20/09/2024 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 20 September, the European Union declared that it had activated its civil protection mechanism in the Czech Republic and Poland in response to serious flooding in Central Europe. Hundreds of dehumidifiers were sent from Slovenia, Belgium, Croatia and Germany to dry out water-damaged buildings in the Czech Republic. Poland will benefit from hundreds of bottles of chloramine, a water treatment product, supplied by Sweden. During a visit to Poland on Thursday 19 September, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that €10 billion could be mobilised from the cohesion funds for the countries affected by the floods (see EUROPE 13486/15). On the same day, MEPs adopted a resolution to improve the EU’s response to disasters (see EUROPE 13486/3). (FS)