The European Parliament adopted by 636 votes to 47, with 5 abstentions, a resolution approving the Council position on draft amending budget No 3/2020 of the European Union for the financial year 2020: Entering the surplus of the financial year 2019.
Parliament took note of the draft amending budget No 3/2020 as submitted by the Commission, which is devoted solely to the budgeting of the 2019 surplus, for an amount of EUR 3 218.4 million. The main components of that surplus are:
- a positive outturn on revenue of EUR 2 414.8 million and;
- an under-spending in expenditure of EUR 803.6 million.
On the revenue side, the largest difference stems from default interest and fines (EUR 2510.5 million), the outturn being composed of competition fines and default interest, other penalty payments and interest linked to fines and penalty payments.
On the expenditure side, under-implementation in payments by the Commission reaches EUR 592.3 million for 2019 (of which EUR 351.5 million from the Emergency Aid Reserve and EUR 94.5 million in reserve under heading 3, Security and Citizenship) and EUR 86.3 million for 2018 carryovers, and under-implementation by the other institutions EUR 82.4 million for 2019 and EUR 39 million for 2017 carryovers.
Parliament reiterated its position that all available means and unused money in the Union budget, including the surplus, be used to swiftly deploy financial assistance to the regions and businesses most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It called on Member States to devote the expected reductions in their GNI-based contributions stemming from the 2019 surplus entirely to the budgeting of COVID-19-related actions, preferably at Union level to ensure an optimal allocation of the funds.
Parliament also recalled its position in favour of increasing the proposed Union reserve (Global Margin for Commitments) in the next Multiannual Financial Framework by an amount equivalent to the revenue resulting from fines and penalties.