The EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) has become more responsive since its creation in 2002, but cannot be an emergency response instrument because of the institutional time required, with the granting of funding remaining suspended under the green light of the European Parliament and the EU Council, notes the European Commission in a report on the Fund published on Wednesday 15 May.
The figures put forward by the European Commission are in the right direction, particularly since the revision of the EUSF in 2014 (see EUROPE 11074/11). For example, the report notes that the time required to mobilise funds following a disaster has decreased from 59 weeks to 52 weeks, a 12% reduction. This can be explained by the clarification of the eligibility criteria introduced during the 2014 reform (which increased the approval rate from 31% to 85%) and by the introduction of advanced payments, according to the report, but also by the fact that the two implementing acts were “merged” into a single one.
“Nevertheless, given the institutional context in which the Fund operates, the time taken to deploy the full grant on the ground remains, on average, at about 1 year”, the report's authors continue. With the exception of €50 million per year entered in the budget for advances, EUSF resources are not entered in the EU budget, but rather mobilised as required following the mobilisation decision taken by the European Parliament and the EU Council.
The time required for the adoption of any amending budget and for the examination of the proposal by the national parliaments is at least 8 to 10 weeks. In addition, the institution notes, the duration of this phase may vary depending on the timing of the vote on the proposed mobilisation of the Fund in the calendar of plenary sessions of the European Parliament (if Parliament's decision is required one day after the end of a plenary session, it must wait until the next session). Given the unpredictability of disasters, it is difficult to synchronise EUSF procedures with institutional timetables to ensure an immediate response.
The Commission notes that the scope for further speeding up the decision-making process is “limited”.
However, the Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu, suggests several possibilities for improving the Fund. “Further increases in advance payments could be an option to explore”, she suggests, considering the need to redefine the type of transactions eligible. “It is important that we put more emphasis on rebuilding more resilient infrastructure that will ensure a sustainable recovery.”
The report also highlights the need to strengthen the Commission's coordination role, in particular by helping Member States to strengthen their disaster management processes and by promoting good governance practices.
The EUSF has deployed more than €5 billion in 24 countries to help victims of major natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, forest fires and other natural disasters between 2002 and 2017. At the moment, no revision of Regulation 661/2014 is planned.
To read the report: https://bit.ly/2Jkqqf9. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)