Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash
Substantial fresh cash aid is being made available to several EU countries to help them cope with natural disasters.
On Tuesday,the EU said some €1 billion was being freed up to help five EU states.
The European Commission is proposing financial support from the EU solidarity fund.
The fund, (EUSF), will help Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Greece and France deal with the impacts of the severe floods that hit these countries in 2023.
The aid package is allocated as follows:
· €378.8 million for Italy following the flood damages to the Emilia-Romagna region in May 2023, and an additional €67.8 million for the Tuscany region following the floods in October and November 2023;
· €428.4 million for Slovenia;
· €5.2 million for Austria to address the consequences of the floods in August 2023;
· €101.5 million for Greece to support recovery efforts following the floods in September 2023 and
· €46.7 million for France for flood damages caused to the Hauts-de-France region in November 2023.
The EUSF assistance will cover part of the costs of emergency and recovery operations, including repairing damaged infrastructure, safeguarding cultural heritage, and conducting clean-up operations.
Speaking on Tuesday, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira welcomed the move.
She said: “The EU Solidarity Fund is a dedicated instrument to support Member States to recover after devastating natural disasters of major proportions, to stand in solidarity with those impacted.”
“This aid not only provides relief and assistance for emergency costs, but also helps EU countries to better rebuild in the context of the challenges posed by climate change.”
An EC spokesman told this site the funding proposal follows requests for EUSF assistance by the countries concerned.
“Once the Commission’s proposal is approved by the Parliament and the Council, the financial aid can be disbursed without delay and in a single instalment to each of the requesting countries.”
Since its inception in 2002, the EUSF has mobilised over €8.6 billion for 130 disasters (110 natural disasters and 20 health emergencies) in 24 Member States (plus the UK), and four accession countries (Albania, Montenegro, Serbia and Türkiye).
