EC disburses aid to Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Lithuania following natural disasters
Four EU countries hit by natural disasters in 2017 – Greece, Poland, Lithuania and Bulgaria – will shortly receive a total amount of 34 million euro of aid from the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF), following approval of the European Commission’s proposal by the European Parliament and Council, the EC said on October 18.
European Commissioner for Regional policy Corina Creţu said: “We had promised not to leave our member states alone. We promised that we would help them bounce back. Today we are concretely delivering on our promises.
“Within a few weeks, EU assistance will reach these countries and help cover the costs of the damages caused by natural disasters in Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania and Poland,” Creţu said.
The amount of 34 million euro is divided as follows: 2.5 million euro for the Greek island of Kos after the July 2017 earthquake, 12.2 million euro for Poland after the August 2017 storms and rainfalls, almost 17 million euro for Lithuania following the 2017 rainfall and floods and 2.2 million euro for Bulgaria after the storms and floods of October 2017.
Money from the EU Solidarity Fund will be used to support reconstruction efforts and cover some of the costs of emergency services, temporary accommodation, clean-up operations and the protection of cultural heritage, to relieve the financial burden borne by national authorities in the wake of natural disasters.
Since the EUSF was set up in 2002, after more than 80 disasters — including floods, forest fires, earthquakes, storms and drought — 24 countries have received EUSF aid totaling more than five billion euro for emergency and recovery operations, the European Commission said.
(Photo: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
