17.10.2017   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 349/110

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having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and to the Council (COM(2015)0486 — C8-0292/2015),

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having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2015 as definitively adopted on 17 December 2014 (1),

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having regard to Amending budget No 1/2015, as definitively adopted on 28 April 2015 (2),

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having regard to Amending budgets No 2/2015, No 3/2015, No 4/2015 and No 5/2015 as definitively adopted on 7 July 2015 (3),

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having regard to the draft amending budget No 7/2015, which the Commission adopted on 30 September 2015 (COM(2015)0485),

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having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 of 2 December 2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020 (4) (MFF Regulation), and in particular Article 11 thereof,

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having regard to Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2015/623 of 21 April 2015 amending Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1311/2013 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020 (5),

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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 (6), and in particular point 12 thereof,

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having regard to the letter from the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs,

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having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A8-0290/2015),

A.

whereas after having examined all possibilities for re-allocating commitment appropriations under heading 3, it appears necessary to mobilise the Flexibility Instrument for commitment appropriations;

B.

whereas the Commission has proposed to mobilise the Flexibility Instrument, over and above the MFF ceilings, to complement the financing in the general budget of the Union for the financial year 2015 by EUR 66,1 million in commitment appropriations to finance measures for managing the refugee and migration crisis;

1.

Notes that the 2015 ceiling for heading 3 does not allow for an adequate financing of important and urgent political priorities of the Union;

2.

Agrees therefore with the mobilisation of the Flexibility Instrument for an amount of EUR 66,1 million in commitment appropriations;

3.

Agrees furthermore to the proposed allocation of the corresponding payment appropriations of EUR 52,9 million in 2016 and EUR 13,2 million in 2017;

4.

Reiterates that the mobilisation of this instrument, as provided for in Article 11 of the MFF Regulation, shows, once more, the crucial need for the Union budget to be more flexible;

5.

Reiterates its long-standing view that, without prejudice to the possibility for payment appropriations to be mobilised for specific budget lines through the Flexibility Instrument without prior mobilisations in commitments, the payments stemming from commitments previously mobilised through the Flexibility Instrument can only be counted over and above the ceilings;

6.

Approves the decision annexed to this resolution;

7.

Instructs its President to sign the decision with the President of the Council and arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

8.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution, including its annex, to the Council and the Commission.