REPORT on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 5/2020 of the European Union for the financial year 2020 - Continuation of the support to refugees and host communities in response to the Syria crisis in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey
29.6.2020 - (09060/2020 – C9‑0189/2020 – 2020/2092(BUD))
Committee on Budgets
Rapporteur: Monika Hohlmeier
(Simplified procedure – Rule 52(1) of the Rules of Procedure)
MOTION FOR A EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION
on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 5/2020 of the European Union for the financial year 2020 - Continuation of the support to refugees and host communities in response to the Syria crisis in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey
(09060/2020 – C9‑0189/2020 – 2020/2092(BUD))
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Article 314 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to Article 106a of the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community,
– 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,
– having regard to the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2020, as definitively adopted on 27 November 2019[2],
– 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[3],
– 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[4],
– having regard to Draft amending budget No 5/2020, which the Commission adopted on 3 June 2020 (COM(2020)0421),
– having regard to the position on Draft amending budget No 5/2020 which the Council adopted on 24 June 2020 and forwarded to Parliament on the following day (09060/2020 – C9‑0189/2020),
– having regard to Rules 94 and 96 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the letter from the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Budgets (A9-0127/2020),
A. whereas the purpose of Draft amending budget No 5/2020 is to continue providing support to refugees and host communities in response to the Syria crisis,
B. whereas the Commission has proposed to provide EUR 100 million in new commitment and payment appropriations to fund projects in the areas of access to education, support to livelihoods and provision of health, sanitation, water and waste services and social protection to host communities and refugees (Syrian refugees and Palestinian refugees from Syria) in Jordan and Lebanon,
C. whereas the Commission has proposed to provide EUR 485 million in commitment appropriations to fund the continuation of the two main Union humanitarian support actions in Turkey, the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) and the Conditional Cash Transfer for Education (CCTE) and to provide EUR 68 million in payment appropriations in order to cover pre-financing under the CCTE in 2020,
D. whereas the ESSN provides monthly cash transfers to some 1,7 million refugees and is expected to run out of money in March 2021 at the latest, whereas the Commission has proposed to provide EUR 400 million to extend it until the end of 2021, and whereas many complex issues such as revision of targeting criteria and implementation of the strategic transition to development programming require timely consultation and coordination with Turkish authorities and Implementing Partners,
E. whereas the CCTE provides cash to refugee families whose children attend school instead of working, whereas the current contract ends in October 2020, and whereas the Commission has proposed to provide EUR 85 million to allow the programme to run for an additional year and up to the end of December 2021,
1. Takes note of Draft amending budget No 5/2020 as submitted by the Commission, which is devoted to provide EUR 100 million in commitment and payment appropriations as resilience support to refugees and host communities in Jordan and Lebanon and EUR 485 million in commitment appropriations and EUR 68 million in payment appropriations to ensure the continuation of the urgent humanitarian support to refugees in Turkey;
2. Approves the Council position on Draft amending budget No 5/2020;
3. Instructs its President to declare that Amending budget No 5/2020 has been definitively adopted and arrange for its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;
4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, and the national parliaments.
LETTER OF THE COMMITTEE ON CIVIL LIBERTIES, JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS
Mr Johan Van Overtveldt
Chair
Committee on Budgets
BRUSSELS
Subject: Opinion on Draft amending budget no 5 to the general budget 2020 Continuation of the support to refugees and host communities in response to the Syria crisis in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey (2020/2092(BUD))
Dear Mr Chair,
I have the honour of providing you herewith the opinion of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) in the form of a letter in accordance with Rule 56 of the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure on the proposal of the Commission for a Draft Amending Budget No 5 to the general budget 2020 related to the continuation of the support to refugees and host communities in response to the Syria crisis in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, which LIBE recommends adopting.
The management of migrants and refugees arrivals is a key transnational phenomenon, and cooperation with partner countries on migration is a priority for the Commission for the 2019-2024 term. Furthermore, we refer to the resolution adopted by the Parliament on progress on the UN Global Compacts for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and on Refugees[5] that “acknowledges that managing migration requires major investments, adequate resources and flexible and transparent instruments, and that well-designed, flexible and streamlined instruments to address migration challenges will be necessary in the coming years”.
In this regard, we highlight that this Draft Amending Budget would contribute to the effective implementation of the Union´s priorities, its international obligations, and the main objective of the Global Compact on Refugees, namely a stronger commitment from States to equitable and predictable responsibility sharing. The LIBE Committee underlines the importance of ensuring the continuity of support to refugees and host communities in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, in line with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. The LIBE Committee recognises the positive impact of ongoing projects in the areas of access to education, support to livelihoods and provision of health, sanitation, water and waste services and social protection to host communities and refugees in Jordan and Lebanon, as well as of the two main Union humanitarian support actions for refugees in Turkey, the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) and the Conditional Cash Transfer for Education (CCTE).
We recognise the importance of such emergency funding, especially with the dramatic increase pointed out by UNHCR of vulnerable families in need of assistance in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey as a result of the COVID 19 lockdown measures.
The opinion is based on field visits in Turkey and Lebanon, which are among the countries hosting the largest number of refugees in the world, be it in number or in comparison to their population. These field visits pointed to the often precarious situation of refugees in these countries, in particular of those in a vulnerable situation and of unaccompanied children, and the lack of perspective for integration in the host country or safe and voluntary return to the country of origin due to protracted conflicts. This situation is further complicated by the impact in these communities of the coronavirus global pandemic. We must also stress the need for compliance with the principle of non-refoulement by all hosting states, and urge Commission and Council to ensure and enable Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan to adhere to this key principle.
In addition, LIBE held numerous hearings and exchanges with experts from the field, which highlighted the difference made by the Union funding for refugees and their host communities in terms of standard of living and the provision of basic services as well as regarding strengthening the resilience of refugees and their integration.
However, to be effective, the support needs to be long-term and reliable, in particular with regard to the provision of schooling and healthcare. Therefore, Union funding should be based on long-term programming, in order to avoid to the largest extent possible subsequent amending budget proposals to be dealt with through accelerated procedures. We recommend that the Parliament agrees to this proposal to ensure a smooth transition from the current to the next MFF and we call on the Commission to ensure sustainable programming as part of the upcoming MFF.
We would like to stress the need for long-term and sustainable solutions for refugees and that instruments as resettlement and humanitarian corridors should also be properly financed.
In light of all the above, we strongly recommend approving, without undue delay in order to ensure a final adoption by the Parliament before the summer recess, the Council position on the Draft Amending Budget 5/2020.
Yours sincerely,
(signed) Juan Fernando López Aguilar Gwendoline Delbos‑Corfield
INFORMATION ON ADOPTION IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE
Date adopted |
24.6.2020 |
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