Brussels, 09/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 8 September, the European Commission adopted draft amending budget no. 5 for the financial year 2014, relating to the mobilisation of the solidarity fund of the European Union (see EUROPE 11141 for the announcement of this aid). The support in question amounts to €46.998 million in commitment and payment appropriations.
The EU solidarity fund will provide: €16.3 million for the damage caused by the floods in Italy (Sardinia) in November 2013, €3.7 million following an earthquake in Greece (Kefalonia), €18.4 million following damage caused by ice storms in Slovenia and €8.6 million for the damage caused by the same ice storms and flooding in Croatia (late January/early February 2014). The Commission takes the view that as the solidarity fund is a special instrument, the amounts in question should be included in the budget outside the corresponding upper limits of the MAFF (multi-annual financial framework).
Other draft amending budgets for 2014. Draft amending budget no. 4 will reduce by €240,460 the credits for the European Data Protection Supervisor and, more importantly, will reduce own-resource requirements by €2.059 billion. Draft amending budget no. 3 relates to payment arrears (€4.738 billion), €4.027 billion of which will be covered by the “contingency margin” and €711 million by the margin below the upper limit. This amending budget provides for an increase in the estimates of other revenue of €1.568 billion. These two draft budgets will probably form part of the negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council on the draft EU budget for 2015. (LC)