Regulation (EU) 2021/177

Ce que fait l'acte

to strengthen the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) in order to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure on an equal footing with the Council. BACKGROUND: the current situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented and requires exceptional measures to be taken with regard to aid provided to the most deprived under the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD). The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs adopted the report by Lucia ĎURIŠ NICHOLSONOVÁ (ECR, SK) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 223/2014 as regards the introduction of specific measures for addressing the COVID-19 crisis. As a reminder, the Commission proposal aims to amend Regulation (EU) No 223/2014 so that Member States may provide additional resources to the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) until 2022. The financing of the main post-crisis recovery measures and support for the most deprived may therefore continue uninterrupted. The committee recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission's proposal as follows. While the Commission proposes that Member States may voluntarily increase the overall resources provided for in the FEAD Regulation to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, Members proposed that Member States shall be increased by Member States in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by a minimum share amounting to at least 3% of the additional resources, in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013. The increase may affect the budgetary commitments for 2020, 2021 and 2022. In order to provide for an effective response to the social impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the most deprived persons, and by way of derogation from Article 92(7) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, Members considered that a share of the additional resources should also be allocated by Member States to the FEAD (before or at the same time as the allocation to the ERDF and the ESF). In order to ensure immediate relief for beneficiaries, Member States shall commit to taking all necessary steps to launch advance payments as quickly as possible. Possibilities for financial transfers under the Investment for Growth and Jobs goal between ERDF, ESF and FEAD shall also be introduced for additional resources. Considering the vital role of the ESF in eradicating poverty and fighting social exclusion, the ESF share shall not be decreased below the current legal obligation of 23.1% at Union level. The Commission shall define the breakdown of the additional resources for each Member State on the basis of an allocation method based on the most recent objective statistical data available on the relative prosperity of Member States, including equality data, paying particular attention to groups such as homeless people and people living in institutions, which are not usually the subject of data from the…