For a brief overview of the key points of the adopted text and its significance for the citizen, please see the corresponding summary note.

On 13 March 2020, the European Commission adopted a legislative proposal, amending the regulations on the European structural and investments funds, to promote investments in the Member States’ health care systems and other sectors of the economy, to mitigate the socio-economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII) is one of the measures proposed by the Commission to assist EU citizens and Member States to address the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. It mobilises an existing liquidity of €8 billion under the structural funds. This amount, supplemented with €29 billion of structural funding across the EU, would bring the total investment up to €37 billion.This modification allows the funds to be redirected towards Coronavirus-related expenditure for the financing of most urgent needs: health care expenditure, support to SMEs and short-term work measures. This expenditure is made eligible as of 1 February 2020. The Commission also invites the Member States to use the possibilities to speed up the declaration of expenditure foreseen under Article 67 of the Common Provisions Regulation.

In the European Parliament, the file was attributed to the Committee for Regional Development (REGI). Younous Omarjee (GUE/NGL, France) was appointed rapporteur on 16 March 2020.

In view of the confinement measures in place in many Member States, voting in Parliament took place exceptionally by e-mail. Parliament adopted this proposal (by 683 votes to one, with 4 abstentions) at the extraordinary plenary session on 26 March under urgent procedure, with the REGI committee referring it without a report or amendments to be voted directly by plenary (Rule 163 of the Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament). The Council's vote was also taken by means of a written procedure. Given the urgency of the situation, the legislative act was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 31 March 2020 and entered into force on 1 April 2020.

References:

• EP Legislative Observatory, Procedure file on Specific measures to mobilise investments in the health care systems of the Member States and in other sectors of their economies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak (Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative), 2020/0043(COD)
• European Commission, Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, Regulation (EU) No 1301/2013 and Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 as regards specific measures to mobilise investments in the health care systems of the Member States and in other sectors of their economies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak (Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative), COM(2020) 113
• European Commission, Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative, news
• Regulation (EU) 2020/460 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 March 2020 amending Regulations (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013 and (EU) No 508/2014 as regards specific measures to mobilise investments in the healthcare systems of Member States and in other sectors of their economies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak (Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative), 31 March 2020

Further reading:

• European Parliament, EPRS, Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative, Plenary At a Glance, March 2020

Author: Marianna Pari, Members' Research Service, legislative-train@europarl.europa.eu