REPORT on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 5/2012 of the European Union for the financial year 2012, Section III – Commission

on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 5/2012 of the European Union for the financial year 2012, Section III – European Commission

(XXXX/2012 – C7‑XXXXX/2012 – 2012/2242(BUD))

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and in particular Article 314 thereof and to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 106a thereof,

–   having regard to Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities[1] ("the Financial Regulation"), and in particular Articles 37 and 38 thereof,

–   having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2012, as definitively adopted on 1 December 2011[2],

–   having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management[3],

–   having regard to its resolution of 12 June 2012 on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 2/2012 of the European Union for the financial year 2012, Section III – European Commission[4], and in particular to its paragraph 2,

–   having regard to the Joint Statement on payment appropriations agreed by all three institutions in the framework of 2012 budgetary procedure;

–   having regard to Draft amending budget No 5/2012 of the European Union for the financial year 2012, which the Commission submitted on 19 September 2012 (COM(2012)0536),

–   having regard to the position adopted by the Council on XX/YY 2012 on Draft amending budget No 5/2012 (XXX/2012 – C7‑XXXX/2012),

–   having regard to Rules 75b and 75e of its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A7-0381/2012),

A. whereas Draft amending budget No 5/2012 relates to the mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) for an amount of EUR 670 192 359 in commitment and payment appropriations relating to the series of earthquakes in Emilia-Romagna, Italy in May 2012,

B.  whereas the aim of Draft amending budget No 5/2012 is to formally enter this budgetary adjustment into the 2012 budget, and to modify the budget line 16 05 03 01 – Preparatory action – European Year of Volunteering 2011 to replace the "dash" for payments on the line with a token entry (p.m.), in order to allow the final payments to be made,

C. whereas Draft amending budget No 5/2012, as submitted by the Commission, proposed an increase in the level of payment appropriations, given the overall shortage of payment appropriations for 2012,

D. whereas, in its resolution of 12 June 2012 on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 2/2012, relating to another mobilisation of the Solidarity Fund, Parliament greatly deplored for the specific case of mobilisation of the Solidarity Fund, that the other branch of the budgetary authority had waited 8 weeks before adopting its position, sticking to its interpretation of Protocol 1 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (deadline for national parliaments' information),

1.  Takes note of Draft amending budget No 5/2012, as submitted by the Commission;

2.  Considers of great importance the quick release of financial assistance through the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) for those affected by natural catastrophes, and therefore warmly welcomes the prompt submission by Italian authorities of their application for financial assistance from the EUSF, as well as the prompt presentation by the Commission of its proposal for mobilisation of the EUSF;

3.  Calls on all involved parties in the Member States, i.e. both at local and regional level, and national authorities to further improve assessment of needs and the coordination for future potential applications to the EUSF in a view to accelerate, as much as possible, the mobilisation of the EUSF;

4.  Strongly reiterates its call to Council not to harm these efforts towards a prompter delivery of Union assistance through any undue postponement of its decision on such sensitive and pressing issue;

5.  Recalls that for the previous mobilisation of the EUSF (Amending Budget No 2/2012 for October 2011 flooding in Liguria and Tuscany), the budgetary authority did not need to provide fresh money only because some unexpected sources for redeployments appeared for the required amount; underlines that the current shortage of payment appropriations, which already affects a number of programmes, in particular those on which the Growth and Jobs Compact adopted by the European Council of 29 June 2012 relies heavily, strictly excludes any such redeployment to be envisaged for this case;

6.  Approves, without amendment, Council's position on Draft amending budget No 5/2012;

7.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.

• [1]  OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.
• [2]  OJ L 56, 29.2.2012.
• [3]  OJ C 139, 14.6.2006, p.1.
• [4]  Texts Adopted, P7_TA(2012)0232.