Commission proposes €116 Million under the European Union Solidarity Fund to support Germany and Italy recover from natural disasters

This funding proposal follows requests for EUSF assistance by the countries concerned, who submit damage assessments to the Commission which includes estimations of the damage caused. The proposals are therefore based on the damage assessments and the specific thresholds laid out in the Regulation. The aid package would be as follows: €112.07 million for Germany following the damages caused by the floods to the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg at the end of May 2024; and €3.96 million for Italy to support recovery efforts after the floods that hit the Valle d’Aosta region in June 2024. 

The EUSF assistance will cover part of the costs of emergency and recovery operations, including repairing damaged infrastructure and securing preventive infrastructure, safeguarding cultural heritage, as well as clean-up operations.  

Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira said: “The EU Solidarity Fund is a concrete example of EU solidarity in action, putting people and regions first and helping them recover from devastating natural disasters. It stands as a powerful tool to help our communities to rebuild, providing post-disaster relief and strengthening Member States’ resilience against future climate-related disasters.” 

Once the Commission's proposal is approved by the Parliament and the Council, the financial aid can be disbursed in a single instalment. Emergency and recovery operations may be financed retroactively from the first day of the disaster.  

This follows a separate funding proposal put forward by the Commission in August 2024 to mobilise over €1 billion to support Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Greece, and France to recover from recent natural disasters. The proposal was adopted by the Parliament and Council in October 2024. The Commission is now preparing the corresponding implementing decisions.