Europe’s migrant crisis: European Parliament approves extra 401M euro funding to manage response
A further 401.3 million euro in European Union funding to manage the refugee crisis was endorsed by the European Parliament on October 14.
The funds, proposed by the European Commission and approved by the European Parliament’s budgets committee on October 12, would go to EU countries hardest hit by the refugee inflow, to non-EU countries hosting the most Syrian refugees and to three EU agencies handling most refugee-related tasks.
The European Parliament approved the extra funding by 577 votes to 66, with 14 abstentions.
The European Commission earlier proposed increases in migration-related budget items in what is technically known as a draft amending budget for 2015, including 100 million euro for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Internal Security Fund (ISF) in commitment appropriations, 1.3 million euro in commitment and payment appropriations for 120 new posts at the Frontex border agency, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and Europol agencies, and 300 million euro in commitment appropriations for the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) to contribute to the Madad Trust Fund.
Besides approving the immediate budgetary changes needed to accommodate the September 23 informal European Council’s decisions on migrants, the European Parliament emphasised that the EU’s seven-year framework budget system should be revised, to allow for long-term budgetary measures to deal with what could well prove to be a long-run problem.
“Parliament understands the urgency of the refugee situation and has been ready to act fast to reinforce resources to deal with the unprecedented numbers of refugees and migrants. However, with the refugee crisis likely to remain an issue in the coming years, we want to ensure adequate resources for it in the longer term, during the revision of the EU multiannual financial framework in 2016”, said rapporteur on changes to the 2015 budget, Spanish social democrat MEP Eider Gardiazábal Rubial
Now that both the European Council and the European Parliament have approved the measures, the emergency aid can be made available immediately.
(Photo: UNICEF/Tomislav Georgiev)
