Amending budget 4/2017: mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund for Italy

The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by Jens GEIER (S&D, DE) on the Council position on draft amending budget (DAB) No 4/2017 of the European Union for the financial year 2017 accompanying the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Italy.

As a reminder, draft amending budget No 4/2017 relates to the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) for an amount of EUR 1 196 797 579 in relation to the earthquakes that occurred in Italy between August 2016 and January 2017 in the regions of Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche and Umbria,

The amount of EUR 30 million was already paid for this EUSF case by means of an advance from the 2016 Union budget.

That mobilisation represents the biggest ever mobilisation of the EUSF.

The purpose of draft amending budget No 4/2017 is to formally enter the corresponding budgetary adjustment into the 2017 Union budget.

Members took note of DAB No 4/2017, as submitted by the Commission and called on them to approve the Council position on draft amending budget No 4/2017.

They stressed the urgent need to release financial assistance through the EUSF to the regions affected by the natural disasters.