COUNCIL DECISION

of 23 April 2021

adopting the Council’s position on draft amending budget No 2 of the European Union for the financial year 2021

(2021/C 161 I/02)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 314 thereof, in conjunction with the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, and in particular Article 106a thereof,

Having regard to Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, amending Regulations (EU) No 1296/2013, (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 1304/2013, (EU) No 1309/2013, (EU) No 1316/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) No 283/2014, and Decision No 541/2014/EU and repealing Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 (1), and in particular Article 44 thereof,

Whereas:

— the Union’s budget for the financial year 2021 was definitively adopted on 17 March 2021 (2);

— on 24 March 2021, the Commission submitted a proposal containing draft amending budget No 2 to the general budget for the financial year 2021;

— given the unprecedented crisis and the need to finance rapid policy responses at short notice, it is appropriate to exceptionally agree on the Commission’s proposal to create room under the Emergency Support Instrument - for an amount of EUR 100 million - for the potential budgetary impact of emerging needs as the pandemic evolves. This way of budgeting should not constitute a precedent and the Commission should only use appropriations related to this reserve exclusively for combating the COVID-19 pandemic through actions eligible under Council Regulation (EU) 2020/521 of 14 April 2020 activating the emergency support under Regulation (EU) 2016/369, and amending its provisions taking into account the COVID-19 outbreak (3);

— in view of urgently making available sufficient appropriations under the Emergency Support Instrument (ESI) in 2021 and the EU contribution to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council needs to proceed without delay with the adoption of its position on draft amending budget No 2 to the general budget for 2021. Therefore, it is justified to shorten, in accordance with Article 3(3) of the Council’s Rules of Procedure, the eight-week period for the information of national Parliaments laid down in Article 4 of Protocol No 1,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Sole Article

The Council’s position on draft amending budget No 2 of the European Union for the financial year 2021 was adopted on 23 April 2021.

The full text can be accessed for consultation or downloading on the Council’s website: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/.

Done at Brussels, on 23 April 2021.

For the Council

The President

A. P. ZACARIAS

(1)  

OJ L 193, 30.7.2018, p. 1

.

(2)  

OJ L 93, 17.3.2021, p. 1

.

(3)  

OJ L 117, 15.4.2020, p. 3

.