the risk of wildfires , as early as the summer of 2019 6 . It was estimated at the time , based on a market study on currently available aerial forest firefighting assets released on 9 July 2018 7 , that five years would be sufficient , in particular for specialised aircraft to be accessible once again on the market , allowing for the development of permanent fleet . T herefore , an end date of 1 January 2025 was introduced in Article 3 5 of the Decision for the application of that transitional provision . However, recent market developments and more specifically, the absence of the required highly-specialised aircraft on the market show that a longer timeframe ( beyond 2024 ) is needed for the development of amphibious aerial forest firefighting aircraft. The negotiations with the manufacturer of such specialised aircraft are in their final stage ; the delivery of such first planes at an agreed cost is expected to start in 2026 according to the latest reassurances provided by the manufacturer . Thus, the end date set out in Article 35 needs to be further extended until the end of the current MFF , which is 31 December 2027. This period would cover the entire MFF financial envelope of the UCPM in accordance with Article 19 .1a . This proposal is meant to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities beyond the 2024 wildfire season, when the application of the current transitional provision is set to expire. The contracts will need to be prepared well in advance, in 2024, for the deployment of aerial forest firefighting capacities. As a result, the Decision needs to be amended in the current legislature period to allow for the preparations to start in 2024. Therefore, it is urgent that the co-legislators deliberate swiftly on this targeted proposal.
Revised version (Article 32 Implementing acts):
2. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 33(2).
Article 33 Committee procedure
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee. That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011. 2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply. Where the Committee delivers no opinion, the Commission shall not adopt the draft implementing act and the third subparagraph of Article 5(4) of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal The proposal is intended to amend Decision No 1313/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on a Union Civil Protection Mechanism 1 (‘ the Decision’ ), under which the European Union supports, coordinates and supplements the action s of Member States 2 in the field of civil protection to prevent, prepare for and respond to natural and man-made disasters within and outside the Union. The sole purpose of the proposed change is to ensure that the Union can continue providing emergency support to Member States in fighting wildfires through the capacities developed under the ‘rescEU transition’, until the permanent European aerial forest firefighting fleet will become available. In concrete terms, this proposal suggests extending the end of the transitional period referred to in Article 35 from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027. This date is aligned with the end of the current Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). With rising temperatures and prolonged periods of drought, the wildfire risk in the Union is increasing in scope and the wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense. The 2022 wildfire season in the Union was a record-breaking season. The total number of wildfires in the Union above 30 hectares totalled 2 707. 786 316 hectares (over three times the size of Luxembourg) of land were burnt. This amount has significantly increased compared to the year before (416 413 hectares). Furthermore, the data for 2022 reveal a more than 250% increase over the average burnt area of land since Union-level recording started in 2006. Wildfires have become a serious pan-European concern, affecting not only the Mediterranean region, but also countries including Czech Republic, Germany and Slovenia, as demonstrated by their recent activations of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. As a notable example, Sweden experienced severe wildfires in 2018. In 2022, 20 Member States have recorded more burned areas than their average over previous years. As demonstrated by the wild fire seasons of recent years , the en vironmental, climatic, economic and societal losses associated with wildfires are immense. In 2022 a lone , the wild fires have led to estimated economic losses above EUR 2 billion, and more than 25 million ton ne s of CO2 emitted. Approximately 35% of the burnt areas in 2022 are in cluded in Natura 2000 sites 3 . This alarming acceleration of wildfires across Europe is expected to continue in the coming years due to the impact of climate change. President Von der Leyen addressed this concern in her State of the Union speech in September 2022, where she stated that “ as disasters become more frequent and more intense, Europe will need more capacity. This is why I can today announce that we will double our firefighting capacity over the next year. ” With an amendment to the Decision in 2019 4 , rescEU was created as a European reserve of capacities to provide assistance in overwhelming situations where overall existing capacities at national level and those pre-committed by Member States to the European Civil Protection Pool are not able or are insufficient to ensure an effective response to the various kinds of disasters . Such capacities have been developed , in particular , in the area of aerial forest firefighting to supplement national capacities 5 . While some of those capacities are readily accessible on the market and can be purchased relatively quickly , the availability of the aerial forest firefighting capacities takes more time. To ensure a smooth transition towards the full implementation of rescEU, the Commission was empowered , for a transitional period of an initial five years , to provide financing to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities . It was also specified that the Commission and the Member States should endeavour to obtain additional capacities, including fire-fighting helicopters, in order to better and more efficiently respond to the risk of wildfires , as early as the summer of 2019 6 . It was estimated at the time , based on a market study on currently available aerial forest firefighting assets released on 9 July 2018 7 , that five years would be sufficient , in particular for specialised aircraft to be accessible once again on the market , allowing for the development of permanent fleet . T herefore , an end date of 1 January 2025 was introduced in Article 3 5 of the Decision for the application of that transitional provision . However, recent market developments and more specifically, the absence of the required highly-specialised aircraft on the market show that a longer timeframe ( beyond 2024 ) is needed for the development of amphibious aerial forest firefighting aircraft. The negotiations with the manufacturer of such specialised aircraft are in their final stage ; the delivery of such first planes at an agreed cost is expected to start in 2026 according to the latest reassurances provided by the manufacturer . Thus, the end date set out in Article 35 needs to be further extended until the end of the current MFF , which is 31 December 2027. This period would cover the entire MFF financial envelope of the UCPM in accordance with Article 19 .1a . This proposal is meant to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities beyond the 2024 wildfire season, when the application of the current transitional provision is set to expire. The contracts will need to be prepared well in advance, in 2024, for the deployment of aerial forest firefighting capacities. As a result, the Decision needs to be amended in the current legislature period to allow for the preparations to start in 2024. Therefore, it is urgent that the co-legislators deliberate swiftly on this targeted proposal.
Revised version (Article 33 Committee procedure):
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee. That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011. 2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply. Where the Committee delivers no opinion, the Commission shall not adopt the draft implementing act and the third subparagraph of Article 5(4) of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply. 3. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 8 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011, in conjunction with Article 5 thereof, shall apply.
Article 34 Evaluation
1. Actions receiving financial assistance shall be monitored regularly in order to follow their implementation. 2. The Commission shall evaluate the application of this Decision and submit to the European Parliament and to the Council: (a) an interim evaluation report on the results obtained and the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the implementation of this Decision by no later than 30 June 2017; (b) a communication on the continued implementation of this Decision by no later than 31 December 2018; and (c) an ex-post evaluation report by no later than 31 December 2021. The interim evaluation report and the communication as referred to in points (a) and (b) respectively shall be accompanied, if appropriate, by proposals for amendments to this Decision.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal The proposal is intended to amend Decision No 1313/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on a Union Civil Protection Mechanism 1 (‘ the Decision’ ), under which the European Union supports, coordinates and supplements the action s of Member States 2 in the field of civil protection to prevent, prepare for and respond to natural and man-made disasters within and outside the Union. The sole purpose of the proposed change is to ensure that the Union can continue providing emergency support to Member States in fighting wildfires through the capacities developed under the ‘rescEU transition’, until the permanent European aerial forest firefighting fleet will become available. In concrete terms, this proposal suggests extending the end of the transitional period referred to in Article 35 from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027. This date is aligned with the end of the current Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). With rising temperatures and prolonged periods of drought, the wildfire risk in the Union is increasing in scope and the wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense. The 2022 wildfire season in the Union was a record-breaking season. The total number of wildfires in the Union above 30 hectares totalled 2 707. 786 316 hectares (over three times the size of Luxembourg) of land were burnt. This amount has significantly increased compared to the year before (416 413 hectares). Furthermore, the data for 2022 reveal a more than 250% increase over the average burnt area of land since Union-level recording started in 2006. Wildfires have become a serious pan-European concern, affecting not only the Mediterranean region, but also countries including Czech Republic, Germany and Slovenia, as demonstrated by their recent activations of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. As a notable example, Sweden experienced severe wildfires in 2018. In 2022, 20 Member States have recorded more burned areas than their average over previous years. As demonstrated by the wild fire seasons of recent years , the en vironmental, climatic, economic and societal losses associated with wildfires are immense. In 2022 a lone , the wild fires have led to estimated economic losses above EUR 2 billion, and more than 25 million ton ne s of CO2 emitted. Approximately 35% of the burnt areas in 2022 are in cluded in Natura 2000 sites 3 . This alarming acceleration of wildfires across Europe is expected to continue in the coming years due to the impact of climate change. President Von der Leyen addressed this concern in her State of the Union speech in September 2022, where she stated that “ as disasters become more frequent and more intense, Europe will need more capacity. This is why I can today announce that we will double our firefighting capacity over the next year. ” With an amendment to the Decision in 2019 4 , rescEU was created as a European reserve of capacities to provide assistance in overwhelming situations where overall existing capacities at national level and those pre-committed by Member States to the European Civil Protection Pool are not able or are insufficient to ensure an effective response to the various kinds of disasters . Such capacities have been developed , in particular , in the area of aerial forest firefighting to supplement national capacities 5 . While some of those capacities are readily accessible on the market and can be purchased relatively quickly , the availability of the aerial forest firefighting capacities takes more time. To ensure a smooth transition towards the full implementation of rescEU, the Commission was empowered , for a transitional period of an initial five years , to provide financing to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities . It was also specified that the Commission and the Member States should endeavour to obtain additional capacities, including fire-fighting helicopters, in order to better and more efficiently respond to the risk of wildfires , as early as the summer of 2019 6 . It was estimated at the time , based on a market study on currently available aerial forest firefighting assets released on 9 July 2018 7 , that five years would be sufficient , in particular for specialised aircraft to be accessible once again on the market , allowing for the development of permanent fleet . T herefore , an end date of 1 January 2025 was introduced in Article 3 5 of the Decision for the application of that transitional provision . However, recent market developments and more specifically, the absence of the required highly-specialised aircraft on the market show that a longer timeframe ( beyond 2024 ) is needed for the development of amphibious aerial forest firefighting aircraft. The negotiations with the manufacturer of such specialised aircraft are in their final stage ; the delivery of such first planes at an agreed cost is expected to start in 2026 according to the latest reassurances provided by the manufacturer . Thus, the end date set out in Article 35 needs to be further extended until the end of the current MFF , which is 31 December 2027. This period would cover the entire MFF financial envelope of the UCPM in accordance with Article 19 .1a . This proposal is meant to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities beyond the 2024 wildfire season, when the application of the current transitional provision is set to expire. The contracts will need to be prepared well in advance, in 2024, for the deployment of aerial forest firefighting capacities. As a result, the Decision needs to be amended in the current legislature period to allow for the preparations to start in 2024. Therefore, it is urgent that the co-legislators deliberate swiftly on this targeted proposal.
Revised version (Article 34 Evaluation):
1. Actions receiving financial assistance shall be monitored regularly in order to follow their implementation. 2. Every two years, the Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament and to the Council on operations and progress made under Article 6(5) and Articles 11 and 12. The report shall include information on progress made towards the Union disaster resilience goals, capacity goals and remaining gaps as referred to in Article 11(2), taking into account the establishment of rescEU capacities in accordance with Article 12. The report shall also provide an overview of the budgetary and cost developments relating to response capacities, and an assessment of the need for further development of those capacities. 3. By 31 December 2023 and every five years thereafter, the Commission shall evaluate the application of this Decision and submit a communication on the effectiveness, cost efficiency and continued implementation of this Decision, in particular as regards Article 6(4), rescEU capacities and the degree of coordination and synergies achieved with other Union policies, programmes and funds, including medical emergencies, to the European Parliament and to the Council. That communication shall be accompanied, where appropriate, by proposals for amendments to this Decision.
Article 35 Transitional provisions
1. Actions which are initiated before 1 January 2014 on the basis of Decision 2007/162/EC, Euratom shall continue to be administered, where relevant, in conformity with that Decision. 2. Member States shall ensure at national level a smooth transition between the actions carried out in the context of the Financial Instrument and those to be implemented under the provisions set out in this Decision.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal The proposal is intended to amend Decision No 1313/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on a Union Civil Protection Mechanism 1 (‘ the Decision’ ), under which the European Union supports, coordinates and supplements the action s of Member States 2 in the field of civil protection to prevent, prepare for and respond to natural and man-made disasters within and outside the Union. The sole purpose of the proposed change is to ensure that the Union can continue providing emergency support to Member States in fighting wildfires through the capacities developed under the ‘rescEU transition’, until the permanent European aerial forest firefighting fleet will become available. In concrete terms, this proposal suggests extending the end of the transitional period referred to in Article 35 from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027. This date is aligned with the end of the current Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). With rising temperatures and prolonged periods of drought, the wildfire risk in the Union is increasing in scope and the wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense. The 2022 wildfire season in the Union was a record-breaking season. The total number of wildfires in the Union above 30 hectares totalled 2 707. 786 316 hectares (over three times the size of Luxembourg) of land were burnt. This amount has significantly increased compared to the year before (416 413 hectares). Furthermore, the data for 2022 reveal a more than 250% increase over the average burnt area of land since Union-level recording started in 2006. Wildfires have become a serious pan-European concern, affecting not only the Mediterranean region, but also countries including Czech Republic, Germany and Slovenia, as demonstrated by their recent activations of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. As a notable example, Sweden experienced severe wildfires in 2018. In 2022, 20 Member States have recorded more burned areas than their average over previous years. As demonstrated by the wild fire seasons of recent years , the en vironmental, climatic, economic and societal losses associated with wildfires are immense. In 2022 a lone , the wild fires have led to estimated economic losses above EUR 2 billion, and more than 25 million ton ne s of CO2 emitted. Approximately 35% of the burnt areas in 2022 are in cluded in Natura 2000 sites 3 . This alarming acceleration of wildfires across Europe is expected to continue in the coming years due to the impact of climate change. President Von der Leyen addressed this concern in her State of the Union speech in September 2022, where she stated that “ as disasters become more frequent and more intense, Europe will need more capacity. This is why I can today announce that we will double our firefighting capacity over the next year. ” With an amendment to the Decision in 2019 4 , rescEU was created as a European reserve of capacities to provide assistance in overwhelming situations where overall existing capacities at national level and those pre-committed by Member States to the European Civil Protection Pool are not able or are insufficient to ensure an effective response to the various kinds of disasters . Such capacities have been developed , in particular , in the area of aerial forest firefighting to supplement national capacities 5 . While some of those capacities are readily accessible on the market and can be purchased relatively quickly , the availability of the aerial forest firefighting capacities takes more time. To ensure a smooth transition towards the full implementation of rescEU, the Commission was empowered , for a transitional period of an initial five years , to provide financing to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities . It was also specified that the Commission and the Member States should endeavour to obtain additional capacities, including fire-fighting helicopters, in order to better and more efficiently respond to the risk of wildfires , as early as the summer of 2019 6 . It was estimated at the time , based on a market study on currently available aerial forest firefighting assets released on 9 July 2018 7 , that five years would be sufficient , in particular for specialised aircraft to be accessible once again on the market , allowing for the development of permanent fleet . T herefore , an end date of 1 January 2025 was introduced in Article 3 5 of the Decision for the application of that transitional provision . However, recent market developments and more specifically, the absence of the required highly-specialised aircraft on the market show that a longer timeframe ( beyond 2024 ) is needed for the development of amphibious aerial forest firefighting aircraft. The negotiations with the manufacturer of such specialised aircraft are in their final stage ; the delivery of such first planes at an agreed cost is expected to start in 2026 according to the latest reassurances provided by the manufacturer . Thus, the end date set out in Article 35 needs to be further extended until the end of the current MFF , which is 31 December 2027. This period would cover the entire MFF financial envelope of the UCPM in accordance with Article 19 .1a . This proposal is meant to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities beyond the 2024 wildfire season, when the application of the current transitional provision is set to expire. The contracts will need to be prepared well in advance, in 2024, for the deployment of aerial forest firefighting capacities. As a result, the Decision needs to be amended in the current legislature period to allow for the preparations to start in 2024. Therefore, it is urgent that the co-legislators deliberate swiftly on this targeted proposal.
Article 36 Repeal
Decision 2007/162/EC, Euratom and Decision 2007/779/EC, Euratom are repealed. References to the repealed Decisions shall be construed as references to this Decision and shall be read in accordance with the correlation table in Annex II to this Decision.
Article 37 Entry into force
This Decision shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union . It shall apply from 1 January 2014.
Article 38 Addressees
This Decision is addressed to the Member States in accordance with the Treaties.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal The proposal is intended to amend Decision No 1313/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on a Union Civil Protection Mechanism 1 (‘ the Decision’ ), under which the European Union supports, coordinates and supplements the action s of Member States 2 in the field of civil protection to prevent, prepare for and respond to natural and man-made disasters within and outside the Union. The sole purpose of the proposed change is to ensure that the Union can continue providing emergency support to Member States in fighting wildfires through the capacities developed under the ‘rescEU transition’, until the permanent European aerial forest firefighting fleet will become available. In concrete terms, this proposal suggests extending the end of the transitional period referred to in Article 35 from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027. This date is aligned with the end of the current Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). With rising temperatures and prolonged periods of drought, the wildfire risk in the Union is increasing in scope and the wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense. The 2022 wildfire season in the Union was a record-breaking season. The total number of wildfires in the Union above 30 hectares totalled 2 707. 786 316 hectares (over three times the size of Luxembourg) of land were burnt. This amount has significantly increased compared to the year before (416 413 hectares). Furthermore, the data for 2022 reveal a more than 250% increase over the average burnt area of land since Union-level recording started in 2006. Wildfires have become a serious pan-European concern, affecting not only the Mediterranean region, but also countries including Czech Republic, Germany and Slovenia, as demonstrated by their recent activations of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. As a notable example, Sweden experienced severe wildfires in 2018. In 2022, 20 Member States have recorded more burned areas than their average over previous years. As demonstrated by the wild fire seasons of recent years , the en vironmental, climatic, economic and societal losses associated with wildfires are immense. In 2022 a lone , the wild fires have led to estimated economic losses above EUR 2 billion, and more than 25 million ton ne s of CO2 emitted. Approximately 35% of the burnt areas in 2022 are in cluded in Natura 2000 sites 3 . This alarming acceleration of wildfires across Europe is expected to continue in the coming years due to the impact of climate change. President Von der Leyen addressed this concern in her State of the Union speech in September 2022, where she stated that “ as disasters become more frequent and more intense, Europe will need more capacity. This is why I can today announce that we will double our firefighting capacity over the next year. ” With an amendment to the Decision in 2019 4 , rescEU was created as a European reserve of capacities to provide assistance in overwhelming situations where overall existing capacities at national level and those pre-committed by Member States to the European Civil Protection Pool are not able or are insufficient to ensure an effective response to the various kinds of disasters . Such capacities have been developed , in particular , in the area of aerial forest firefighting to supplement national capacities 5 . While some of those capacities are readily accessible on the market and can be purchased relatively quickly , the availability of the aerial forest firefighting capacities takes more time. To ensure a smooth transition towards the full implementation of rescEU, the Commission was empowered , for a transitional period of an initial five years , to provide financing to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities . It was also specified that the Commission and the Member States should endeavour to obtain additional capacities, including fire-fighting helicopters, in order to better and more efficiently respond to the risk of wildfires , as early as the summer of 2019 6 . It was estimated at the time , based on a market study on currently available aerial forest firefighting assets released on 9 July 2018 7 , that five years would be sufficient , in particular for specialised aircraft to be accessible once again on the market , allowing for the development of permanent fleet . T herefore , an end date of 1 January 2025 was introduced in Article 3 5 of the Decision for the application of that transitional provision . However, recent market developments and more specifically, the absence of the required highly-specialised aircraft on the market show that a longer timeframe ( beyond 2024 ) is needed for the development of amphibious aerial forest firefighting aircraft. The negotiations with the manufacturer of such specialised aircraft are in their final stage ; the delivery of such first planes at an agreed cost is expected to start in 2026 according to the latest reassurances provided by the manufacturer . Thus, the end date set out in Article 35 needs to be further extended until the end of the current MFF , which is 31 December 2027. This period would cover the entire MFF financial envelope of the UCPM in accordance with Article 19 .1a . This proposal is meant to ensure the rapid availability of relevant national capacities beyond the 2024 wildfire season, when the application of the current transitional provision is set to expire. The contracts will need to be prepared well in advance, in 2024, for the deployment of aerial forest firefighting capacities. As a result, the Decision needs to be amended in the current legislature period to allow for the preparations to start in 2024. Therefore, it is urgent that the co-legislators deliberate swiftly on this targeted proposal.