The EU will make available ten billion euros from the Cohesion Fund to countries affected by the storm disasters, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday at a flood summit in Breslau (Wrocław) convened by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The worst floods in Central Europe in at least two decades have caused widespread damage from Romania to Poland, killing at least 24 people, destroying bridges, flooding farmland and covering towns and cities in mud and rubble.
The ten billion euros mentioned would be used, among other things, for the reconstruction of highways, roads and railways, “depending on the preferences and needs of the countries.” On Thursday, the EU Parliament called on the European Commission to further increase the EU solidarity fund.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) was pleased that no counter-financing for the emergency aid was needed. The heads of government of Slovakia and the Czech Republic also attended the meeting in Poland. In addition to Austria, Poland and the two neighbouring countries were also badly hit by the recent storms and floods.
With the one billion in Austria's own disaster fund, 1.5 billion euros are now available for recovery investments with the EU aid. "The EU funds that are now being released will benefit our states together," Nehammer said at a joint press conference for colleagues from Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Furthermore, Nehammer called for this disaster to be kept out of the current campaign for the Austrian parliamentary elections (29 September). However, he acknowledged that the government could have done more for water storage and management of rivers and canals.
Czech Prime Minister Fiala called the EU aid “very important.” Many people in his country lost their homes. Much infrastructure was destroyed. “All this has to be rebuilt.” His Slovak counterpart Fico said the efficiency of the summit in Poland would help “increase confidence in the EU.”
The recent problems in Poland have caused considerable damage to the agricultural sector. Many farmers are struggling with destroyed crops. As a result, many companies are on the verge of bankruptcy. The Polish government has taken measures to support farmers, such as suspending inspections and extending deadlines for reporting damages. In addition, special commissions are being quickly deployed to assess the losses.
In Wroclaw, the flood situation remains tense. As a precaution, flood protection has been strengthened and thousands of sandbags have been piled up. The water level of the Oder is very high, but the river has not yet caused any damage to the city center or the surrounding neighborhoods. The situation is most difficult in the west of the city, where the Bystrzyca River flows. During the Oder flood in 1997, a third of the city of 630,000 people was flooded.