PURPOSE: adoption of amending budget No 4 for the year 2017 concerning assistance to Italy following a series of earthquakes.

NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Definitive adoption (EU, Euratom) 2017/2121 of amending budget No 4 of the European Union for the financial year 2017.

CONTENT: the European Parliament definitively adopted amending budget No 4 of the European Union for the financial year 2017 in accordance with its resolution of 13 September 2017 (please see the summary of the resolution).

As a reminder, this amending budget 4/2017 formally enters in the general budget 2017 EUR 1 166 797 579 in commitment and payment appropriations to cover the budgetary needs to Italy following a series of earthquakes that took place between August 2016 and January 2017 in the regions Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche and Umbria.

The corresponding appropriations are to be recorded under Article 13 06 01 (EU Solidarity Fund - Assistance to Member States in the event of a major natural disaster with serious repercussions on living conditions, the natural environment or the economy), after the deduction of the advance already paid in 2016 (EUR 30 million).

This amending budget fully redeploys the necessary payment appropriations within the 2017 Union budget and replenishes the negative reserve activated in amending budget No 1/2017 (EUR 70 402 434) from the budget lines for the 2007-2013 structural funds programmes.

The European Parliament adopted by 660 votes to 6 with 27 abstentions, a resolution on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 4/2017 of the European Union for the financial year 2017 accompanying the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Italy.

As a reminder, the purpose of draft amending budget No 4/2017 is formally to enter the corresponding budgetary adjustment into the 2017 Union budget.

The Commission proposed to amend the 2017 Union budget and to increase Article 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 1 166 797 579 both in commitment and payment appropriations.

While the total amount available for the mobilisation of the EUSF at this stage of the year is EUR 293 971 080 less than the proposed amount, the Commission proposes to cover that difference from the annual amount available in 2018, in line with Article 10(2) of the MFF Regulation. This possibility has never been used before.

The Commission proposes to fully redeploy the necessary payment appropriations within the 2017 Union budget and to replenish the negative reserve activated in Amending Budget No 1/2017 (EUR 70 402 434) from the budget lines for the 2007-2013 structural funds programmes.

Parliament approved the Council position on draft amending budget No 4/2017 to formally enter in the general budget 2017 EUR 1 166 797 579 in commitment and payment appropriations to cover the budgetary needs of this mobilisation, after having deducted the advance already paid in 2016 (EUR 30 million).

The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by Jens GEIER (S&D, DE) on the Council position on draft amending budget (DAB) No 4/2017 of the European Union for the financial year 2017 accompanying the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Italy.

As a reminder, draft amending budget No 4/2017 relates to the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) for an amount of EUR 1 196 797 579 in relation to the earthquakes that occurred in Italy between August 2016 and January 2017 in the regions of Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche and Umbria,

The amount of EUR 30 million was already paid for this EUSF case by means of an advance from the 2016 Union budget.

That mobilisation represents the biggest ever mobilisation of the EUSF.

The purpose of draft amending budget No 4/2017 is to formally enter the corresponding budgetary adjustment into the 2017 Union budget .

Members took note of DAB No 4/2017, as submitted by the Commission and called on them to approve the Council position on draft amending budget No 4/2017.

They stressed the urgent need to release financial assistance through the EUSF to the regions affected by the natural disasters.

On 27 June 2017, the Commission submitted to the Council draft amending budget (DAB) No 4 to the general budget for 2017 regarding the mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund for a total amount of EUR 1 166 797 579 in commitment and payment appropriations.

The objective of this proposal is to provide financial assistance to Italy in response to a series of earthquakes that took place between August 2016 and January 2017 in the regions Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche and Umbria.

The corresponding appropriations are to be recorded under Article 13 06 01 (EU Solidarity Fund - Assistance to Member States in the event of a major natural disaster with serious repercussions on living conditions, the natural environment or the economy), after the deduction of the advance already paid in 2016 ( EUR 30 million ).

The Commission proposes to finance the necessary payment appropriations from the surplus identified in some completion lines related to the European Regional Development Fund (-EUR 981 150 000) and the Cohesion Fund (-EUR 256 050 013).

Furthermore, the negative reserve activated in amending budget No 1/2017 is replenished (+EUR 70 402 434).

In conclusion, on 4 September 2017, the Council adopted its position on DAB No 4 to the general budget for 2017 as set out in the technical annex to the explanatory memorandum of its position on the draft amending budget (see Council document 11813/2017 ).

On 27 June 2017, the Commission submitted to the Council draft amending budget (DAB) No 4 to the general budget for 2017 regarding the mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund for a total amount of EUR 1 166 797 579 in commitment and payment appropriations.

The objective of this proposal is to provide financial assistance to Italy in response to a series of earthquakes that took place between August 2016 and January 2017 in the regions Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche and Umbria.

The corresponding appropriations are to be recorded under Article 13 06 01 (EU Solidarity Fund - Assistance to Member States in the event of a major natural disaster with serious repercussions on living conditions, the natural environment or the economy), after the deduction of the advance already paid in 2016 ( EUR 30 million ).

The Commission proposes to finance the necessary payment appropriations from the surplus identified in some completion lines related to the European Regional Development Fund (-EUR 981 150 000) and the Cohesion Fund (-EUR 256 050 013).

Furthermore, the negative reserve activated in amending budget No 1/2017 is replenished (+EUR 70 402 434).

In conclusion, on 4 September 2017, the Council adopted its position on DAB No 4 to the general budget for 2017 as set out in the technical annex to the explanatory memorandum of its position on the draft amending budget (see Council document 11813/2017 ).

PURPOSE: to present draft amending budget (DAB) No 4 for the year 2017 to provide assistance to Italy following a series of earthquakes.

CONTENT: draft amending budget (DAB) No 4 for the year 2017 accompanies the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) for an amount of EUR 1 196 797 579 to provide assistance to Italy further to a series of earthquakes that took place between August 2016 and January 2017 in the regions of Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche and Umbria.

DAB No 4/2017 proposes to enter in the general budget 2017 EUR 1 166 797 579 in commitment and payment appropriations to cover the budgetary needs of this mobilisation, after having deducted the advance already paid in 2016 (EUR 30 million).

Financing from the 2016, 2017 and 2018 EUSF allocations : the total amount available for the mobilisation of the EUSF at the beginning of 2017 was EUR 1 115 121 612, being the sum of the 2017 allocation of EUR 563 081 210 (i.e. EUR 500 million in 2011 prices), plus the entire 2016 allocation of EUR 552 040 402 (i.e. EUR 500 million in 2011 prices) that remained unspent and was carried over to the following year.

The amount that may be mobilised at this stage of the year 2017 is EUR 902 826 499. This corresponds to the total amount available for the mobilisation of the EUSF at the beginning of 2017 (EUR 1 115 121 612), minus the previous mobilisation (EUR 71 524 810), minus the retained amount of EUR 140 770 303 in order to respect the obligation of keeping aside 25% of the 2017 annual allocation until 1 October 2017.

This amount is not sufficient to cover the full mobilisation of the EUSF for Italy. However, the Commission proposes to cover the difference of EUR 293 971 080 from the annual amount available in 2018.

Considering the amount of EUR 30 million that was already paid for this EUSF case as advance from the budget 2016, the Commission proposes to amend the budget 2017 by increasing budget article 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 1 166 797 579 both in commitment and payment appropriations.

Given the level of interim payments received before the closure, the Commission proposes to fully redeploy the necessary payment appropriations for this EUSF case within the budget 2017 and to replenish the negative reserve activated in the Amending Budget No 1/2017 (EUR 70 402 434) from the budget lines for some 2007-2013 structural funds programmes.