Decision (EU) 2021/75 on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Croatia and Poland in relation to a natural disaster and to provide for the payment of advances to Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and Spain in relation to a public health emergency

Ce que fait l'acte

to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Croatia and Poland in relation to a natural disaster and to provide for the payment of advances to Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and Spain in relation to a public health emergency. PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council. CONTENT: this decision covers the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 for an amount of EUR 823 548 633 to provide assistance to Croatia and Poland further to natural disasters that took place in these countries in the course of 2020, as well as for advances to seven Member States (Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal, Spain) in response to the major public health emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020. The European Union Solidarity Fund aims to enable the Union to respond in a rapid, efficient and flexible manner to emergency situations in order to show solidarity with the population of regions struck by major or regional natural disasters or major public health emergency. The Fund is not to exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 500 million (2011 prices), as laid down in Article 10 of Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020 (MFF regulation). The European Parliament adopted by 682 votes to 8, with 2 abstentions, a resolution on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Croatia and Poland in relation to a natural disaster and to provide for the payment of advances to Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and Spain in relation to a public health emergency. As a reminder, on 10 June 2020, Croatia submitted an application for assistance from the Fund following the earthquake of March 2020 which affected the city of Zagreb and the counties of Zagreb and Krapina-Zagorje. Poland submitted an application to mobilise the Fund on 24 August 2020 in response to the floods of June 2020 in the Podkarpackie voivodship. On 24 June 2020, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and Spain submitted applications to mobilise the Fund by way of an advance payment in relation to a major public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Parliament approved the proposal for a decision to mobilise the EU Solidarity Fund in the framework of the 2020 budget as follows in commitment and payment appropriations: Members welcomed the decision as a sign of the Union’s solidarity with the Union citizens and regions hit by natural disasters and the major public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. They stressed the urgency of releasing financial assistance through the EUSF to the affected regions.