The European Parliament's Budget and Budgetary Control Committees asked the European Commission on Monday 8 February to mobilise €1.5 billion in emergency aid from the EU budget to boost funding for Covid-19 vaccines (see EUROPE 12648/1).
In a letter to commissioners Johannes Hahn (Budget) and Stella Kyriakides (Health), Johan Van Overtveldt (ECR, Belgium) and Monika Hohlmeier (EPP, Germany) call for the adoption of a draft amending budget of €1.5 billion (for 2021) for pandemic vaccines.
The letter adds that “margins left under the various MFF headings, as well as the Solidarity and Emergency Aid Reserve, would also be available for gradual use until the end of the year”.
In addition, the authors of the letter ask for “further explanation” on the Commission's initiative to collect €750 million of additional contributions from Member States for vaccines. “We deplore the fact that our committees have not been informed in advance of this initiative, which derogates from the principle of unity of the budget and therefore prevents Parliament from fulfilling its Treaty role under the annual budgetary procedure”, the letter states.
Link to the letter: http://bit.ly/3q4zqXx (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)