Considerations on COM(2019)496 - Mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Greece

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dossier COM(2019)496 - Mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Greece.
document COM(2019)496 EN
date November 27, 2019
 
table>(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 15 May 2019 Greece submitted an application to mobilise the Fund, following exceptionally heavy rain and storm which hit Crete between 23 and 26 February 2019 and led to floods and landslides.

(4)The application by Greece 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 Greece.

(6)By Decision (EU) 2019/277 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 2019. 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 available for the payment of advances in the general budget of the Union for the financial year 2019.

(7)In order to minimise the time taken to mobilise the Fund, this Decision should apply from the date of its adoption,