Brussels, 10/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - €80 million will be made available to help Croatia, Bulgaria and Serbia face the costs caused by the severe flooding which hit the countries this summer. The European Commission decided on Friday 10 October to mobilise the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) in response to requests from these countries.
The amounts which could be paid are €60.2 million for Serbia, €8.96 million for Croatia and €10.5 million for Bulgaria. The money will help to cover the costs incurred by these countries as a result of the natural disasters in March of this year: repairs of vital infrastructure and services, emergency and rescue operations and clean-up costs in these regions. According to European Commissioner for Regional Development Johannes Hahn, the EUSF will “help these countries get back on their feet and regain stability which is threatened by the severe damage to economic sectors such as tourism, or destruction of essential infrastructure”.
The cost of the damage had been put at €297.6 million in Croatia and €311.3 million in Bulgaria, but Serbia has been the hardest hit, with damage estimated at €1.1 billion, or six times the upper limit of the funds available to the country under the EUSF.
This proposal of the European Commission requires the approval of the Parliament and the Council. (MD)