Committee on Budgets Ordinary meeting
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BUDG European Parliament
Follow its sittingsThank you very much, Jacek. Now I think for S&D, Jean-Marc Germain.
Jean-Marc Germain
Merci Madame la Présidente, je voudrais juste dire au nom de mon collègue, ma collègue shadow rapporteur que nous remercions Lucia Yar pour sa son draft report et que bien sûr nous y apporterons nos amendements comme à chaque fois pour que on prenne évidemment attention à ce que les travailleurs les plus fragiles soient accompagnés accompagnés le plus longuement possible mais nous attendons avec impatience la collaboration sur ce dossier merci.
Merci beaucoup Jean-Marc et maintenant Angéline Furet.
Angéline Furet
Dans ce dossier, on nous demande aujourd'hui de débloquer 210 000 euros au titre du Fonds européen d'ajustement à la mondialisation. Ne vous y trompez pas, cet argent n'ira pas dans la poche de nos travailleurs licenciés. Ce budget est exclusivement destiné à l'assistance technique de la Commission européenne. Concrètement, nos contribuables vont financer des séminaires de mise en réseau, des réunions de groupes d'experts et des campagnes audiovisuelles pour faire la promotion de ce dispositif. Le cynisme est absolu.
Vos politiques de libre-échange et vos normes punitives détruisent notre industrie. Elles provoquent les restructurations et les licenciements massifs que ce fonds est censé soulager. Et pour masquer ce désastre, vous réclamez un budget afin de financer votre propre communication sur votre prétendue solidarité. En tant qu'élue de la commission des budgets, je dénonce cette indécence. L'argent public doit servir à protéger notre appareil productif, pas à payer des séminaires bruxellois pour justifier les ravages de la mondialisation.
Merci.
Merci bien et Bogdan Rzońca.
So thank you very much. I would like to give the floor to the European Commission to Nicolas Clisson.
Nicolas CLISSON
Thank you Chair and thank you Madam Rapporteur for the report and for the questions and comments raised. So indeed the Commission asks for the transfer of 210,000 euros for the technical assistance under the EGF, which represents 0.6% of the amount available under the EGF, so well below the 1.5 ceiling established in the legislation. So the types of activities to be covered are indeed information and communication activities, information gathering, monitoring and obviously development and update of IT systems. But in particular the activities linked to information and communication are key at times where the EGF regulation has been amended and its scope has been broadened. It's really key to be able to share with Member States and national administration on the new regulatory framework and enable them to make a greater use of the EGF.
So these are indeed key activities to support the implementation of the fund and we are very happy to count on the transfer of the technical assistant. Thank you Madam Chair.
Lucia Yar
Now Lucia has the floor.
Thank you everybody for the contributions and for the, I'm looking forward to get the amendments and to see what we get in particular. And just to the question to Madam Furey who left, I really am very curious how she would be envisioning how the people are supposed to learn about things, how the people are supposed to network, how the people are supposed to get the knowledge if we are not going to support it with 200,000 euros. So if somebody makes a claim that it is not going for the workers, then she is completely wrong. So just to make the point on that. Looking forward to the amendments on Tuesday and to the constructive cooperation.
Thank you.
Monika Hohlmeier
So thank you very much. The deadline for amendments is the 9th of June at 12 o'clock and the amendments are please to be tabled in English only.
The vote will take place at the meeting of the 23rd of June. Now we go to the mobilization of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Romania regarding the floods at the end of May 2025, Cyprus following the wildfires in July 2025, and Spain following the wildfires in August 2025. Our rapporteur is Bogdan Rzońca, and I would like to give him the floor.
Bogdan Rzońca
Thank you so much. The report concerns the mobilization of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Romania following floods in May-June 2025, Cyprus following forest fires in July 2025, and Spain following extensive fires in August 2025. This support is an expression of European solidarity with citizens and regions affected by natural disasters. It is crucial to ensure that EU funds are mobilized quickly, but at the same time in accordance with the principles of sound financial management. The disasters have caused significant losses to public infrastructure, the economy, and social life, justifying the use of the Solidarity Fund as an instrument to respond to emergencies.
The report stressed the need to carry out damage assessments swiftly and to transfer funds quickly to the Member States while maintaining adequate control and protection mechanisms for the Union budget. It is important that funds are spent in a transparent, efficient, and fit-for-purpose manner and that their use is properly monitored. The document also draws attention to the need to ensure synergy between the Solidarity Fund and other EU financial instruments, in particular cohesion policy funds, the European Social Fund Plus, and rural development programs. At the same time, it stresses that assistance provided under the Solidarity Fund should not limit the funding available under other Union policies. In a broader perspective, the report points to the increasing number and scale of natural disasters in Europe.
This means increasing pressure on the European Union budget and confirms the need to invest in prevention, resilience, and effective use of available financial instruments. In conclusion, the proposed mobilization of the Solidarity Fund is a justified response to exceptional events in Romania, Cyprus, and Spain. It will allow quick support to be provided to affected regions while respecting the principles of fiscal responsibility and transparency of EU spending. Thank you.
Thanks a lot, dear Bogdan. I would like to give the floor now to Jean-Marc Germain instead of Sandra Gómez López.
Jean-Marc Germain
Thank you, Chair.
I want to apologize Sandra could not be there but I will read the declaration that she wished to make. First Sandra wanted to express her deepest solidarity with the affected communities and her gratitude for the swift work in mobilizing the European Solidarity Fund. This aid is vital for Romania after the devastating floods as well as for Spain and Cyprus in the wake of the destructive wildfires. However she believes we must look beyond immediate relief and face a harsh reality: the climate crisis is no longer a future threat. It's here now.
These disasters are no longer rare exceptions, they have become a frequent, brutal and structural reality across our continent. The uncomfortable truth we must address in this committee is that the European Solidarity Fund is being pushed to its absolute limits. Year after year we find ourselves scrambling for resources because the scale of destruction vastly outstrips our current financial capacity. If we truly want to protect our citizens we cannot keep fighting 21st century climate catastrophes with outdated, overstretched budgets. That is why as we look towards the next MFF structural change is non-negotiable.
This fund must be significantly better funded, far more flexible and fully equipped for the challenge ahead. I will finish with saying that we gladly support this mobilization today to help Spain, Romania and Cyprus rebuild. But let this be a clear wake-up call. We cannot protect our future without securing a stronger budget tomorrow. Thank you very much.
Thank you very much Jean-Marc and I fully apologize to Michalis, you have the floor.
Michalis Hadjipantela
Thank you, I will speak in Greek. Ευχαριστώ κυρία Πρόεδρε. Καταρχάς θα ήθελα να ευχαριστήσω τον συνάδελφο για το ισορροπημένο σχέδιο έκθεσης. Ως σκιώδης εισηγητής του Ευρωπαϊκού Λαϊκού Κόμματος αλλά και ως Κύπριος οφείλω να αναφέρω ότι η κινητοποίηση του Ταμείου Αλληλεγγύης της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης για την παροχή οικονομικής στήριξης στις χώρες που επλήγησαν από πλημμύρες και δασικές πυρκαγιές είναι υψίστης σημασίας. Πρόκειται για την έμπρακτη εφαρμογή της αρχής της ευρωπαϊκής αλληλεγγύης.
Θα ήθελα να εκφράσω την ειλικρινή μας αλληλεγγύη προς όλους όσοι επηρεάστηκαν από τις καταστροφικές πλημμύρες στη Ρουμανία και τις δασικές πυρκαγιές στην Κύπρο και την Ισπανία. Οι καταστροφές αυτές στοίχισαν ανθρώπινες ζωές, κατέστρεψαν κατοικίες και υποδομές και προκάλεσαν σημαντικές οικονομικές και άλλες ζημιές στις τοπικές κοινωνίες. Ως εκ τούτου χαιρετίζουμε την κινητοποίηση του ταμείου και υποστηρίζουμε την ταχεία έγκρισή της ώστε η βοήθεια να φτάσει στις πληγείσες περιοχές χωρίς καθυστέρηση. Ταυτόχρονα τα γεγονότα αυτά μας υπενθυμίζουν ότι οι σοβαρές φυσικές καταστροφές γίνονται ολοένα και συχνότερες και πιο καταστροφικές σε ολόκληρη την Ευρώπη. Ενώ το Ταμείο Αλληλεγγύης της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης αποτελεί ένα ουσιαστικό εργαλείο αποκατάστασης, οφείλουμε επίσης να ενισχύσουμε την πρόληψη και την ετοιμότητα, όπως για παράδειγμα με την ενίσχυση του rescEU και την εγκατάσταση βάσεων πυρόσβεσης όπως τη νεοσυσταθείσα βάση στην Κύπρο.
Στο σημείο αυτό θα ήθελα να αναφέρω ότι θα ζητήσουμε πληροφορίες και διευκρινίσεις σχετικά με τον τρόπο υπολογισμού των ζημιών, ώστε να έχουμε μία πληρέστερη εικόνα της αξιολόγησης που πραγματοποιήθηκε και για να διασφαλιστεί η διαφάνεια της διαδικασίας. Υπό αυτό το πνεύμα προσβλέπουμε σε μία εποικοδομητική συνεργασία με τους συναδέλφους. Σας ευχαριστώ.
Thanks a lot very much, dear Michalis. I give the floor to Angeline Furet.
Angéline Furet
Merci Madame le Président. Merci beaucoup à l'honorable collègue Bogdan Rzońca pour ce rapport dans lequel nous devons débloquer 144 millions d'euros pour soutenir l'Espagne, la Roumanie et Chypre durement frappées par des incendies et des inondations dévastatrices. Face à ces vies brisées et à ces milliards d'euros de dégâts, la solidarité entre nos nations est une évidence. C'est d'ailleurs la seule Europe qui fonctionne, l'entraide matérielle et concrète entre États souverains. Mais en tant qu'élue de la commission des budgets, je suis frappée par l'indécence de nos proportions.
Nous accordons péniblement 144 millions pour nos propres citoyens sinistrés quand cette institution dilapide des milliards d'euros dans des gouffres technocratiques ou pour financer des pays tiers. Surtout, cette charité curative masque une terrible hypocrisie. Bruxelles se pose en sauveur, mais ce sont bien vos normes environnementales punitives qui empêchent nos agriculteurs, pardon, d'entretenir nos forêts et de curer nos cours d'eau, aggravant mécaniquement le bilan de ces catastrophes. Finissons-en avec cette écologie de salon. L'argent de nos contribuables doit d'abord servir à protéger nos territoires et nos concitoyens.
Merci.
Monika Hohlmeier
So, thank you very much. Now, Bogdan, you have the possibility for a short conclusion.
Bogdan Rzońca
Everyone like Cyprus, Spain, Romania, everything is clear. Thank you so much.
And the Commission, Nicolas Clisson, could clarify some things if he wishes to do so.
Nicolas CLISSON
Thank you, Chair. No, I don't think it's necessary to comment further. So, thanks in advance and looking forward to the next steps in the procedure.
Monika Hohlmeier
I think that the people will be happy to receive the funds. That's the most important. So, deadline for amendments for the draft report on the EUSF mobilization is the 8th of June at 5:00 in the afternoon, in English only please, and the vote will take place on the 23rd of June. May I give a warm thanks to all colleagues to have been here, explicitly to Jean-Marc Germain who stayed in the room even with a lot of pain. But thank you very much and have a nice evening.
I close the meeting.
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