WIREDGOV

Parliament agreed to changes to ceilings in the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020 on Wednesday, to help fund 300 state-managed programmes, in all EU member states, that started too late to qualify for EU funding in 2014.

These changes would allow €21.1 billion in unused commitment appropriations to be carried over from 2014 to 2015-17.

Parliament gave its consent to the changes by 591 votes to 24, with 28 abstentions.

The changes were requested by the European Commission, and have been informally and unanimously approved by the Council of Ministers. The €21.1 billion in uncommitted appropriations, representing 15% of the 2014 budget, were for 300 programmes (47% of all programmes) in all member states. These programmes could not start on time in 2014 due to delays in approving the rules governing them, which in turn delayed the drawing up of national programmes.

Doubts over payments

In the debate, several MEPs expressed concern over the availability of resources to meet payment obligations stemming from the now higher level of commitments. They noted that although most of the increase in commitments (€16.5 billion) is to take place in 2015, the European Commission had not topped up resources for actual payments.

Other MEPs urged that procedures be simplified to prevent a similar situation arising at the start of the next multiannual budgeting period, in 2021.

Next steps

The first tranche of the €21.1 billion will be transferred to 2015 by a draft amending budget (DAB2/2015) to be voted in Budgets Committee on 16 April. This will add €16.5 billion to the commitment appropriations available for 2015.

The remaining tranches, of €4.5 billion for 2016 and €100 million for 2017, are to be handled in separate draft amending budgets. For further details on the uncommitted appropriations, read the EP backgrounder.

The Council is to adopt its formal position on the changes to the Multiannual Financial Framework ceilings and on draft amending budget DAB2/2015 on 21 April.