€718.5 million will be granted under the EU Solidarity Fund to help seven Member States recover the damages of the devastating natural disasters of 2021 following the agreement by the European Parliament and the Council on 14 December
- 15 December 2022
The aid package is composed as follows:
- €612.6 million for Germany; €87.7 million for Belgium; €4.7 million for the Netherlands; €1.8 million for Luxembourg and €780,000 for Austria to recover and rebuild after the disastrous floods of 2021.
- €9.5 million of EUSF support for Spain following the volcano eruption on the island of La Palma.
- €1.35 million for Greece following the earthquake in Crete.
Members of the College said:
Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira said: “Today, we are lending a helping hand to the populations of seven Member States that have suffered from natural disasters in 2021. The recurrence and intensity of these events is getting stronger but the means available do not match the scale of the catastrophes. We need a collective reflection on how #EUSF can continue to provide support wherever and whenever is needed.”
Next steps
The Commission will proceed with the preparation of the respective Commission Implementing Decisions awarding the assistance to each of the Member State supported by this package.
Once the decisions will be adopted, the final financial aid can be paid in a single instalment. It is important to note that emergency and recovery operations may be financed by the EU Solidarity Fund retroactively from day one of the disaster.
The final financial aid will be paid out in a single instalment.
Background
The EUSF is one of the main EU instruments for post-disaster recovery and a tangible expression of EU solidarity. It supports Member States and candidate countries by offering a financial contribution after severe natural disasters and, since 2020, major health emergencies.
Between 2002 and the end of 2022, the EUSF mobilised over EUR 8.2 billion for interventions in 127 disaster events (107 natural disasters and 20 health emergencies) in 24 Member States (plus the UK) and 3 accession countries (Albania, Montenegro, and Serbia).
The EUSF is a special instrument of solidarity and is mobilised upon applications and the assessment of their eligibility. The emergency and recovery operations may be financed by the EUSF retroactively from day one of the disaster.
In the case of natural disasters, both major and regional, the funding can be used for essential emergency and recovery operations like repair of damaged infrastructure, protection for the population, securing preventive infrastructure and protection of cultural heritage, as well as clean-up operations.
In the period 2021-2027, it is part of the newly established Solidarity and Emergency Aid Reserve.
Since April 2020, in the framework of the EU efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic, the scope of the EUSF was extended to cover major public health emergencies.