On Wednesday 13 May, the European Parliament asked the European Commission to present a contingency plan for the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) by 15 June at the latest (see EUROPE 12479/13).
The plan, contained in a 'legislative resolution' adopted in plenary (616 votes in favour, 29 against and 46 abstentions), aims to create a 'safety net' to protect beneficiaries of EU programmes in the event that the MFF 2021-2027 could not be adopted in time to enter into force on 1 January 2021.
The contingency plan should ensure a satisfactory degree of predictability and continuity in the implementation of the European Union budget. In addition, it should enable the European Union to address the immediate social and economic consequences of the Covid-19 epidemic and to “work towards recovery”.
According to the European Parliament, the contingency plan for the MFF will include one or more legislative proposals to lift or extend the time limits laid down in the basic acts for all concerned expenditure programmes and, if necessary, on a legal level especially for programmes under shared management, and to update the financial amounts concerned on the basis of a technical extension of the 2020 levels. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)