Amending budget 5/2017: European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD); Emergency Aid Reserve (EAR)

The European Parliament adopted by 553 votes to 70, with 42 abstentions a resolution on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 5/2017 of the European Union for the financial year 2017 providing the financing for the European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD) and increasing the Emergency Aid Reserve (EAR) further to the revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework regulation.

Parliament approved the Council's position on draft amending budget No 5/2017 presented by the Commission to provide funding for the European Sustainable Development Fund (EFSD) and to reflect in the general budget 2017 the outcome of the mid-term revision of the MFF Regulation as regards the increase in the annual amount of the Emergency Aid Reserve (EAR) from EUR 280 million to EUR 300 million in 2011 prices.

This draft:

• provides EUR 275 million in commitment and payment appropriations for the EFSD, to be covered in full by a mobilisation of the Flexibility instrument, given the absence of margin under the commitment ceiling of Heading 4 (Global Europe);
• provides at the same time for the reduction by the amount of EUR 275 million of the payment appropriations within the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) under Heading 3 (Security and Citizenship), due to an expected under-implementation caused by a late adoption of the legal bases and delay in programming;
• provides for an additional EUR 22.8 million (in current prices) for the EAR in commitment appropriations reflecting the mid-term revision of the MFF regulation.

Draft amending budget No 5/2017 is accompanied by a proposal for a decision on the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument to provide the financing for the EFSD for an amount of EUR 275 million in commitment and payment appropriations in Heading 4.

Parliament welcomed the adoption and entry into force of the European Fund for Sustainable Development and called for its early implementation. It welcomed the fact that the mid-term revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework allows for the financing of the EFSD through an increased Flexibility Instrument, while also increasing the size of the EAR.

On the other hand, Members deplored the low implementation of the AMIF and the Internal Security Fund (ISF) by the Member States. They called on the Member States to respect their political agreements and to do their utmost within their competences to reflect the importance of this Union priority.