Questions and Answers: additional funding to address the refugee crisis

The Commission announced an additional €801 million euro for the refugee crisis last week. Why is this figure not in the Draft Amending Budget?

The Draft Amending Budget is the instrument by which the Commission proposes amendments to the already agreed 2015 budget. The changes must now be agreed by the European Parliament and the Council. These changes reflect the emerging policy challenges, and ensure that the budget responds very quickly and flexibly to the current political priorities of the European Union.

The amendments announced today, known as Draft Amending Budget 7/2015, foresee a total of €401.3 million for the refugee crisis, of which €330.7 million are in additional commitments, while €70.6 million come from redeployment of resources from other budgetary programmes. This means money, originally budgeted for other purposes, will now be used to tackle the refugee crisis.

The reason that we do not need to amend the budget for the other €400 million out of the €801.3 million, is that this money was originally foreseen in reserves or for measures in similar areas of activity which will now be used to tackle the refugee crisis specifically.

Could you provide a breakdown of the measures in the Draft Amending Budget 7?

The Draft Amending Budget proposed today foresees:

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  €100 million for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF i) and the Internal Security Fund (ISF) for emergency assistance to the most affected Member States in 2015;
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  €1.3 million to increase the funding for the three relevant EU agencies to cover 60 additional staff for FRONTEX, 30 additional staff for EASO and 30 additional staff for Europol, for 2015.
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  €300 million to reinforce the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) to allow for an increase of the EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis and to provide assistance to third countries hosting refugees from Syria in 2015.

Where will those 'new' €401.3 million come from?

Of the €401.3 million mentioned above, €70.6 million come from redeployments from other programmes and actions:

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  €7.4 million from European Agriculture Guarantee fund (EAGF) and Rural development fund i);
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  €2 million from European Maritime & Fisheries fund;
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  €15.5 million from Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements;
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  €12 million from Food & Feed programme; and
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  €33.7 million from European Union Solidarity fund.

The remaining €330.7 million are additional commitments, which will be made in 2015 but primarily paid in 2016.

They will therefore be included in the 2016 budget. Even with this money, the budget for external action remains below the limits (ceilings) for 2015.

What about the remaining €400 million?

In addition to the €401.3 million reinforcement included in Draft Amending Budget 7/2015, a further €400 million is being redirected from within the already agreed 2015 budget for external action. This money will now be reoriented to directly tackle the refugee crisis and will be allocated as follows:

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  €200 million will go to provide immediate resources to respond to demands from the UNHCR and the World Food Programme and other relevant organisations. This will provide immediate support to refugees. This money had already been planned for humanitarian aid and civil protection and will now be used specifically to address the refugee crisis. Part of the money is in an emergency aid reserve (EAR) and the Commission has requested to use €175 million of this reserve to reinforce the actions for humanitarian aid.
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  €200 million will go to further reinforce the Trust Fund in response to the Syrian crisis. Together with the €300 million in the Draft Amending Budget, this reallocation will bring the funding for the EU Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis to a total of more than €500 million. The €200 million is being redeployed primarily from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).

Is another Draft Amending Budget needed for these other €400 million?

No, because no fresh money is being requested. Those €400million will come from reorientation of already foreseen programmes in the 2015 budget or from "reserves" (the Emergency aid reserve). In order to mobilise these sums, the Commission is submitting a "transfer of appropriations request" to the Parliament and to the Council at the same time as Draft Amending Budget 7. With this document we are asking them to authorise the use of the money from the Emergency Aid Reserve specifically for this purpose.

Will Member States have to pay more in 2015?

Member States will not be asked to contribute more to the 2015 budget than has already been foreseen. Will Member States have to pay more in 2016?

The overall spending levels for the 2016 budget will be decided in the negotiations between the Parliament, the Council and the Commission later this year.

When will this money be made available?

The Commission cannot change the budget, and thus make the money available to the relevant beneficiaries, without prior approval from the Parliament and the Council.

This means that for the emergency assistance, the money will be accessible to the potential applicants as soon as the Draft Amending Budget 7/2015 is formally adopted by the European Parliament and the Council.

The Commission is now counting on the budgetary authority - the Parliament and Council - to fast track the adoption of these measures, as they committed to doing last week.

The €400 million which are not included in the Draft Amending Budget will be committed also to relevant beneficiaries before the end of the year.

When will the other €900 million announced last week be accessible?

In October 2015, the Commission will propose to the Parliament and to the Council to add this amount to the budget for 2016. If approved on time by the two institutions, the money will be available from the start of 2016, when the full 2016 budget becomes available.

Could you provide a breakdown of the €801.3 million proposed today? Where does it come from?

Action

Amounts

(Commitment appropriations, in € million)

Coming from

Budgeted in

Available when?

Emergency measures (AMIF / ISF)

€100 million

€71 million redeployments within current 2015 budget

€331.3 million of additional commitments (to be made in 2015 but to be paid 2016)

DAB 7 (2015 Budget)

When the European Parliament and the Council adopt the DAB

Reinforcing human resources of agencies (60 posts for FRONTEX, 30 EASO, 30 EUROPOL)

€1.3 million

Reinforcement of the European Neighborhood Instrument for Syria Trust Fund

€300 million

Redeployment for the Syria Trust Fund

€200 million

Redeployment within current programme

Current 2015 Budget

Immediate

Reinforcement of humanitarian aid for refugees

€200 million

€175 million (Emergency Aid Reserve)

€15 million (transfer to be approved by the Parliament and the Council)

€10 million (from operational reserve)

Current 2015 Budget for commitment appropriations

When the European Parliament and the Council approve the transfer

TOTAL

€801.3 million

AMIF / ISF, increased staffing of agencies

€600 million

Fresh appropriations

Amending letter 2 to 2016 Draft Budget (to be adopted by mid-October)

Adoption 2016 Budget

Humanitarian aid for refugees

€300 million

TOTAL

€ 900 million

GRAND TOTAL

€1.7 billion

MEMO/15/5730

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