On Wednesday 8 April, at the meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives I (Coreper I), ambassadors of Member States to the EU approved the new measures presented by the European Commission last week to modify the functioning of the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) in order to combat COVID-19.
The measures in question include the temporary possibility of 100% co-financing for eligible operations from 1 February, which is along the lines of what has been proposed for the European Structural and Investment Funds (see other news on CRII proposals).
However, they also introduce the possibility of covering the cost of purchasing materials and personal protective medical equipment for partner organisations, while providing the possibility to derogate from the European Commission's approval of certain programmatic elements when the actions are intended to respond specifically to the crisis (see EUROPE 12460/2).
As for the European Parliament, the coordinators of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) gave the go-ahead to activate the urgency procedure under Rule 163 of the institution's Rules of Procedure. The new measures should be put to a vote without amendments at the plenary session to be held on Thursday 16 April. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)