Toelichting bij COM(2020)145 - Amending budget N° 1 to the budget 2020 Assistance to Greece in response to increased migration pressure Immediate measures in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak Support to post-earthquake reconstruction in Albania Other adjustments - Hoofdinhoud
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| dossier | COM(2020)145 - Amending budget N° 1 to the budget 2020 Assistance to Greece in response to increased migration pressure Immediate measures ... |
|---|---|
| bron | COM(2020)145   |
| datum | 06-04-2020 |
The purpose of Draft Amending Budget (DAB) No 1 for the year 2020 is to provide, in commitment appropriations, EUR 350,0 million to meet the needs resulting from the increased migration pressure in Greece, EUR 115,0 million to provide an urgent reponse to prevent a further deterioration of the COVID-19 outbreak and EUR 100,0 million to support post-earthquake reconstruction in Albania. Other minor adjustments are also proposed for the European Centre for Desease Prevention and
Control, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the European Court of Auditors and the
Ombudsman.
Overall, the reinforcements proposed in this DAB amount to EUR 567,4 million in commitment appropriati ons and EUR 77,4 million in pa y ment a ppropriati ons.
2. Assistance to Greece in response to increased migration pressure
As a result of the conflict in North East Syria and uncerta inties surroundin g the EUTurkey Statement, a large inflow of migrants risks taking place at the borders of Greece and Bulgaria. This risks placing significant and urgent demands on the Greek reception facilities and the asylum systems and procedures as well as on the effective protection of the external borders of Greece and Bulgaria.
The appropriations available in 2020 for the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AM I F) and Internal Security Fund (ISF) are not sufficient to face all the consequences of these unexpected developments. While EUR 350,0 million can be made available from the existing financial envelope of the two programmes, the Commission requests an additional EUR 350,0 million in commitment appropriations and EUR 20,0 million in payment appropriations to meet the impact of a potential worsening of the situation.
The requested EU R 350,0 million in commitment appropriations will be used as follows:
EUR 280,0 million will be made available under AM I F to cover the following activities in Greece:
• The construction of five M u lt i - P u r p ose Reception and Identification Centres (MPRICs) in the Greek islands in 2020. The five MPRICs will ensure accommodation for third-country nationals until the completion of their reception and identification process and for identified asylum seekers and applicants who are not granted international protection and should be returned and readmitted into their countries of origin. The MPRICs will be more efficient in terms of time and costs than the current separate accommodation areas and provide far more adequate up to standard accommodation (EUR 220,0 million).
• The Voluntary Return and Reintegration Assistance (AVRR) programmes will be increased to support returns (EUR 10,0 million). In particular, the return and reintegration packages for the AVRR candidates will be improved in order to attract more migrants to join the programme. Moreover, it is necessary to organise new information campaigns to improve outreach.
• Services in the new camps and emergency items (e.g. food, transportation), additional staff for medical teams as well as increased support to the Greek Asylum Service (EUR 50,0 million).
EUR 50,0 million is proposed to be made available under ISF Borders & Visa, to cover the costs related to the deployment and operational costs of borders guards and police officers at the external borders of Greece and/or Bulgaria and the acquisition of relevant equipment.
Additionally and in an effort to step up its capacities, the European Border and Coast Guard agency
coordinate a return programme for the quick return of persons without the right to stay to countries of origin from Greece.
Finally, a EUR 10,0 million increase in commitment and payment appropriations is proposed for the EU contribution to European Asylum Support Office (EASO) for the deployment of experts in Greece. This includes caseworkers to carry out operational support for exceptional asylum processing, interpreters and security personnel.
EUR
| Budget line | Name | Commitment appropriations | Payment appropriations |
| Section III – Commission | |||
| 18 02 01 01 | Support of border management and a common visa policy to facilitate legitimate travel | 50 000 000 | - |
| 18 02 03 | European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) | 10 000 000 | 10 000 000 |
| 18 03 01 01 | Strengthening and developing the common European asylum system and enhancing solidarity and responsibility-sharing between the Member States | 280 000 000 | - |
| 18 03 02 | European Asylum Support Office (EASO) | 10 000 000 | 10 000 000 |
| Total | 350 000 000 | 20 000 000 |
3. Immediate measures in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak
The COVID-19 outbreak represents a severe public health emergency for citizens, societies and economies with infection spreading very rapidly in all Member States. Member States need to repatriate a large number of EU nationals stranded in third countries and face shortages3 of medical countermeasures and personal protective equipment essential to fight the disease.
To help Member States meet these challenges and respond to the impact of the outbreak, the Commission proposes to allocate EUR 128,6 million in commitment appropriations:
EUR 125,0 million under the the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) and EUR 3,6 million for the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). EUR 10,0 million will be redeployed within the UCPM and the reinforcement of ECDC is fully financed through redeployment. Therefore, in total the Commission requests an additional EUR 115,0 million in commitment appropriations to reinforce the UCPM.
3.1.
Union Civil Protection Mechanism (within the Union)
To face the most immediate needs of Member States with respect to medicines, personal protective equipment and medical products the Commission has launched an accelerated joint procurement procedure with 26 Member States, paid for by Member States from their national budgets.
As part of the EU’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak, UCPM facilitates cooperation between Member States. In addition to the joint procurement and as a further safety net, the Commission has adopted a new Implementing Act under rescEU/UPCM in order to support Member States in purchasing some of the needed equipment, thus increasing the volume and widening the scope of priority items purchased through the joint procurement. The rescEU direct grant will provide 90 % co-financing from the EU budget. The equipment purchased will remain available at EU level, providing room for manoeuver over and beyond the national stocks. It will be available to all Member States and will be used in case of insufficient national capacity.
The latest Rapid Risk Assessment produced by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), assessed as high the risk of widespread notional community transmission in the EU/EEA and UK, in the coming weeks, increasing the
The Commission will redeploy EUR 10,0 million in commitment appropriations to support COVID-19 medical countermeasures and equipment from within the existing UCPM/rescEU budget for 2020 (prevention and preparedness within the Union). However, given the magnitude of capacities needed, and related costs, the available budget is insufficient to cover the initiative. Reinforcements of EUR 70,0 million in commitment and EUR 40 million in payment appropriations are therefore requested.
3.2. Union Civil Protection Mechanism (in third countries)
The rescEU/UCPM has so far facilitated the repatriation of over 1,000 EU citizens to Europe from China, Japan, Oakland, U.S. and most recently from Morocco, resulting in 10 repatriation flights co-financed by the European Commission, as well as 2 flights co-financed bringing in-kind assistance to Wuhan.
The number of transport grant applications4
number of transport grant applications received so far this year is about to exceed the number of requests received in an entire year, and more are expected to come in shortly. The provisional estimated number of EU nationals stranded in various parts of the world is over 300,0005. The current budget is largely insufficient given the average cost per repatriation action has so far been EUR 1,0 million. Repatriation flights via the UCPM are to be used as the “last resort” only. Commercial repatriation options need to be exhausted by each Member State concerned. In addition, the transport grants will apply for “multi-national” flights only, taking on board citizens from various Member States.
The Commission requests EUR 45,0 million in commitment appropriations to support Covid-19-related repatriations, and to respond swiftly to other emergency crises that might be coming in the course of the year. Given the urgency of the repatriations and the need for immediate action, the Commission will transfer the required funds from the humanitarian aid instrument, with the intention of proposing a budgetary transfer to the Council and the European Parliament later in the year to reinstate these commitment appropriations for the purposes of humanitarian aid. No additional payment appropriations are requested at the moment.
3.3. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
Additional resources of EUR 3,6 million in both commitment and payment appropriations are proposed to increase the ECDC’s capacity, including in terms of staff (contractual agents), to contribute to the management of the current crisis.
ECDC will provide models for assessing and comparing the relative impact of different intervention strategies in fighting the COVID-19 outbreak and develop and advise on interventions in hospitals and the community to enhance prevention and control, clinical management and hospital preparedness. ECDC will also provide expertise in the field of emergency preparedness and response for deployments to countries in need of immediate assistance to respond to the crisis.
The reinforcement of ECDC is proposed to be entirely financed through redeployment, by reducing the allocations for measures aimed at eradication of animal diseases by around 2 %, with very limited impact on the implementation of these measures.
Inhoudsopgave
the course of 2020, the instrument has received 40 grant applications and the average number of transport
4
EUR
| Budget line | Name | Commitment appropriations | Payment appropriations |
| Section III – Commission | |||
| 23 03 01 01 | Disaster prevention and preparedness within the Union | 70 000 000 | 40 000 000 |
| 23 03 02 02 | Rapid and efficient emergency response interventions in the event of major disasters in third countries | 45 000 000 | - |
| 17 03 10 | Subsidy to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control | 3 642 000 | 3 642 000 |
| 17 04 01 | Ensuring a higher animal health status and high level of protection of animals in the Union | - 3 642 000 | - 3 642 000 |
| Total | 115 000 000 | 40 000 000 |
4. Support to post-earthquake reconstruction in Albania
The earthquake which hit Albania on 26 November 2019 caused widespread damage and loss of life. According to the post-disaster needs assessment the value of the damaged physical assests amounts to EUR 844 million. The total recovery needs amount to EUR 1 076 million.
Following the donors’ conference in Brussels on 17 February 2020, hosted by the President of the Commission, the present DAB proposes EUR 100,0 million in commitment appropriations to support reconstruction efforts. EUR 15 million in payment appropriations are also proposed to cover advance payments in 2020 to implementing partners. The remaining payment appropriations will be covered as from the 2021 budget.
EUR
| Budget line | Name | Commitment appropriations | Payment appropriations |
| Section III – Commission | |||
| 22 02 01 02 | Support for economic, social and territorial development and related progressive alignment with the Union acquis | 100 000 000 | 15 000 000 |
| Total | 100 000 000 | 15 000 000 |
In addition, the Commission is providing EUR 15,0 million in reconstruction support to Albania from within the existing 2020 budget for the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance.
5.
Other adjustments
5.1. European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO)
In October 2017, agreement was reached on the creation of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO)6. The Legislative Financial Statement accompanying the regulation envisaged a progressive phasing-in of the operational activities whereby the Office would reach cruising speed in 2023. The timing of this phasing-in needs to be partly accelerated to allow the EPPO to exercise its investigatory and prosecutorial functions as from the very start of its operations, including on the existing caseload at Member States level. In order to cope with this obligation as soon as possible, the Commission proposes to frontload in 2020 18 additional staff (11 establishment plan posts and 7 contractual agents) initially foreseen to be available from 2021.
Overall the Commission proposes an increase of EUR 3,3 million in commitment and payment appropriations to cover the increased costs of staff as well as other IT and security related expenditure not initially foreseen in the budget 2020.
Finally, the Commission proposes the upgrading of one AD11 post of the 2020 establishment plan into an AD14 post, to allow the recruitment of the Executive Director who will replace the current interim Director seconded from the Commission.
EUR
| Budget line | Name | Commitment appropriations | Payment appropriations |
| Section III – Commission | |||
| 33 03 05 | European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) | 3 300 000 | 3 300 000 |
| Total | 3 300 000 | 3 300 000 |
updated establishment plan is set out in the budgetary annex.
5.2.
European Court of Auditors
When preparing its budget for 2020, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) requested EUR 900 000 to cover the audit of the EU agencies and other EU bodies. At a later stage of the 2020 budget procedure, the ECA decided to change the approach, i.e. the agencies will continue to pay for their audits on the basis of the current framework contract in 2020.
The Commission proposes to release the corresponding appropriations for the audit of the EU agencies and other EU bodies, as the ECA no longer needs them.
EUR
| Budget Line | Name | Appropriations |
| 2 7 0 1 | Audit of agencies and other bodies of the Union | -900 000 |
| Sub-total Section V | -900 000 | |
| Total | -900 000 |
5.3.
European Ombudsman
In
the request for the
budget, the
Ombudsman
had requested the downgrading of several posts in
the institution’s establishment plan in order to match the actual occupation of the posts. Two senior management posts AD15 and AD14 were therefore downgraded into two administrator’s posts AD 11.
In December 2019, the European Ombudsman, Ms Emily O’Reilly, was reelected for a five-year mandate. For this new mandate, Ms O’Reilly envisages to restructure the Office as from 2020 and intends to actually use the senior management posts that were previously downgraded.
It is thus proposed to upgrade one permanent AD 11 post and one permanent AD13 post to two permanent AD14 posts. This amendment has no impact on the level of appropriations allocated to the Ombudsman in the 2020 budget.
updated establishment plan is set out in the budgetary annex.
6. Financing
6.1. Heading 3 Security and Citizenship
The overall increase in commitment appropriations under Heading 3 amounts to EUR 423,3 million. Given the absence of margins and limited room for redeployment under this heading, the Commission proposes to m obil ise spec ial nstruments for this amount as follows:
• To mobilise the Global Margin for Commitments for the migration related appropriations, i.e. EUR 350,0 million.
• To mobilise the Flexibilty Instrument for all other expenditure exceeding the ceiling of heading 3 (EUR 73,3 million), i.e. to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak and to provide additional means to European Public Prosecutor’s Office. As a result, the amount of the Flexibility Instrument mobilised in the 2020 budget will increase from EUR 778,1 million7 to EUR 851,7 million.
6.2. Heading 4 Global Europe
The overall increase in commitment appropriations under Heading 4 amounts to EUR 145,0 million for the post-earthquake reconstruction in Albania (EUR 100 million) and the COVID-19 repatriation flights co-finaced by the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (EUR 45 million). This amount will be financed from the unallocated margin available under this heading (EUR 248,4 million).
No use of special instruments is required.
7.
Summary table by MFF heading
| Heading | Budget 2020 | |||||
| Budget 2020 | Draft Amending Budget 1/2020 | (incl. DAB 1/2020) | ||||
| CA | PA | CA | PA | CA | PA | |
| 1. Smart and inclusive growth | 83 930 597 837 | 72 353 828 442 | 83 930 597 837 | 72 353 828 442 | ||
| Ceiling | 83 661 000 000 | 83 661 000 000 | ||||
| Margin | ||||||
| 1a Competitiveness for growth and jobs | 25 284 773 982 | 22 308 071 592 | 25 284 773 982 | 22 308 071 592 | ||
| Of which under global margin for commitments | 93 773 982 | 93 773 982 | ||||
| Ceiling | 25 191 000 000 | 25 191 000 000 | ||||
| Margin | ||||||
| 1b Economic social and territorial cohesion | 58 645 823 855 | 50 045 756 850 | 58 645 823 855 | 50 045 756 850 | ||
| Of which under global margin for commitments | 175 823 855 | 175 823 855 | ||||
| Ceiling | 58 470 000 000 | 58 470 000 000 | ||||
| Margin | ||||||
| 2. Sustainable growth: natural resources | 59 907 021 051 | 57 904 492 439 | 59 907 021 051 | 57 904 492 439 | ||
| Ceiling | 60 421 000 000 | 60 421 000 000 | ||||
| Margin | 513 978 949 | 513 978 949 | ||||
| Of which: European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) — Market related expenditure and direct payments | 43 410 105 687 | 43 380 031 798 | 43 410 105 687 | 43 380 031 798 | ||
| Sub-ceiling | 43 888 000 000 | 43 888 000 000 | ||||
| Rounding difference excluded from margin calculation | 888 000 | 888 000 | ||||
| EAGF Margin | 477 006 313 | 477 006 313 | ||||
| 3. Security and citizenship | 3 729 074 489 | 3 685 227 141 | 423 300 000 | 63 300 000 | 4 152 374 489 | 3 748 527 141 |
| Of which under Flexibility Instrument | 778 074 489 | 73 300 000 | 851 374 489 | |||
| Of which under global margin for commitments | 350 000 000 | 350 000 000 | ||||
| Ceiling | 2 951 000 000 | 2 951 000 000 | ||||
| Margin | ||||||
| 4. Global Europe | 10 261 572 239 | 8 929 061 191 | 145 000 000 | 15 000 000 | 10 406 572 239 | 8 944 061 191 |
| Ceiling | 10 510 000 000 | 10 510 000 000 | ||||
| Margin | 248 427 761 | 103 427 761 | ||||
| 5. Administration | 10 272 093 494 | 10 275 096 704 | - 900 000 | - 900 000 | 10 271 193 494 | 10 274 196 704 |
| Ceiling | 11 254 000 000 | 11 254 000 000 | ||||
| Of which offset against Contingency margin | - 252 000 000 | - 252 000 000 | ||||
| Margin | 729 906 506 | 730 806 506 | ||||
| Of which: Administrative expenditure of the institutions | 7 956 203 132 | 7 959 206 342 | - 900 000 | - 900 000 | 7 955 303 132 | 7 958 306 342 |
| Sub-ceiling | 9 071 000 000 | 9 071 000 000 | ||||
| Of which offset against Contingency margin | - 252 000 000 | - 252 000 000 | ||||
| Margin | 862 796 868 | 863 696 868 | ||||
| Total | 168 100 359 110 | 153 147 705 917 | 567 400 000 | 77 400 000 | 168 667 759 110 | 153 225 105 917 |
| Of which under Flexibility Instrument | 778 074 489 | 849 779 197 | 73 300 000 | 43 300 000 | 851 374 489 | 893 079 197 |
| Of which under global margin for commitments | 269 597 837 | 350 000 000 | 619 597 837 | |||
| Ceiling | 168 797 000 000 | 172 420 000 000 | 168 797 000 000 | 172 420 000 000 | ||
| Of which offset against Contingency margin | - 252 000 000 | - 252 000 000 | ||||
| Margin | 1 492 313 216 | 20 122 073 280 | - 144 100 000 | 1 348 213 216 | 20 087 973 280 | |
| Other special Instruments | 587 763 000 | 418 500 000 | 587 763 000 | 418 500 000 | ||
| Grand Total | 168 688 122 110 | 153 566 205 917 | 567 400 000 | 77 400 000 | 169 255 522 110 | 153 643 605 917 |