The European Parliament adopted by 526 votes to 70, with 44 abstentions, a resolution on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument to finance immediate budgetary measures to address the on-going migration, refugee and security crisis.
Parliament recalled that the Flexibility Instrument is intended to allow the financing of clearly identified expenditure which could not be financed within the limits of the ceilings available for one or more other headings.
The 2017 ceilings for heading 3 do not allow for an adequate financing of urgent measures in the field of migration, refugees and security.
Therefore, Parliament agreed with the proposal to mobilise the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 530 million in commitment appropriations.
On the basis of the expected payment profile, the payment appropriations corresponding to the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument should be distributed over several financial years and are estimated at:
It reiterated that the mobilisation of this instrument, as provided for in Article 11 of the MFF Regulation, shows, once more, the crucial need for the Union budget to be more flexible. It also reiterated its position expressed in the framework of the MFF mid-term review/revision that the annual amount of the Flexibility Instrument be increased to EUR 2 billion.
Parliament also reiterated its long-standing view that, without prejudice to the possibility for payment appropriations to be mobilised for specific budget lines through the Flexibility Instrument without prior mobilisations in commitments, the payments stemming from commitments previously mobilised through the Flexibility Instrument can only be counted over and above the ceilings.