Decision (EU) 2018/846 on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Greece, Spain, France and Portugal

What it is

to mobilise the Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Greece, Spain, France and Portugal. PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council. CONTENT: 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 natural disasters. 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 (MFF). This decision covers the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) for an amount of EUR 104 166 951 to provide assistance to Greece in the aftermath of the earthquakes in Lesbos, France for hurricanes in Saint-Martin and Guadeloupe, as well as in Portugal and Spain following forest fires in the Centro region and Galicia in the course of 2017. The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by José Manuel FERNANDES (EPP, PT) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to provide assistance to Greece, Spain, France and Portugal. It proposes to mobilise the EUSF to grant financial assistance relating to forest fires in Portugal and Spain, hurricanes in France and earthquakes in Greece in 2017. Given that the applications by Greece, Spain, France and Portugal meet the conditions for providing a financial contribution from the Fund, Members approved the following amounts in commitment and payment appropriations: Greece : EUR 1 359 119; Spain : EUR 3 228 675; France : EUR 48 906 025; Portugal : EUR 50 673 132. The proposed mobilisation requires an amendment to the 2018 budget and a draft amending budget (N°1/2018), aiming at increasing budget line 13 06 01 'Assistance to Member States in the event of a major natural disaster with serious repercussions on living conditions, the natural environment or the economy' by EUR 97 646 105 both in commitment and payment appropriations. Member States should apply the financial aid rapidly and in a transparent way, guaranteeing a fair distribution throughout the affected regions. Lastly, Members expressed support for the Member States using Structural and Investment Funds for the reconstruction of the affected regions, and invited the Commission to support and rapidly approve the reallocation of the partnership agreements requested by Member States for the reconstruction of these regions. The European Parliament adopted by 629 votes to 21, with 9 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 Greece, Spain, France and Portugal. As a reminder, the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) 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 natural disasters. Parliament seeks to mobilise the EUSF to grant financial assistance to Greece for the…

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