Three countries to receive nearly €455 million in EU aid after natural disasters

€33.9 million for Romania following damage caused by severe 2022 drought

Italy to receive €20.9 million for the damage caused by the September 2022 flooding in the Marche region

€400 million to Türkiye following two major earthquakes in February 2023

On Wednesday, Parliament approved nearly €455 million in EU Solidarity Fund aid in response to recent natural disasters in Romania, Italy and Türkiye.

MEPs express their “deepest solidarity with all the victims, their families and all the individuals affected” by the natural disasters in Romania, Italy and Türkyie. They point to the “increasing number of severe and destructive natural disasters in Europe”, and stress that “due to climate change extreme weather events such as those observed in Romania and Italy resulting in emergencies are going to further intensify and multiply”. The EU should therefore “strengthen its efforts to tackle climate change both in the Union and globally.”

The European Commission has proposed to use the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to grant financial assistance of € 454,835,030to the three countries. EUSF assistance will cover parts of the costs of emergency and recovery operations like repairing damaged infrastructure, securing preventive infrastructure and the protection of cultural heritage, as well as clean-up operations. Under the fund’s rules, emergency and recovery operations may be financed by the EUSF retroactively from day one of a disaster.

The aid package was approved by 593 votes in favour, 11 votes against and 22 abstentions.

More information can be found here (Commission proposal) and in the EP report by rapporteur Katalin Cseh (Renew, HU).

Council has already approved the aid on 18 September.

Background

The European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) was set up to respond to major natural disasters and express European solidarity to disaster-stricken regions within Europe. The Fund was created as a reaction to the severe floods in Central Europe in the summer of 2002. Since then, it has been used for 107 natural disasters covering a range of different catastrophic events including floods, forest fires, earthquakes, storms, and drought. The Fund has also been mobilised for 20 interventions as a response to public health emergencies.