PURPOSE: to mobilise the Solidarity Fund for the regions bit by severe floods in Bulgaria, Romania and Austria in 2005.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund according to point 3 of the Inter-institutional Agreement of 7 November 2006 between the European Parliament and the Council and the Commission on the financing of the European Union Solidarity Fund supplementing the Inter-institutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary procedure.

CONTENT: the inter-institutional Agreement of 7 November 2002 allows the mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund within the annual ceiling of EUR 1 billion. It has been estimated that damage caused by floods in Bulgaria, Romania and Austria total EUR 2 590 880 209. Having examined the file it has been agreed to release Solidarity Funds totalling EUR 106 357 627 in both commitment and payment appropriations. See also BUD/2006/2066.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Reimer BÖGE (EPP-ED, DE) and approved the Commission proposal to mobilise the Solidarity Fund for Bulgaria, Romania and Austria. The Decision annexed to the resolution provides that, for the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2006, the European Union Solidarity Fund shall be mobilised to provide the sum of EUR 106 357 627 in commitment and payment appropriations.

The committee adopted the report by Reimer BÖGE (EPP-ED, DE) approving the decision to mobilise the European Solidarity Fund under the EU's 2006 budget to provide EUR 106 357 627 in order to help Bulgaria, Romania and Austria to cope with the damage resulting from the floods between April and August 2005.

PURPOSE : to mobilise the Solidarity Fund for the regions bit by severe floods in Bulgaria, Romania and Austria in 2005.

CONTENT : this proposal intends to activate the Solidarity Fund for an amount of EUR 106 357 627 to help offset the financial costs incurred in cleaning-up the disaster stricken areas, restoring basic infrastructures and in taking other emergency measures. In the light of the examination of the applications made by Bulgaria, Romania and Austria, and considering the maximum possible grant from the Fund as well as the scope for reallocating appropriations under the heading requiring additional expenditure, the Commission proposes to mobilise this Fund which shall be allocated under heading 3 of the financial perspective.

The Commission will present an amending budget (AB) in order to enter in the 2006 budget specific commitment and payment appropriations, broken down by beneficiary country, as requested in Point 4 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 7 November 2002.

PURPOSE : to mobilise the Solidarity Fund for the regions bit by severe floods in Bulgaria, Romania and Austria in 2005.

CONTENT : this proposal intends to activate the Solidarity Fund for an amount of EUR 106 357 627 to help offset the financial costs incurred in cleaning-up the disaster stricken areas, restoring basic infrastructures and in taking other emergency measures. In the light of the examination of the applications made by Bulgaria, Romania and Austria, and considering the maximum possible grant from the Fund as well as the scope for reallocating appropriations under the heading requiring additional expenditure, the Commission proposes to mobilise this Fund which shall be allocated under heading 3 of the financial perspective.

The Commission will present an amending budget (AB) in order to enter in the 2006 budget specific commitment and payment appropriations, broken down by beneficiary country, as requested in Point 4 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 7 November 2002.