REPORT on Draft amending budget No 7/2009 of the European Union for the financial year 2009, the Klaus storm in France

9.9.2009 - (12951/2009– C7-0130/2009 – 2009/2046(BUD))

Committee on Budgets
Rapporteur: Jutta Haug

Procedure : 2009/2046(BUD)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
A7-0009/2009
Texts tabled :
A7-0009/2009
Debates :
Texts adopted :

MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION

on Draft amending budget No 7/2009 of the European Union for the financial year 2009, the Klaus storm in France

(12951/2009 – C7‑0130/2009 – 2009/2046(BUD))

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to Article 272 of the EC Treaty and Article 177 of the Euratom Treaty,

–   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 particularly Articles 37 and 38 thereof,

–   having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2009, as finally adopted on 18 December 2008[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 Preliminary draft amending budget No 7/2009 of the European Union for the financial year 2009, which the Commission presented on 22 June 2009 (SEC(2009)0827),

–   having regard to Draft amending budget No 7/2009, which the Council established on 7 September 2009 (12951/2009 – C7‑0130/2009),

–   having regard to Rule 75 of and Annex V to its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A7‑0009/2009),

A. whereas Draft amending budget No 7 to the general budget 2009 covers the Mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund for an amount of EUR 109,4 million in commitment and payment appropriations relating to the effects of the storm that hit France in January 2009,

B.  whereas the purpose of Draft amending budget No 7/2009 is to formally enter this budgetary adjustment into the 2009 budget,

1.  Takes note of Preliminary draft amending budget No 7/2009, which is the fourth amending budget solely dedicated to the EU Solidarity Fund;

2.  Takes note that the funding of the EU Solidarity Fund will be provided by Chapter 1 4 of the Revenue of the General Budget for the European Communities, concerning the Own Resources Based on Gross National Income pursuant to Article 2(1)(c) of Decision 2007/436/EC, EURATOM to finance Chapter 13 06 of the 2009 Budget concerning the Solidarity Fund;

3.  Approves Draft amending budget No 7/2009 unamended;

4.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

  • [1]  OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.
  • [2]  OJ L 69, 13.3.2009.
  • [3]  OJ C 139, 14.6.2006, p. 1.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

According to Article 37(1) of the Financial Regulation, the Commission may present preliminary draft amending budgets if they are "unavoidable, exceptional or unforeseen circumstances".

Concerning the different points of Draft amending budgets No 7/2009, your rapporteur has the following comments:

1. Mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund

The European Commission proposed on 22 June 2009 a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the Solidarity Fund, which is based on the provisions of point 26 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006.

The conditions of the eligibility to the Fund are detailed in Point 26 of the IIA as well as in Council Regulation n° 2012/2002 establishing the EUSF. It is important to note that the objective of the Fund is not the compensation for private damage but to repair infrastructure and it is a tool of refinancing.

The mobilisation decision is subject of a parallel report by the Chairman which approves the decision. It is to note that during the 2009 Budget year the fund was mobilised one time in favour of Romania (EUR 11,8 million).

Now the Commission proposes to mobilise the Solidarity Fund for a total amount of EUR 109,4 million in favour of France, as the country was hit by the very strong storm "Klaus" in January 2009.

The total amount of the Solidarity Fund per year is set at 1 billion EUR in the IIA of May 2006. The amount of compensation for France will leave at least 25% of the EUSF for allocation during the last quarter of the year, as foreseen by Art. 4(2) of the Regulation establishing the EUSF.

It has to be reminded that on 17 July 2008, during the Conciliation, Parliament and Council stated in a common declaration that they "welcome the Commission commitment according to which, as from now, every Preliminary Draft Amending Budget required by the mobilisation of the Solidarity fund will be solely for that purpose."

This is the fourth amending budget - since the declaration - that takes into consideration solely the mobilisation of the EUSF.

Your rapporteur welcomes the Commission proposal as it is in line with its commitment taken on 17 July 2008.

2. Financing

The Commission proposes to allocate an amount of 109,4 million from Chapter 1 4 of the Revenue of the General Budget concerning the Own Resources Based on GNI pursuant to article 2(1)(c) of Decision 2007/436/EC, EURATOM to finance Chapter 13 06 of the 2009 Budget concerning the Solidarity Fund. The credits for the EUSF mobilisation are so called "fresh money". The Commission Proposal does not foresee any decrease in any other budget line under Heading 1b (Sustainable growth - Cohesion for growth and employment) in favour of Heading 3b (Citizenship) of the MFF, as it is generally the case for the intervention of the Solidarity Fund.

Your Rapporteur takes not of the remarks of the letter by the Chairwoman of the committee on Regional Development to the Chairman of the committee on Budgets by which REGI expresses its favourable position to the mobilisation of the EUSF.

Your rapporteur proposes to accept the proposed Draft Amending Budget 7/2009.

PROCEDURE

Title

Draft amending budget No 7/2009 of the European Union for the financial year 2009, the Klaus storm in France

References

12951/2009– C7-0130/2009 – 2009/2046(BUD)

Committee responsible

  Date announced in plenary

BUDG0.0.0000

 

Committee(s) asked for opinion(s)

  Date announced in plenary

 

 

 

 

 

Rapporteur(s)

  Date appointed

Jutta Haug

24.1.2008

Previous rapporteur(s)

 

Date draft amending budget established by the Council

8.9.2009

Date draft amending budget forwarded by the Council

9.9.2009

Discussed in committee

2.9.2009

 

 

 

 

Date adopted

2.9.2009

Result of final vote

+:

–:

0:

33

1

 

Members present for the final vote

Damien Abad, Reimer Böge, Giovanni Collino, José Manuel Fernandes, Salvador Garriga Polledo, Alain Lamassoure, Janusz Lewandowski, Barbara Matera, Nadezhda Mihaylova, László Surján, Francesca Balzani, Andrea Cozzolino, Göran Färm, Eider Gardiazábal Rubial, Jens Geier, Estelle Grelier, Jutta Haug, Jiří Havel, Ivaylo Kalfin, Vladimír Maňka, Alexander Alvaro, Ivars Godmanis, Carl Haglund, Sergej Kozlík, Helga Trüpel, Jacek Włosowicz, Miguel Portas, Vladimír Remek, Claudio Morganti, Daniël van der Stoep, Angelika Werthmann.

Substitute(s) present for the final vote

Frederic Daerden, Cătălin Sorin, Ivan, Riikka Manner.

Substitute(s) under Rule 178(2) present for the final vote

 

 

Date tabled

9.9.2009

Comments (available in one language only)

 

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