Media release

EU budget: Council provides for additional resources to manage refugee flows

   
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19 June 2015

The Council on 19 June 2015 agreed to increase the EU 2015 budget to respond to migratory pressures in the Mediterranean. The Council treated this draft amending budget no 5 as a matter of urgency and high political priority, thus backing up proposal by the Commission to provide for additional resources to manage migration and refugee flows by €89 million in commitments and €76.6 million in payments in a fast-track procedure. Since part of this support can be financed from unused funds in other areas the additional financing burden is limited to €75.8 million in commitments and no fresh payments are needed. The additional resources are intended to reinforce notably FRONTEX, the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, as well as the Internal Security Fund.

The Council also accepted the following draft amending budgets for 2015: 

  • Draft amending budget no 4 which increases the 2015 EU budget by €66.5 million in commitments and payments for the EU solidarity fund to deal with the damage caused by floods in Italy (€56 million), Romania (€8.5 million) and Bulgaria (€1.98 million);
  • Draft amending budget no 3 which seeks to incorporate the budget surplus of 2014 into the revenue side of the EU budget for 2015. The 2014 EU budget closed with a surplus of €1.43 billion.

Next steps

The European Parliament is expected to vote on the three draft amending budgets at its plenary session starting on 6 July 2015. If the Parliament accepts the Council's position the draft amending budgets are adopted. If the Parliament adopts amendments a three-week conciliation period would start.

Contact
Jānis Bērziņš
Spokesperson