The European Parliament adopted by 557 votes to 72, with 59 abstentions, a resolution approving the Council position on Draft amending budget No 5/2020 of the European Union for the financial year 2020 - Continuation of the support to refugees and host communities in response to the Syria crisis in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

Parliament took note of the Draft amending budget No 5/2020 as submitted by the Commission, which is devoted to:

- providing EUR 100 million in commitment and payment appropriations as resilience support to refugees and host communities in Jordan and Lebanon;

- providing EUR 485 million in commitment appropriations and EUR 68 million in payment appropriations to ensure the continuation of the urgent humanitarian support to refugees in Turkey.

As a reminder, the Commission proposed to provide EUR 100 million in new commitment and payment appropriations to fund projects in the areas of access to education, support to livelihoods and provision of health, sanitation, water and waste services and social protection to host communities and refugees (Syrian refugees and Palestinian refugees from Syria) in Jordan and Lebanon.

It also proposed to provide EUR 485 million in commitment appropriations to fund the continuation of the two main Union humanitarian support actions in Turkey, the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) and the Conditional Cash Transfer for Education (CCTE) and to provide EUR 68 million in payment appropriations in order to cover pre-financing under the CCTE in 2020.

The ESSN provides monthly cash transfers to some 1.7 million refugees and is expected to run out of money in March 2021 at the latest. The Commission proposed to provide EUR 400 million to extend it until the end of 2021.

Many complex issues such as revision of targeting criteria and implementation of the strategic transition to development programming require timely consultation and coordination with Turkish authorities and Implementing Partners. The CCTE provides cash to refugee families whose children attend school instead of working. Given that the current contract ends in October 2020, the Commission proposed to provide EUR 85 million to allow the programme to run for an additional year and up to the end of December 2021.

PURPOSE: presentation of draft amending budget No 5/2020 to provide support to refugees and host communities in response to the Syria crisis.

CONTENT: the aim of this Draft Amending Budget (DAB) No 5 for the year 2020 is to continue providing support to refugees and host communities in response to the Syria crisis.

Under the MFF heading 4 Global Europe, EUR 100 million in commitment and payment appropriations shall be provided as resilience support to refugees and host communities in Jordan and Lebanon whereas EUR 485 million in commitment appropriations and EUR 68 million in payment appropriations shall be provided to ensure the continuation of the urgent humanitarian support to refugees in Turkey

Syrian crisis and assistance to host communities (Jordan and Lebanon)

In 2020, the conflict in Syria has entered into its 10th year with no immediate end in sight. Its neighbouring countries, Jordan and Lebanon, host the largest number of refugees per capita in the world. Both countries have displayed extraordinary solidarity with refugees from the conflict in Syria. Already struggling with complex domestic situations, they continue to need assistance in view of the protracted nature of the crisis. The EUR 214 million allocated for resilience support in response to the Syria crisis for Lebanon and Jordan for 2020 is already fully committed.

Given the current sanitary crisis, both Jordan and Lebanon are facing further economic difficulties. Therefore, EUR 100 million in new commitment and payment appropriations is urgently needed to fund projects in the areas of access to education, support to livelihoods and provision of health, sanitation, water and waste services and social protection to host communities and refugees (Syrian refugees and Palestinian refugees from Syria) in Jordan and Lebanon.

Refugees in Turkey

Several Member States called for continued support to refugees in Turkey in recent months. In this context, there is an urgent need to provide EUR 485 million to fund the continuation of the two main EU humanitarian support actions, the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) and the Conditional Cash Transfer for Education (CCTE). Humanitarian projects in protection, health and education in emergencies will end in summer 2020. EU 50 million will be provided from within the existing 2020 budget for humanitarian aid to continue those activities for an additional year. EUR 68 million in payment appropriations are requested in order to cover pre-financing under the CCTE in 2020.

Financing

All redeployment possibilities under heading 4 Global Europe have been exhausted. The unallocated margin under this heading of EUR 103.4 million allows the financing of EUR 100 million in commitment appropriations to support for resilience to host communities in Jordan and Lebanon. The remaining portion of this margin (EUR 3.4 million) is however insufficient to cover the urgent humanitarian support to refugees in Turkey.

Therefore, the Commission proposes to mobilise the Contingency Margin, the last resort special instrument, for the balance (EUR 481.6 million), with a corresponding offset against the margins available in 2020 under heading 5 Administration (EUR 16.2 million) and heading 2 Sustainable growth: natural resources (EUR 465.3 million).