Regulation 2022/2039 - Amendment of Regulations (EU) No 1303/2013 and (EU) 2021/1060 as regards additional flexibility to address the consequences of the military aggression of Russia FAST (Flexible Assistance for Territories) - CARE - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 275/23

Member States, and in particular the central and eastern regions of the European Union, have been severely affected by the consequences of the military aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, at a time when Member States’ economies are still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. While facing a continuous inflow of persons fleeing Russian aggression, many Member States are also affected by shortages of labour, supply chain difficulties and rising prices and energy costs. On the one hand, this generates challenges for public budgets and, on the other, delays the implementation of investments. Such circumstances have created an exceptional situation which needs to be addressed with specific, well-targeted measures, in order not to require changes in the multiannual financial framework annual ceilings for commitments and payments set out in Annex I to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 (2), as well as to avoid undermining the ongoing green, digital and resilient recovery of the economy.

With a view to alleviating the increasing burden on national budgets, Regulation (EU) 2022/562 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) made a number of targeted amendments to Regulations (EU) No 1303/2013 (4) and (EU) No 223/2014 (5) of the European Parliament and of the Council in order to make it easier for Member States to use their remaining allocations of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) under the 2014–2020 multiannual financial framework, as well as to use REACT-EU resources to address the migratory challenges resulting from the military aggression by the Russian Federation as effectively and as rapidly as possible.

In addition, Regulation (EU) 2022/613 of the European Parliament and of the Council (6) provided additional possibilities to mobilise resources quickly to offset the immediate budgetary costs borne by Member States and established a unit cost to facilitate the financing of basic needs and support of persons fleeing Russian aggression who are granted temporary protection.

Additional exceptional arrangements to enable Member States to concentrate on the necessary response to the unprecedented socioeconomic situation should nevertheless be provided to Member States, given the extended nature of the Russian invasion, especially with regard to operations addressing the migratory challenges as a result of the military aggression by the Russian Federation.

Given the additional strain on public budgets caused by the military aggression by the Russian Federation, the flexibility regarding the use of the ERDF and the ESF provided for in Article 98(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 for such operations should be extended to also cover the Cohesion Fund so that its resources can also be used to support operations falling within the scope of the ERDF or the ESF...