Proposal for a DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending Decision EU 2017/344 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2016 on the mobilisation of the Contingency margin in 2017

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

Brussels, 22.11.2017

COM(2017) 900 final

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

The European Parliament and the Council decided on 14 December 2016 to mobilise the Contingency margin in 2017 to address the needs stemming from the migration, refugee and security crisis, by increasing the commitment appropriations in the general budget of the EU for 2017 over and above the ceilings of Heading 3 (EUR 1 167 million) and Heading 4 (EUR 730 million).

The decision also specifies the offsetting of the amount mobilised in years 2017, 2018 and 2019. Given the need to increase flexibility in the 2018 budget, the Commission proposes to amend the 2017 mobilisation decision and to adjust the offsetting profile to decrease the amount offset in Heading 5 in 2018 from EUR 570 million to EUR 318 million and correspondingly introduce offsetting of EUR 252 million in Heading 5 in 2020. This does not change the overall amount mobilised and offset.

DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

amending Decision EU 2017/344 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2016 on the mobilisation of the Contingency margin in 2017

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management ¹ , and in particular point 14, second subparagraph, thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

Article 13 of Council Regulation 1311/2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020 ² has established a Contingency Margin of up to 0,03 % of the Gross National Income of the Union.
In accordance with Article 6 of this Regulation, the Commission had calculated the absolute amount of this Contingency Margin for 2017 ³ .
The European Parliament and the Council mobilised the Contingency margin in 2017 to allow financing above the commitment ceilings of EUR 1 906 150 960, of which EUR 1 176 030 960 for heading 3 (Security and citizenship).
The 2018 budget requires an increase in the flexibility and therefore the offsetting of the contingency margin mobilised in 2017 is adjusted to decrease the amount offset in Heading 5 in 2018 and to introduce a corresponding offset in Heading 5 in 2020.

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Article 2 of Decision (EU) 2017/344 of the EP and of the Council of 14 December 2016 on the mobilisation of the Contingency margin in 2017 is amended as follows:

In the first paragraph "2019" is replaced by "2020".
paragraph b) is replaced by the following:

"(b) 2018: heading 5 (Administration): EUR 318 000 000;"

the following paragraph (d) is added:

"(d) 2020: heading 5 (Administration): EUR 252 000 000."

Article 2

This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Done at Brussels,