PURPOSE: definitive adoption (EU, Euratom) 2018/1577 of amending budget No 4 of the European Union for the financial year 2018, accompanying the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to assist Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania and Poland.

NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Definitive adoption (EU, Euratom) 2017/2121 of Draft amending budget No 4 to the general budget 2018.

CONTENT: the European Parliament notes that Amending Budget No 4 of the European Union for the financial year 2018 has been definitively adopted.

The amending budget concerns the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to assist Bulgaria and Lithuania due to floods, Greece due to the earthquakes in Kos and Poland following the storms in 2017. It aims to reinforce budget line 13 06 01 "Assistance to Member States in the event of major natural disasters with serious repercussions on living conditions, the natural environment and the economy" by an amount of EUR 33 992 206, both in commitment appropriations and in payment appropriations.

The European Parliament adopted by 654 votes to 26, with 3 abstentions, a resolution on the Council's position on Draft amending budget No 4/2018 of the European Union for the financial year 2018 accompanying the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to assist Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania and Poland.

Parliament approved the Council's position on Draft amending budget (DAB) No 4/2018.

The PBR concerns the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to assist Bulgaria and Lithuania due to floods, Greece due to the earthquakes in Kos and Poland following the storms in 2017. It aims to increase the budget line 13 06 01 ‘Assistance to Member States in the event of a major natural disaster with serious repercussions on living conditions, the natural environment and the economy’ by an amount of EUR 33 992 206 , both in commitment appropriations and in payment appropriations.

On 31 May 2018, the Commission submitted to the Council draft amending budget (DAB) No 4 to the general budget for 2018 regarding the mobilisation of the the EU Solidarity Fund for a total amount of EUR 33 992 206 in commitment and payment appropriations.

The objective of this proposal is to finance the mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund to provide financial assistance to Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania and Poland in response to natural disasters that hit those countries in 2017.

The corresponding appropriations are to be recorded under Article 13 06 01 (EU Solidarity Fund - Assistance to Member States in the event of a major natural disaster with serious repercussions on living conditions, the natural environment or the economy).

On 4 September 2018, the Council adopted its position on DAB No 4 to the general budget for 2018, the text of which is set out in the technical annex to the explanatory memorandum of its position on the draft amending budget (see Council document ).

The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by Siegfried MUREŞAN (EPP, RO) on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 4/2018 of the European Union for the financial year 2018 accompanying the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania and Poland.

The committee recommended that the European Parliament approve the Council's position on draft amending budget No 4/2018 .

Draft amending budget No 4/2018 covers the proposed mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Bulgaria and Lithuania for the floods, to Greece for the earthquakes in Kos, as well as to Poland for the storms that occurred in the course of 2017,

The Commission consequently proposes to amend the 2018 budget and to increase budget line 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 33 992 206 both in commitment and payment appropriations.

On 31 May 2018, the Commission submitted to the Council draft amending budget (DAB) No 4 to the general budget for 2018 regarding the mobilisation of the the EU Solidarity Fund for a total amount of EUR 33 992 206 in commitment and payment appropriations.

The objective of this proposal is to finance the mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund to provide financial assistance to Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania and Poland in response to natural disasters that hit those countries in 2017.

The corresponding appropriations are to be recorded under Article 13 06 01 (EU Solidarity Fund - Assistance to Member States in the event of a major natural disaster with serious repercussions on living conditions, the natural environment or the economy).

On 4 September 2018, the Council adopted its position on DAB No 4 to the general budget for 2018, the text of which is set out in the technical annex to the explanatory memorandum of its position on the draft amending budget (see Council document ).

PURPOSE: presentation of draft amending budget No 4 to the 2018 budget accompanying the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to assist Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania and Poland.

CONTENT: draft amending budget (DAB) No 4 for the year 2018 accompanies the proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to provide assistance to Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania and Poland following natural disasters that took place in these Member States in the course of 2017:

Bulgaria : flooding caused by unusual intense rainfall and violent storms in the south-eastern part of the country (25 and 26 October 2017); Greece : earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 on the Richter scale affecting the South Aegean region between Bodrum (Turkey) and the island of Kos (Greece) followed by a multitude of aftershocks (20 July 2017); Lithuania : flooding caused by continuous rainfall during the summer and autumn 2017; Poland : exceptionally violent storms and heavy rainfall (between 9 and 12 August 2017).

DAB No 4/2018 proposes to enter the necessary appropriations in the general budget 2018, both in commitments and payments.

On the basis of the applications from Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania and Poland, the calculation of the finacial contribution from the EUSF , based on the estimate of total direct damages, is set at EUR 33 992 206 .

The Commission proposes to amend the budget 2018 by increasing budget line 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 33 992 206 both in commitment and payment appropriations.