Press Release: Henrike Hahn, MEP (The Greens/ EFA): Committee on Budgets in favour of European Union Solidarity

The European Parliament's Budget Committee today debated the disbursement of the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to the tune of €718.5 million for assistance in the event of natural disasters.

Bavarian MEP Henrike Hahn (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), substitute member of the Committee on Budgets and rapporteur for the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), comments:

"Solidarity is a fundamental principle of the EU in times of crisis. With the EUSF disbursements now pending, however, it must also be clear that combating climate change has to be the priority for the EU - and that it is a matter of preventive rather than after-the-fact measures. Because climate change will cause extreme weather events, such as the floods in the summer of 2021 throughout Central Europe, to intensify and multiply. Therefore, in a revision of the multi-annual financial framework (MFF), EUSF funding must be increased."

 

Background:

The EUSF will provide a total amount of €718.5 million. On the one hand, Germany (€612.6 Million), Belgium (€87.7 Million), the Netherlands (€4.7 Million), Austria (€797 520) and Luxembourg (€1.8 Million) will receive support in view of the floods in July 2021. On the other hand, Spain (€9.4 Million) and Greece (€ 1.3 Million) will receive funding for the volcanic eruption in Las Palmas and the earthquake in Crete in September 2021. The Commission has assessed these emergencies and outlined concrete financial support for each of the member countries, which now have to be approved by the European Parliament. A vote in the budget committee is scheduled for 17 November. The plenary is then expected to approve the disbursement before the end of the year.

 

I would be happy to answer any further questions.

zurück zur vorherigen Seite