The European Parliament adopted by 634 votes to 39, with 16 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 514/2014 of the European Parliament and the Council, as regards the decommitment procedure.
The European Parliament adopted its position at first reading in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, taking over the Commission proposal.
The proposal for a Regulation amending Regulation (EU) No 514/2014 concerns the implementation of national programmes under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Internal Security Fund (ISF) for the period 2014-2020.
It aims to provide additional flexibility to Member States to enable them to respond to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by enhancing the possibility to make full use of the available implementation period up until the closure of programmes by 31 December 2023.
In concrete terms, its objective is to ensure that in the face of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic all Members States make full use of the N + 2 rule and have sufficient time for the implementation of the allocated funds and declaration of the expenditure to the Commission.
Under the proposed amending Regulation:
- all payment requests covering the year N+2 submitted by a Member State within the regulatory deadlines laid down in Regulation (EU) No 514/2014 shall be taken into account when calculating the decommitment;
- the implementation period of the amounts corresponding to the additional allocations granted to national programmes in 2018 and 2019 shall be aligned with the implementation period of the initial allocation.
Under the current Regulation, decommitment takes place by 31 December of the second year following the year in which the budget commitment was made. Under the proposed new provisions, decommitment shall take place by 15 February of the year following the second year in which the budget commitment is made.