Europe needs to beef up its readiness to respond to the consequences of the increasingly frequent natural disasters, including by increasing the budget of the EU Solidarity Fund and investing in preventative measures – emphasized European MPs, who in early October voted for over 1 billion euros in aid for five countries hit last year by devastating floods. Poland and other countries affected by the September flood this year can also count on extraordinary, crisis funding.
“We cannot avoid natural disasters and tragedies, because we have climate change, and actions only and exclusively in Europe will not change this. Actions are needed by all those who pollute, global players such as the United States, India, China, Russia, and Japan. Europe tries to be this model student, but we see that unfortunately it only causes huge costs and social dissatisfaction. However, when we talk about tools to fight disasters, actions taken by the EU, undoubtedly fast response and immediate help to those experiencing these kinds of tragedies are necessary. More funds are also needed for such actions,” says Elżbieta Łukacijewska, Member of the European Parliament.
In its first October session, the European Parliament voted in a proposal to launch over 1 billion euros from the EU Solidarity Fund to support five countries in repairing damages caused by extreme floods in 2023. Funds will go to Italy (nearly 379 million euros for repairing flood damages in the Emilia-Romania region in May last year and an extra almost 68 million euros for the Tuscany region after floods in October and November last year), Slovenia (428.4 million euros to counteract the aftermath of the August flooding last year), Austria (5.2 million euros), as well as Greece (101.5 million euros to support repair work after last year’s September floods) and France (46.7 million euros for damage repair caused by the flood in the Hauts-de-France region in November last year). The EU Solidarity Fund will cover part of the reconstruction costs, including for cleanup actions and repairing damaged infrastructure, such as damaged roads, highways, railway lines, or bridges.
Europeans MPs, who expressed solidarity with all victims of last year’s devastating floods, also pointed to the increasing number of serious and devastating natural disasters in Europe. They thereby called for an increase in the EU Solidarity Fund’s budget to strengthen the EU’s readiness to respond to the consequences of subsequent natural disasters and underlined the necessity of investing in preventative measures.
“The EU and the European Commission may adopt certain frameworks, prepare financial measures, and reaction programs to what is happening, but many actions and many investments also lie within the member countries’ jurisdiction. Responsible, brave actions and awareness are necessary here that climate changes are already so advanced that we cannot prevent or counteract such disasters as floods, storms, hailstorms, or tornadoes,” says Elżbieta Łukacijewska.
As the European Environment Agency indicates, due to progressing climate changes and rapid urbanization, the frequency and intensity of natural disasters in Europe is increasing. The record drought in 2022, augmented by fires, took away 900,000 hectares in Southern Europe – an area the size of Corsica. In 2023, fires consumed another 500,000 hectares, especially in Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. In contrast, floods in Europe affected 5.5 million people in the EU in the last 30 years, causing 3,000 deaths and over 170 billion euros in economic losses. The 2021 flood in Germany and Belgium resulted in economic losses of 44 million euros and over 200 casualties. In 2023, damages in Slovenia were estimated at 16% of the country’s GDP, and financial losses caused by Hurricane Daniel in Greece were estimated in billions of euros.
In September this year, devastating floods also hit Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Poland. The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced that – in addition to funds from the EU Solidarity Fund – an extra 10 billion euros from the Cohesion Fund will be allocated as support for them. As she indicated, funds should be transferred “with maximum flexibility and speed” and half of it – 5 billion euros, approximately 20 billion zlotys – will go to Poland. EU support will prefinance, meaning that countries affected by the flood will quickly get money to be used for investments, released without an own contribution and via a simplified procedure.
“The European Union should support member countries and regions that have been affected by natural disasters. We see what’s happening today in Poland, Romania, and other countries hit by the flood, and Cohesion Policy and solidarity funds are absolute priorities at the moment. If we are a community, then – especially in such difficult situations as natural disasters, cataclysms – we should be together, and there should be money for that. And the President of the European Commission has already pledged this money within the Cohesion Fund, which is 10 billion euro – inclusive more than 5 billion euro for Poland, as Poland was most affected by the flood,” says Marta Wcisło, Member of the European Parliament.
The EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) helps EU countries cope with the effects of natural disasters. Since its establishment in 2002, over 8.6 billion euros in aid has been mobilized within the EUSF in 130 natural disasters (110 natural disasters and 20 extraordinary situations) in 24 member countries (plus Great Britain) and four accession countries (Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey). Cohesion Policy funds are a tool for long-term repair and reconstruction, directed at reconstructing infrastructure and improving readiness in the event of future catastrophes.
