This Reserve is intended to provide support to the Member States, regions and sectors most affected by the adverse consequences of the UK's withdrawal from the Union; and in particular it will contribute to the specific measures set up by the Member States to help businesses and economic sectors, workers, regions and local communities that are affected by the end of the transition period.
In particular, the financial contribution from the Reserve will only support public expenditure directly related to the measures taken specifically by the Member States to contribute to the objectives set out in the relevant regulation, and may cover, in particular, the following:
- measures to assist local businesses and communities adversely affected by the withdrawal;
- measures to support the economic sectors most affected;
- measures to support local businesses and communities that depend on fishing activities in UK waters;
- measures to support employment, including through short-term work plans, retraining and training in the sectors concerned;
- measures to ensure the functioning of border, customs, health and phytosanitary, security and fisheries controls, as well as the collection of indirect taxes, including additional staff and infrastructure;
- measures to facilitate product certification and authorisation schemes, to help meet the requirements of the establishment, to facilitate labelling and marking, for example for safety, health and environmental standards, and to help mutual recognition;
- communication, information and awareness-raising measures for citizens and businesses on changes resulting from the withdrawal of their rights and obligations;
- measures aimed at the reintegration of EU nationals who left the UK as a result of the withdrawal;
- technical assistance for the management, monitoring, reporting and communication, resolution of claims and control and audit of the Reserve, limited to 2.5 per cent of the allocation of each Member State.
As for the allocation, the total amounts to EUR 5 billion (at 2018 prices), which will be allocated provisionally in advance to the Member States.
80% of the total amount, i.e. EUR 4 billion, will be disbursed as pre-financing: EUR 1.6 billion in 2021, EUR 1.2 billion in 2022 and EUR 1.2 billion in 2023.
The remaining 1 billion will be available by 2025, and how they are shared will depend on how funding has been spent in previous years, also taking into account unspent amounts.