Date: 2018-11-28Category: Not ApplicableState: Union GovernmentCountry: Europe
Decision (EU) 2018/1859 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 November 2018 on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Latvia
**Executive Summary:**
This decision concerns the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide financial assistance of EUR 17,730,519 to Latvia following intense rainfalls and subsequent flooding in 2017. The decision, adopted on 14 November 2018, is financed through reallocation of appropriations from the 2018 Union budget and entered into force upon publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
**Key Points / Main Content:**
* **Fund Mobilisation:**
* The European Union Solidarity Fund will be mobilised to provide EUR 17,730,519 to Latvia.
* The funds are designated for commitment and payment appropriations.
* **Financial Allocation:**
* The mobilisation amount will be financed from appropriations already designated for advance payments in the 2018 Union budget.
* The appropriations available for advance payments will be reduced accordingly.
* **Context of Assistance:**
* Latvia applied for assistance on 14 November 2017, following prolonged rainfall and flooding in the summer and autumn of that year.
* The application meets the conditions for financial contribution from the Fund according to Regulation EC No 2012/2002.
* **Enactment and Application:**
* The decision was adopted on 14 November 2018.
* The decision entered into force upon its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and applies from 14 November 2018.
**Impact Analysis**
* **Latvia:**
* *Impact:* Receives financial assistance of EUR 17,730,519 from the European Union Solidarity Fund to address the damage caused by the 2017 flooding.
* *Action Required:* To utilise the funds effectively for recovery and mitigation efforts related to the flooding.
* **European Parliament and Council:**
* *Impact:* Formally adopted the decision to mobilise the funds, ensuring solidarity with Latvia.
* *Action Required:* Oversee the proper allocation and utilisation of the funds by Latvia.
* **European Commission:**
* *Impact:* Responsible for proposing the mobilisation of the fund and ensuring the financial contribution is managed appropriately.
* *Action Required:* Implement the decision by reallocating appropriations within the 2018 budget and monitoring the use of funds by Latvia.
Key Entities Referenced
European Union Solidarity Fund: A fund established to enable the Union to respond to emergency situations and show solidarity with regions struck by natural disasters.
Latvia: A country that submitted an application to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund following intense rainfalls and flooding in 2017.
European Parliament: One of the legislative bodies of the European Union, involved in the decision-making process regarding the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund.
Council of the European Union: One of the legislative bodies of the European Union, involved in the decision-making process regarding the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund.
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union: A treaty that provides the legal basis for the European Union's actions.
Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002: A regulation establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund.
EUR 17 730 519: The amount of financial assistance to be provided to Latvia from the European Union Solidarity Fund.
Strasbourg: The city where the decision to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund was made.
28.11.2018 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 302 I/1
II
(Non-legislative acts)
DECISIONS
DECISION (EU) 2018/1859 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
of 14 November 2018
on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Latvia
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 of 11 November 2002 establishing the European Union
Solidarity Fund (1), and in particular Article 4(3) thereof,
Having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council
and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial
management (2), and in particular point 11 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
Whereas:
(1) The European Union Solidarity Fund (‘the Fund’) aims to enable the Union to respond in a rapid, efficient and
flexible manner to emergency situations in order to show solidarity with the population of regions struck by
natural disasters.
(2) The Fund is not to exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 500 000 000 (2011 prices), as laid down in
Article 10 of Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 (3).
(3) On 14 November 2017, Latvia submitted an application to mobilise the Fund, following a long-lasting period of
intense rainfalls during summer and autumn 2017 leading to the saturation of soils and subsequent flooding.
(4) The application by Latvia meets the conditions for providing a financial contribution from the Fund, as laid
down in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002.
(5) The Fund should therefore be mobilised in order to provide a financial contribution to Latvia.
(6) By Decision (EU) 2018/508 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4), the Fund was mobilised to
provide the sum of EUR 50 000 000 in commitment and payment appropriations for the payment of advances
for the financial year 2018. Those appropriations have only been used to a very limited extent. Consequently,
there is scope for financing the full amount for the present mobilisation through the reallocation of the
appropriations mobilised for the payment of advances in the general budget of the Union for the financial
year 2018.
(7) In order to minimise the time taken to mobilise the Fund, this Decision should apply from the date of its
adoption,
(1) OJ L 311, 14.11.2002, p. 3.
(2) OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1.
(3) Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 of 2 December 2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the
years 2014-2020 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 884).
(4) Decision (EU) 2018/508 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2017 on the mobilisation of the European
Union Solidarity Fund to provide for the payment of advances in the general budget of the Union for 2018 (OJ L 83, 27.3.2018, p. 13).L 302 I/2 EN Official Journal of the European Union 28.11.2018
HAVE ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
For the general budget of the Union for the financial year 2018, the European Union Solidarity Fund shall be mobilised
to provide the amount of EUR 17 730 519 to Latvia, in commitment and payment appropriations.
The amount of the mobilisation referred to in the first paragraph shall be financed from the appropriations mobilised
for the payment of advances in the Union budget for the financial year 2018. The appropriations available for the
payment of advances shall be reduced accordingly.
Article 2
This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
It shall apply from 14 November 2018.
Done at Strasbourg, 14 November 2018.
For the European Parliament For the Council
The President The President
A. TAJANI K. EDTSTADLER