Decision (EU) 2015/421 on the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument

What it is

to mobilise the Flexibility Instrument to complement the financing of the Cypriot Structural Funds programmes under heading 1b (cohesion for growth and employment in the least developed EU countries and regions). PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council. CONTENT: Council Regulation (EU, EURATOM) No 1311/2013 of 2 December 2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020 allows for the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument to allow the financing of clearly identified expenditure which could not be financed within the limits of the ceilings available for one or more headings of the multiannual financial framework. Article 11 of Council Regulation 1311/2013 established a Flexibility instrument of up to EUR 471 million (2011 prices) per year. The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by Eider GARDIAZABAL RUBIAL (S&D, ES) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument, in accordance with point 12 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management. Members recalled that after having examined all possibilities for re-allocating commitment appropriations under sub-heading 1b, it appears necessary to mobilise the Flexibility Instrument for commitment appropriations. Therefore, the Commission has proposed to mobilise the Flexibility Instrument, over and above the MFF ceilings, to complement the financing in the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2015 for EUR 79.8 million in commitment appropriations in relation to the additional allocation from the Structural Funds to Cyprus, by a total amount of EUR 100 million for the year 2015. Members agreed therefore with the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument and amended the Commission proposal to finance the additional allocation for the Cypriot Structural Funds programmes under sub-heading 1b up to the amount of EUR 83.26 million . the mobilisation of this instrument, highlights, once more, the crucial need for the Union budget to be flexible; the payments stemming from commitments previously mobilised through the Flexibility Instrument can only be counted over and above the ceilings. At the same time, Members called on the European Parliament to approve the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument to provide the sum of EUR 83 285 595 in commitment appropriations in sub-heading 1b as well as the decision annexed this to this motion for a resolution. Payments associated with the financing of the Cypriot Structural Funds through the Flexibility Instrument in 2014 and 2015 will be EUR 172.6 million for the period 2015-2018. The European Parliament adopted by 587 votes to 105, with 17 abstentions, a resolution on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument, in accordance with point 12 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the…

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