In response to the COVID-19 crisis and the increasing needs of the most vulnerable, the European Commission is proposing additional amendments to the Common Provisions Regulation and the FEAD (Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived) Regulation.
The changes would make additional resources available for the FEAD in 2020/2021, as part of the increased support to cohesion policy under the EU budget 2014-2020 (REACT-EU initiative). The additional resources aim to provide food and essential material assistance together with accompanying measures, or to dedicated social inclusion measures. To ensure quick delivery, Member States are supposed to receive a substantial pre-financing payment on the additional resources and are not required to add any national co-financing. Eurodiaconia will monitor and contribute to the ongoing discussions regarding the Next Generation EU and MFF proposals and will put forward our own position in the following weeks.
Eurodiaconia welcomes the changes as increased resources and flexibility is one aspect the organisation has been advocating for for a long time.
To find out more in detail about the amendments to the FEAD, please consult the Commission’s website or have a look at the European Parliament’s briefing on the impact of coronavirus on EU aid to the most deprived.