The European Parliament adopted by 682 votes to 8, with 2 abstentions, a resolution on the Council position on the Council position on draft amending budget No 9/2020 of the European Union for the financial year 2020 accompanying the proposal 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.

Parliament approved the Council's position on draft amending budget No 9/2020, which covers the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to:

- provide assistance to Croatia and Poland following natural disasters occurring in those Member States in 2020, and

- advance payments to seven Member States, namely Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and Spain, in response to the major public health emergency caused by the spread of COVID-19 in early 2020.

The Commission proposed to amend the 2020 budget and to increase 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 823 548 633, both in commitment and payment appropriations.

The draft amending budget No 9/2020 proposes to enter EUR 734 596 756 in the 2020 budget, both in commitments and payments, after having deducted the advance of EUR 88 951 877 already paid out to Croatia.

PURPOSE: presentation of draft amending budget No 9/2020 to mobilise the European 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.

CONTENT: draft amending budget (DAB) No 9 for the year 2020 accompanies the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) for an amount of EUR 823 548 633 to provide assistance to:

- Croatia in relation to the earthquake that affected the city of Zagreb and the counties of Zagreb and Krapina-Zagorje in March 2020 (EUR 683 740 523);

- Poland in relation to the floods in Podkarpackie Voivodeship in June 2020 (EUR 7 071 280); and

- seven Member States (Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and Spain) in relation to advance payments in response to the major public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 (EUR 132 736 830).

Appropriations requested in the 2020 budget

DAB No 9/2020 proposes to enter EUR 734 596 756 in the general budget 2020, both in commitments and payments, after having deducted the advance already paid out to Croatia in the context of the earthquake (EUR 88 951 877).

The Commission proposes to amend the budget 2020 by 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 734 596 756 both in commitment and payment appropriations.

Financing

In accordance with the MFF Regulation, the total amount available for the mobilisation of the EUSF at the beginning of 2020 was EUR 1 150 524 045, being the sum of the 2020 allocation of EUR 597 546 284, plus the 2019 allocation of EUR 552 977 761 that remained unspent and was carried over to 2020 (both in current prices).

Taking into account the earlier Mobilisation Decision in 2020, the amount that may be mobilised at this stage of the year 2020 is EUR 871 530 231.