European Parliament approved on Wednesday, 9 July, Commission’s proposal to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund for an amount of €280m to provide assistance to Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia, Moldova, Poland, and Slovakia in relation to the disastrous floods that took place in 2024.
A series of floods caused by a record heavy rainfall generated by Storm Boris hit several Central and Eastern European countries in mid September 2024. Apart from the huge material damage, estimated by insurance companies at €4.1bn, there were at least 27 fatalities directly related to the floods. The next month, October 2024, brought high water also to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Czechia and Poland were among the countries that were hit most by the natural disaster. This fact is reflected in the breakdown of the total sum of €280m: Czechia is to receive the largest sum (€114m), followed by Poland (€76m).
Solidarity Fund should receive more money
In earlier development, European Parliament considered that the budget of the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) be substantially expanded in view of the upcoming Commission proposal on the new Multiannual Financial Framework. EUSF should provide assistance commensurate to the magnitude of such disasters to citizens.
Increasing the EUSF would allow member states to respond more effectively and quickly to disasters while other instruments, particularly cohesion funds whose primary purpose is not disaster response, could be preserved.
