The European Parliament approved in plenary on Friday 17 April the legislation to mobilise €3 billion in emergency aid from the EU budget to combat the coronavirus pandemic (see EUROPE 12466/5).
A regulation allows for the mobilisation of the ‘Emergency Support Instrument’ (ESI) to finance additional expenditure in the field of health.
Draft amending budget No 2/2020 provides €2.7 billion for emergency aid and €300 million for the RescEU medical equipment reserve.
Parliament also approved the EU Council’s position on draft amending budget No 1 for 2020 (+ €567 million in commitments and + €77 million in payments), which provides for: €115 million for co-financing measures to combat COVID-19 (repatriation of stranded citizens and protective equipment through joint procurement), €3.6 million for the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), €350 million to help Greece cope with migration, and €100 million for Albania (post-earthquake). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)