22/03/2022 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday 22 March, the European Commission announced that it would grant €5.4 million from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to Spain to help the island of La Palma, which was hit by a volcanic eruption at the end of 2021. This aid is all the more necessary since “the damage caused by the volcano has exacerbated the negative effects of the Coronavirus crisis, which has particularly affected the outermost regions such as the Canary Islands”, said the Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira. The Spanish authorities estimated the total direct damage to be €862.7 million. The EUSF is under increasing levels of pressure as the number of natural disasters linked to global warming continues to rise, draining budgetary resources ever more rapidly and prompting some MEPs to call for a new climate change adjustment fund (see EUROPE 12899/22). (PH)