The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and in particular Article 314 thereof and to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 106a thereof,

–  having regard to Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities(1), and in particular Articles 37 and 38 thereof,

–  having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2011, as definitively adopted on 15 December 2010(2),

–  having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management(3),

–  having regard to Draft amending budget No 7/2011 of the European Union for the financial year 2011, which the Commission presented on 21 November 2011 (COM(2011)0796),

–  having regard to the Council position on Draft amending budget No 7/2011, which the Council established on 30 November 2011 (17632/2011 – C7-0442/2011),

–  having regard to Rules 75b and 75e of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A7-0436/2011),

A.  whereas Draft amending budget No 7/2011 to the general budget 2011 aims at mobilising the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) for an amount of EUR 38 million in commitment and payment appropriations in order to mitigate the effects of the earthquake that hit Murcia, Spain, and of the flooding in the Veneto region, Italy,

B.  whereas the purpose of Draft amending budget No 7/2011 is to formally enter this budgetary adjustment into the 2011 budget,

C.  whereas the joint statement on payment appropriations annexed to the budget for the financial year 2011 foresaw the submission of an amending budget ‘if the appropriations entered in the 2011 budget are insufficient to cover expenditure’,

D.  whereas the two branches of the budgetary authority committed themselves, through the joint statement on Draft amending budget No 7/2011(4) adopted on 19 November 2011 in conciliation committee, to taking a decision before the end of 2011,

E.  whereas, in the same joint statement, Parliament and the Council agreed on the financing of Draft amending budget No 7/2011 by redeploying appropriations from rural development programmes,

1.  Takes note of Draft amending budget No 7/2011;

2.  Considers of great importance the quick release of financial assistance through the EUSF for those affected by natural catastrophes, and is therefore greatly concerned, in the case of flooding in the Veneto region, by the fact that the mobilisation of EUSF will only be effective 13 months after the torrential rainfall occurring at the end of October 2010;

3.  Calls on all involved parties in the Member States, i.e. both at local and regional level, and national authorities to improve assessment of needs and the coordination for future potential applications for mobilisation of the EUSF with a view to accelerating, as much as possible, the mobilisation of the EUSF;

4.  Emphasises, in that regard and in the specific case addressed by Draft amending Budget No 7/2011, that the two branches of the budgetary authority are taking their respective decision with the utmost urgency in order to guarantee a quick delivery of assistance to the affected regions;

5.  Approves, without amendment, the Council position on Draft amending budget No 7/2011 and instructs its President to declare that Amending budget No 7/2011 has been definitively adopted and to arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

6.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.

(1) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1. (2) OJ L 68, 15.3.2011, p.1. (3) OJ C 139, 14.6.2006, p.1. (4) Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0521.