His call for support came after days of heavy rainfall in Central Europe caused severe floods in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, and Austria. The first damage reports are now being compiled in these countries.
The Austrian government has responded with financial aid measures, including a multi-year disaster fund that has been increased to €1 billion. Companies can apply for interest-free loans and guarantees. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said that contact has already been made with the affected neighboring countries and the European Commission to examine activating the EU Solidarity Fund. The European Parliament has already called on Brussels to allocate much more money for compensation payments.
Chancellor Nehammer will travel to Poland on Thursday for a flood conference. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has invited EU leaders to this summit, where the affected countries will discuss protective measures and reconstruction. In addition to the heads of government, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will also participate.
The European Parliament already debated new possibilities for cross-border natural disasters on Wednesday, similar to the reconstruction funds after the COVID pandemic period. A vote on this will take place on Thursday.
So far, the first detailed reports on the consequences for the countryside and agriculture and horticulture in Central Europe mainly come from the Czech Republic, Austria, and Poland.
According to an insurer, the greatest losses may occur in the Czech Republic, one of the hardest-hit countries, adding that natural disaster insurance is more common there than in the other affected countries.
Some Czech factories and shops have halted their production lines, such as the chemical factory BorsodChem in Ostrava, beverage manufacturer Kofola, and the coke plant OKK Koksovny, one of the largest producers of foundry coke in Europe. Cross-border train connections between Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as between Hungary and Austria, have been suspended.
In Upper Austria, many fields and meadows have been flooded, seriously threatening the harvest of grapes, corn, sunflowers, and sugar beets. Meat processors and farmers have also suffered significant material damage. For example, the factory of meat processor Wiesbauer was completely flooded, with millions of euros worth of lost meat products and destroyed machines.
A pig farmer in Judenau-Baumgarten lost hundreds of animals due to rising waters, while crops such as pumpkins are now washing up on the banks of the Danube. The infrastructure of businesses and farms has been heavily affected, with destroyed machines, flooded basements, and ruined harvests. Some companies will have to shut down for weeks, if not months, to restore hygiene and safety standards, especially those in food production, like mushroom farms.
There is still much uncertainty about the extent of the damage. Only after the water has receded will it become clear how many crops and infrastructure have been lost and how long recovery will take. According to the Austrian Chamber of Agriculture, for freshly sown crops such as rapeseed or specialty crops, it will only become clear after some time whether the seeds or seedlings survived the flooding.
The current weather situation in Austria does not allow for a sugar beet harvest. Therefore, the start of the sugar beet campaign will be postponed by at least a week. Livestock is also being brought down early from the alpine pastures.