Proposal for a Regulation amending Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 as regards specific measures to provide additional assistance to Member States affected by natural disasters

Summary:

The August 2016 earthquakes in Italy have had a devastating effect on the people living in the region. Large scale reconstruction works will be required, notably to restore the cultural heritage of the affected areas. Europe needs to be able to quickly provide additional, effective support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to Member States and regions hit by major or regional natural disasters, complementing the means available under the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF).

In order to provide such additional assistance to Member States affected by natural disasters, the Commission proposes to introduce the possibility of a separate priority axis for reconstruction operations supported by the ERDF within an operational programme. Given the potential magnitude of the impact of such natural disasters, it is proposed to provide the possibility to finance such operations fully from the ERDF, without the need for national co-financing. Operations to be financed within this priority axis are those linked to reconstruction in response to major or regional natural disasters as defined in Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund.

Specific provisions for the starting date of eligibility of expenditure are furthermore proposed to ensure that expenditure is eligible for reimbursement from the date of the disaster.