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This follows the agreement reached by the Committee of the Permanent Representatives on 14 October.
Draft amending budget no 8 is aimed at covering outstanding payment needs. It increases the 2013 EU budget by €3.9 billion, complementing the €7.3 billion of draft amending budget no 2 approved by the Council on 9 July. The Council herewith lived up to its commitment "to take all necessary additional steps to ensure that the Union's obligations for 2013 are fully honoured" and "to avoid any shortfall in justified payment appropriations", in line with the political agreement reached with the European Parliament on the multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2014-2020.
Draft amending budget no 8 as accepted by the Council exhausts this year's payment ceiling of the multiannual financial framework 2007-2013 set at €144.29 billion. Since the beginning of 2013, the Council has approved an overall increase of this year's payment level by €11.59 billion.
Draft amending budget no 9 is about showing solidarity with countries hit by natural disasters. It provides for the mobilisation of €400.5 million in commitments and payments out of the EU solidarity fund to the benefit of Germany (€360.5 million), Austria (€21.7 million), the Czech Republic (€15.9 million) and Romania (€2.5 million). Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic were hit by extreme flooding in May and June this year, and Romania suffered from drought and forest fires in summer 2012. The payments are covered by appropriations which the Commission expects not to be spent by the end of this year (as identified in the so-called global transfer; 14869/13).
In order that the funds become available the two draft amending budgets still need the approval of the European Parliament. If the Council's and the Parliament's positions diverge, a three-week conciliation period will have to be launched.
On 21 October, the Council already adopted its position on draft amending budget no 6, approving a revision of the forecast of own resources. As compared to the previous forecast, the financing from net customs duties and from the own resources based on the VAT decreases, while the financing from the own resources based on the Gross National Income and from fines increases. Draft amending budget no 6 increases the Member States' net budgetary burden by further €2.7 billion.