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Mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument: immediate budgetary measures under the European agenda on migration

2015/2264(BUD)

The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by José Manuel FERNANDES (EPP, PT) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for immediate budgetary measures to address the refugee crisis, in accordance with point 12 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management.

Members stated that after having examined all possibilities for re-allocating commitment appropriations under heading 3 and heading 4, it appears necessary to mobilise the Flexibility Instrument for commitment appropriations to complement the financing in the general budget of the Union for the financial year 2016 beyond the ceiling of heading 3 by EUR 1 504 million in commitment appropriations to finance measures under the European Agenda on Migration.

In addition to a final amount of EUR 1 506 million beyond the ceiling of heading 3, the Conciliation Committee convened for the 2016 budget agreed to Parliament's delegation proposal for a further mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument by EUR 24 million beyond the ceiling of heading 4 in order to address the external dimension of the challenges posed by the refugee crisis.

Therefore, the total amount of the Flexibility Instrument for the financial year 2016, which includes the unused amounts from the financial years 2014 and 2015, is therefore fully exhausted.

Members called on the European Parliament to approve the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 1 530 million in commitment appropriations.

The proposed allocation of the corresponding payment appropriations is as follows:

  • EUR 734.2 million in 2016,
  • EUR 654.2 million in 2017,
  • EUR 83 million in 2018,
  • EUR 58.6 million in 2019.

Further budget flexibility: Members reiterated that the mobilisation of this instrument shows, once more, the crucial need for the Union budget to be more flexible. Members noted that these additional appropriations are only made possible thanks to the carry-over of unused amounts from the Flexibility Instruments of the financial years 2014 and 2015 and that no amount will be carried over to the financial year 2017, thus limiting any mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument to its annual ceiling of EUR 471 million.

Consequently, Members called on the Parliament to approve the decision annexed to the draft resolution.