Date: 2020-03-09Category: Not ApplicableState: Union GovernmentCountry: Europe
European Parliament resolution of 30 May 2018 on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Greece, Spain, France and Portugal (COM(2018)0150 – C8-0039/2018 – 2018/2029(BUD))
**Executive Summary:**
This document summarizes the European Parliament's resolution of May 30, 2018, regarding the mobilization of the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to provide assistance to Greece, Spain, France, and Portugal. The resolution welcomes the decision as a sign of solidarity. It also addresses the prevention of catastrophes, the use of structural funds for reconstruction, transparent utilization of the EUSF, and the importance of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
**Key Points / Main Content:**
* **Solidarity and Regret:**
* Welcomes the decision as a sign of the Union's solidarity with citizens and regions affected by natural disasters.
* Regrets the loss of life due to natural disasters in the Union in 2017.
* **Disaster Prevention and Reconstruction:**
* Calls on Member States to invest in catastrophe prevention and utilize European structural and investment funds.
* Supports Member States' use of European structural and investment funds for reconstruction and invites the Commission to rapidly approve financial reallocation.
* **EUSF Utilization and Transparency:**
* Calls on Member States to utilize the EUSF contribution transparently and ensure fair distribution throughout affected regions.
* **EU Civil Protection Mechanism:**
* Welcomes the Commission's proposal for a new EU Civil Protection Mechanism for preventing and responding to natural disasters.
* Recalls the importance of special EUSF access conditions for outermost regions.
* Calls for more flexibility in the deadline for filing EUSF requests when information collection is difficult.
* **Decision and Instructions:**
* Approves the decision annexed to the resolution.
* Instructs the President to sign the decision with the President of the Council and arrange for its publication.
* Instructs the President to forward the resolution and its annex to the Council and the Commission.
**Impact Analysis:**
**Member States:**
* *Impact:* Affected Member States (Greece, Spain, France, and Portugal) will receive financial assistance from the EUSF. They are expected to invest in catastrophe prevention and utilize funds transparently.
* *Action Required:* Member States need to utilize the EUSF contribution transparently, guaranteeing a fair distribution throughout the affected regions. They should also consider reallocating partnership agreements for reconstruction.
**European Commission:**
* *Impact:* The Commission is responsible for supporting and rapidly approving financial reallocations requested by Member States.
* *Action Required:* The Commission needs to support and rapidly approve the financial reallocation of the partnership agreements requested by Member States.
**European Parliament President:**
* *Impact:* The President is responsible for formalizing the decision.
* *Action Required:* The President must sign the decision with the President of the Council, arrange for its publication, and forward the resolution to the Council and the Commission.
**Union Citizens and Regions hit by natural disasters:**
* *Impact:* Access to the Unions solidarity fund.
* *Action Required:* None.
Key Entities Referenced
European Union Solidarity Fund: A fund established by the European Union to provide financial assistance to member states affected by major natural disasters.
Greece: A country in Southern Europe that is a member state of the European Union and a recipient of assistance from the European Union Solidarity Fund according to this document.
Spain: A country in Southwestern Europe that is a member state of the European Union and a recipient of assistance from the European Union Solidarity Fund according to this document.
France: A country in Western Europe that is a member state of the European Union and a recipient of assistance from the European Union Solidarity Fund according to this document.
Portugal: A country in Southern Europe that is a member state of the European Union and a recipient of assistance from the European Union Solidarity Fund according to this document.
European Parliament: A legislative body of the European Union that is involved in the decision-making process regarding the mobilization of the European Union Solidarity Fund.
Council Regulation EC No 2012/2002: Council Regulation establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund.
Council Regulation EU, Euratom No 1311/2013: Council Regulation laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020.
C 76/232 EN Official Journal of the European Union 9.3.2020
Wednesday 30 May 2018
European Parlia- P8_TA(2018)0217
Mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Greece, Spain, France and Portugal
European Parliament resolution of 30 May 2018 on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of th e
Council on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Greece, Spain, France and
Portugal (COM(2018)0150 – C8-0039/2018 – 2018/2029(BUD))
(2020/C 76/33)
The European Parliament,
— having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2018)0150 – C8-0039/2018),
— having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 of 11 November 2002 establishing the European Union Solidarit y
Fund (1),
— having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 of 2 December 2013 laying down the multiannual financia l
framework for the years 2014-2020 (2), and in particular Article 10 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 (3), and in parti-
cular point 11 thereof,
— having regard to the letter from the Committee on Regional Development,
— having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A8-0175/2018),
1. Welcomes the decision as a sign of the Union’s solidarity with Union citizens and regions hit by natural disasters;
2. Regrets the number of lives lost in natural disasters in the Union in 2017; calls on Member States to invest in the prevention o f
catastrophes through the mobilisation of the necessary means and the use of European structural and investment funds to avoid the
loss of human lives in the future;
3. Supports Member States using European structural and investment funds for the reconstruction of the affected regions; invite s
the Commission to support and rapidly approve the financial reallocation of the partnership agreements requested by Member States
to this end;
4. Calls on Member States to utilise the financial contribution from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) in a transparen t
way, guaranteeing a fair distribution throughout the affected regions;
5. Welcomes the proposal from the Commission for a new EU Civil Protection Mechanism as a way to prevent and act in situa-
tions of natural disasters; believes that the EU Civil Protection Mechanism represents a materialisation of solidarity in the Union, in line
with the EUSF; recalls, in this context, the importance of continuing to give the outermost regions special EUSF access conditions to
help them cope with their high level of exposure to natural disasters; calls, in situations where the collection of information is difficult
and where justified by the scale of the natural disaster, for more flexibility in the deadline for filing a request for the mobilisation and
use of EUSF funds;
(1) OJ L 311, 14.11.2002, p. 3.
(2) OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 884.
(3) OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1.9.3.2020 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 76/233
Wednesday 30 May 2018
6. Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;
7. Instructs its President to sign the decision with the President of the Council and arrange for its publication in the Official Journal
of the European Union;
8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution, including its annex, to the Council and the Commission.C 76/234 EN Official Journal of the European Union 9.3.2020
Wednesday 30 May 2018
ANNEX
ANNEX DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Greece, Spain, France and Portugal
(The text of this annex is not reproduced here since it corresponds to the final act, Decision (EU) 2018/846.)