The President of the European Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development (REGI), Younous Omarjee (The Left, France), sent, on Thursday 22 April, a letter to the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgets (BUDG) approving EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) aid for Greece and France following the natural disasters that hit these two Member States in 2020.
In the context of the new procedures introduced for the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework to release EUSF funds (see EUROPE 12455/4), which requires a faster procedure, the REGI Committee coordinators promptly gave the green light after ensuring that the majority of MEPs supported the proposal.
The decision corresponds to an envelope of €484.2 million to help Greece and France, which had to face major natural disasters during the year 2020. In addition, €132.7 million in aid is planned to support a group of 17 Member States and three candidate countries for EU accession within the framework of the pandemic health emergency, also for the year 2020.
The countries concerned are: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania, Serbia and Spain.
The BUDG Committee is expected to vote on the EUSF grant on 10 May. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)