PURPOSE: to mobilise the Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Austria, Italy and Romania following disasters in these countries in 2018.

NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Decision (EU) 2019/1817 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Austria, Italy and Romania.

CONTENT: within the framework of the general budget of the Union for the financial year 2019, the following amounts in commitment and payment appropriations shall be mobilised under the European Union Solidarity Fund:

- EUR 8 192 300 for Romania;

- EUR 277 204 595 for Italy;

- EUR 8 154 899 for Austria.

This mobilisation is accompanied by Amending Budget No 3/2019 , which provides for the necessary appropriations to be entered in the 2019 general budget, both in commitments and payments.

The decision follows the application for assistance from the Fund submitted on 7 September 2018 by Romania, on 20 December 2018 by Italy and on 14 January 2019 by Austria following extreme weather events during the summer and autumn of 2018 that caused flooding. The applications submitted by these three countries qualify for a financial contribution from the Fund.

The European Union Solidarity Fund aims to enable the Union to respond in a rapid, efficient and flexible manner to emergency situations in order to show solidarity with the population of regions struck by natural disasters. The maximum annual amount allocated to the Fund may not exceed EUR 500 million (at 2011 prices).

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 7.11.2019.

APPLICATION: from 18.9.2019.

The European Parliament adopted by 645 votes to 18, with 30 abstentions, a resolution on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to assist Romania, Italy and Austria.

The aim of the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) is to enable the European Union to respond in a rapid, efficient and flexible manner to emergency situations in order to show solidarity with the population of regions struck by natural disasters. The maximum annual amount allocated to the Fund may not exceed EUR 500 million (at 2011 prices).

Parliament approved the decision to mobilise the following amounts under the EUSF in commitment and payment appropriations under the general budget of the Union for the financial year 2019:

(a) EUR 8 192 300 to support Romania;

(b) EUR 277 204 595 to support Italy;

(c) EUR 8 154 899 to support Austria.

The requests submitted by Romania (2018), Italy (2018) and Austria (2019) following extreme weather conditions qualify for a financial contribution from the Fund.

Members welcomed the decision as a sign of the Union’s solidarity with the Union citizens and regions hit by the natural disasters. They stressed the urgent need to release the Fund's financial assistance for regions affected by natural disasters in the Union in 2018.

Parliament welcomed the Commission's proposal to amend the Union Civil Protection Mechanism as a key tool for strengthening the Union's disaster risk management capacities, with a financial envelope for the 2021-2027 financing period that matches the level of ambition set out in Decision (EU) 2019/420 of the European Parliament and of the Council and in accordance with the European Parliament's resolution of 14 November 2018 on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027.

Members are convinced that the Fund and the Union Civil Protection Mechanism should go hand in hand to prevent, prepare for and respond to natural disasters in the Member States.

The Committee on Budgets adopted the report by Siegfried MUREŞAN (EPP, RO) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Romania, Italy and Austria.

The European Union Solidarity Fund aims to enable the Union to respond in a rapid, efficient and flexible manner to emergency situations in order to show solidarity with the population of regions struck by natural disasters.

The Fund is not to exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 500 000 000 (2011 prices).

Members stressed the urgent need to release financial assistance through the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to the regions affected by natural disasters in the Union in 2018.

The total amount proposed to be mobilised for Romania, Italy and Austria is EUR 293 551 794.

This requires an amendment to the 2019 budget by means of a draft amending budget ( DAB 3/2019 ) that aims at 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 the aforementioned amount in both commitment and payment appropriations.

Members approved the proposed decision annexed to this resolution which aims to lead to the rapid mobilisation of the aforementioned amounts, as a sign of European solidarity with the three Member States concerned.

PURPOSE: to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund to assist Romania, Italy and Austria.

PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council.

CONTENT: the proposed Decision covers the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) for an amount of EUR 293 551 794 to provide assistance to Romania, Italy and Austria further to disasters that took place in these countries in the course of 2018.

The Fund aims to enable the Union to respond in a rapid, efficient and flexible manner to emergency situations in order to show solidarity with the population of regions struck by natural disasters. The Fund is not to exceed a maximum annual amount of EUR 500 million (2011 prices), as laid down in Article 10 of Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020 (MFF regulation).

Romania - flooding in the North East region in summer 2018

On 7 September 2018, Romania submitted an application to mobilise the Fund following repeated torrential rain that caused widespread flooding, causing extensive damage to infrastructure and households as well as agricultural losses.

After an initial claim for a total estimated direct damage of EUR 196.8 million, the Romanian authorities submitted a revised application on 9 October 2018, in which the total direct damage amounted to EUR 327.7 million. This amount represents 2.07% of regional GDP and therefore exceeds the required threshold of 1.5% of regional GDP (EUR 238 million in the case of the North-East region).

The Romanian authorities have estimated the cost of eligible emergency and recovery operations at EUR 294 million and have broken it down by type of action. The affected region is part of the ‘less developed regions' under the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds) for 2014-2020.

Italy - extreme weather events in autumn 2018

On 20 December 2018, Italy submitted an application to the Fund following floods and landslides resulting from the torrential rain from the northern alpine areas to Sicily, causing a large number of victims (34 reported dead and 1 person was reported missing) and widespread material damage.

The application was presented on the basis of the criteria for a ‘major natural disaster'. The Italian authorities estimate the total direct damage caused by the disaster at EUR 6.6 billion (updated amount). This amount represents more than 192% of the threshold applicable to Italy of EUR 3.4 billion.

Italy has estimated the cost of eligible emergency and recovery operations at more than EUR 1 700 million and has broken it down by type of action. Three of the affected regions are considered as ‘less developed regions’ under the ESI Funds 2014-2020 (Calabria, Campania and Sicily), two as ‘regions in transition’ (Abruzzo and Sardinia), while the other nine regions are ‘more developed regions’.

Austria - extreme weather events in autumn 2018

On 14 January 2019, Austria submitted an application to mobilise the Fund following extreme weather events. Weather events in Italy also affected a number of alpine/southern regions of Austria, in particular Carinthia and East Tyrol.

The Austrian authorities estimate the total direct damage caused by the disaster at EUR 326.2 million. The request was made under the so-called ‘neighbouring country provision’ whereby an eligible country affected by the same disaster qualifying as a major disaster in a neighbouring eligible country may also benefit from Solidarity Fund aid.

Austria estimated the cost of emergency and recovery operations at EUR 214.5 million and presented it broken down by type of operation. The affected regions are "more developed regions" under the ESI Funds (2014-2020).

Conclusion

The Commission considers that the applications of Romania, Italy and Austria fulfil the conditions for a financial contribution from the Fund as set out in Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002. It therefore proposes to mobilise the EUSF within the framework of the general budget of the Union for the 2019 financial year, in order to grant:

- an amount of EUR 8 192 300 to Romania;

- an amount of EUR 277 204 595 to Italy;

- an amount of EUR 8 154 899 to Austria.

This mobilisation is accompanied by Draft amending budget (DAB) No 3/2019 , which proposes to enter the necessary appropriations in the general budget 2019, both in commitments and payments.