Brussels, 13/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - Following the migration summit in Valetta, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CCRE) made an appeal on Friday 13 November to dig into the €9.4 billion in supplementary revenues from the budget collected in 2015, to help tackle the refugee crisis.
Annemarie Jorritsma, the president of the CCRE, subsequently stated: “We need to provide the financial resources to the cities and regions that have already been overwhelmed by the situation, as well as to the authorities that will soon be receiving the 160,000 people that the member states have agreed to relocate in Europe”.
The Commission has effectively underestimated the revenues generated for 2014 through customs duties for 2015, explained a source from the CCRE. Two solutions are therefore possible: either the member states deduct the surplus collected from their budgetary contributions for 2016 or the Commission proposes to use a part or all of this amount in an effort to respond to the refugee crisis.
On 5 November, the 2015 budget co-rapporteurs José Manuel Fernandes (EPP, Portugal), Gérard Deprez (ALDE, Belgium) and Eider Gardiazábal Rubial (S&D, Spain), formulated the same demand. On the previous day, the Commission indicated that the member states had not honoured their commitment to the UN agencies to help the refugees on the ground to the tune of around €2.3 billion. Deprez explained: “We don't ask for this sum to remain in the EU budget - all we want is that member states finally assume their responsibility and instead of swallowing the surprise income, pay for their pledges”. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)