Update on the adoption of the Own Resources Decision

Question for written answer  E-002046/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Marco Zanni (ID), Matteo Adinolfi (ID), Anna Bonfrisco (ID), Valentino Grant (ID), Annalisa Tardino (ID), Francesca Donato (ID), Antonio Maria Rinaldi (ID)

On 26 March 2021 the German Constitutional Court suspended the ratification of the decision on the European Union’s own resources system.

Article 5 of that decision empowers the Commission to borrow on the capital markets, on behalf of the EU, up to EUR 750 billion in order to finance Next Generation EU.

This decision was supposed to be applicable from 1 January 2021, once all Member States had notified its adoption.

Now, in mid-April 2021, it appears that only 17 Member States have completed this process, and the German request to put the matter on hold is liable to further prolong the timing of the disbursement of NGEU funds.

In accordance with the Commission’s objectives, the borrowings on capital markets were supposed to begin on 1 June 2021, but only if the Own Resources Decision was operational by May.

In the light of this situation, can the Commission clarify the following:

Has it made any alternative plans in the event of failure to ratify and implement the decision within the projected timeframe?

What would the consequences for NGEU be, in detail, if a negative opinion were to be delivered by the German Constitutional Court regarding the ratification of the Own Resources Decision?

Is there any risk that, in such a situation, it might be impossible to launch NGEU?