PURPOSE: definitive adoption of amending budget No 2/2020.
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Definitive adoption (EU, Euratom) 2020/537 of Amending budget No 2 of the European Union for the financial year 2020.
CONTENT: amending budget No 2/2020 shall provide EUR 3 billion in commitment appropriations and EUR 1.53 billion in payment appropriations under heading 3 Security and Citizenship to finance the provision of emergency support within the Union through the Emergency Support Instrument (ESI), which shall be re-activated to help tackle the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak and to further reinforce the Union Civil Protection Mechanism/rescEU to allow wider stock-piling and coordination of essential resource distribution across Europe.
Actions to be financed through the ESI
Given the urgency of the situation and the serious nature of the COVID-19 outbreak, EUR 2.7 billion in commitment appropriations shall be used to fund the provision of emergency healthcare support such as the stockpiling and distribution of essential resources, the creation of temporary hospitals, and the cross-border transportation of patients.
The remaining EUR 300 million shall be used to increase capacities for stockpiling, coordinating and distributing essential medical supplies, such as protective gear and ventilators. Such measures shall be financed through the Union Civil Protection Mechanism/rescEU.