Council Regulation (EU) 2020/521 activating the emergency support under Regulation (EU) 2016/369, and amending its provisions taking into account the COVID‐19 outbreak

Summary:

Regulation adopted by the Council of the European Union on 14 April 2020, which activates the provision of emergency support and amends the provisions of Council Regulation (EU) 2016/369 on the provision of emergency support within the European Union (EU).

Further information:

The scale and scope of the challenges triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak called for a robust response from the European Union. The Commission put forward a number of measures to address the public health emergency. However, such steps were seen as insufficient to face the issues, particularly when it comes to supporting the EU healthcare sector.

In this context, the European Commission adopted on 2 April 2020 a proposal to mobilise the Emergency Support Instrument, which is able to equip the EU with a broader toolbox to tackle the pandemic. It activates support under Council Regulation (EU) 2016/369 - the Emergency Support Regulation. This would allow the EU to deploy measures preventing and mitigating severe consequences in one or more Member States and addressing in a coordinated manner the needs related to the COVID-19 disaster, by complementing assistance provided through other EU instruments.

The draft law was put forward as part of a package of measures on mobilising the full extent of the EU Budget. The Council of the European Union adopted this draft law on 14 April. The Act was published in the Official Journal on 15 April 2020.

• Primary Source

Official

EUR-LEX: COM(2020)175: Proposal for a Council Regulation activating the emergency support under Council Regulation (EU) 2016/369 and amending its provisions in respect of the COVID-19 outbreak https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=COM:2020:175:FIN

European Commission: Activation of the emergency support instrument (ESI) https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/activation-emergency-support-instrument-esi_en

European Parliament: Legislative Observatory: Procedure File for Proposal on Activating the emergency support under Council Regulation (EU) 2016/369 of 15 March 2016 and amending its provisions in respect of the COVID-19 outbreak. Proposal for a Council Regulation https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/ficheprocedure.do?reference=COM(2020)0175

European Parliament: Legislative Train Schedule: Activation of the Emergency Support Instrument to support healthcare sector during the COVID-19 pandemic https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-coronavirus-and-eu-action/file-coronavirus-emergency-support-instrument-for-the-covid-19-crisis/05-2020

Council of the European Union: Press Release, 14/04/2020: Tackling COVID-19: Council adopts amended EU budget for 2020 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/04/14/tackling-covid-19-council-adopts-amended-eu-budget-for-2020/

European Commission: Questions and Answers on Emergency Support Instrument, 23 June 2020 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_20_1164

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ESO Records

Definitive Adoption (EU, Euratom) 2020/537 of Amending Budget No. 2 of the European Union for the financial year 2020 https://www.europeansources.info/record/draft-amending-budget-no-2-to-the-general-budget-2020/

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