PURPOSE: to present Draft Amending Budget (DAB) No
6/2016 to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to assist
Germany hit by severe floods.
CONTENT: Draft Amending Budget (DAB) No 6 for the year
2016 covers the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund
(EUSF) for an amount of EUR 31 475 125 in commitment and payment
appropriations. The mobilisation relates to floods in
Germany.
Germany: late August
2016, the Commission received an application for EUSF financial
assistance relating to natural disasters in Germany (floods in
May/June 2016).
The Commission services have carried out a thorough
examination of the application. The most important elements of the
assessments are summarised below:
- the application from Germany was received on 19 August
2016, within the deadline of 12 weeks after the first damage was
recorded on 28 May 2016. (4) Germany did not request the payment of
an advance.
- the German authorities estimated the total direct
damage caused by the disaster at EUR 1 259,005 million. This amount
represents 38% of the major disaster threshold for
mobilising the EUSF of EUR 3 312,242 million applicable to Germany
in 2016 (i.e. EUR 3 billion in 2011 prices).
Direct damage: as total
direct damage remains below the major disaster threshold for
activating the Solidarity Fund the application was presented and
examined on the basis of the criteria for "regional disasters
(a 'regional disaster' is defined as any natural disaster resulting
in a region at NUTS level 2 of an eligible State in direct damage
in excess of 1.5% of that region's GDP).
The German application relates to a single NUTS level
2 region, namely 'Niederbayern (DE22)'. The reported direct damage
of EUR 1 259,005 million represents 3.03% of the region's GDP (EUR
41 522 million based on 2014 data) and exceeds the 1.5% threshold
of article 2(3) of the Regulation.
The application from Germany is therefore eligible for
a contribution from the Solidarity Fund.
Damaged caused by the disaster: as regards the impact and consequences of the
disaster, the Commission stated that an area of approximately 430
km2 with about 5 000 homes, was flooded in the district of
Rottal-Inn. At the time of application, over 2 000 people were
still unable to return to their houses and had to seek provisional
accommodation.
In total, more than 47 000 people in Lower Bavaria
were affected and seven people lost their lives. The events caused
significant damage to businesses and agriculture. In addition,
heavy damage to the basic infrastructure was reported: traffic
routes such as railway lines, local and national roads were
rendered impassable, leading to serious traffic
problems.
The cost of essential emergency operations has been
estimated by the German authorities at EUR 94.196 million and has
been broken down by type of operation. The largest share of the
cost of emergency operations (over EUR 52.227 million) concerns
recovery operations in the field of transport. The second largest
share of cost concerns the cleaning-up measures amounting to EUR
21.083 million.
Financing: on the basis
of the requests for intervention presented by Germany, the
Commission proposes to mobilise the following aid
amount:
- Direct damage Germany:
EUR 1 259,055 million.
- Aid proposed: EUR 31 475 125.
Total: EUR 31 475 125.
This is the second proposal for a mobilisation
decision of the European Union Solidarity Fund in 2016. The total
amount of aid proposed above complies with the ceiling provisions
of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) regulation of EUR 552
040 402 (i.e. EUR 500 million in 2011 prices).
In addition, in accordance with Article 10(1) of the
Council Regulation on the multiannual financial framework, as the
2015 allocation of EUR 541 216 080 remained unspent, it is carried
over for one year to 2016. Therefore, the total remaining amount
for mobilisations of the EUSF at the beginning of 2016 was EUR 1
093 256 482. The remaining unspent amount is currently EUR 1 091
604 648, following the first 2016 mobilisation proposal (EUR 1 651
834, earthquake
in the Ionian Islands, Greece).
In conclusion, the Commission proposes to mobilise
the European Union Solidarity Fund for the case of Germany and
to amend the budget 2016 by increasing budget article 13 06 01
'Assistance to Member States in the event of a major natural
disaster with serious repercussions on living conditions, the
natural environment or the economy' by EUR 31 475 125 both in
commitment and in payment appropriations.
As the European Union Solidarity Fund is a special
instrument as defined in the MFF regulation, the corresponding
appropriations should be budgeted outside the corresponding MFF
ceilings.