“These disasters remind us of our duty to continue to take action against global warming”, said La Réunion MEP Younous Omarjee (The Left, French) during a debate in the European Parliament on Monday 10 March, referring to cyclones Chido and Garance, which hit Mayotte in December 2024 and the Island of La Réunion on 28 February this year, respectively.
39 people died in Mayotte and thousands were injured. On La Réunion, five deaths were reported and tens of thousands of homes were left without electricity. According to Younous Omarjee, the EU must “place islands at the heart of climate change adaptation policies”.
Gregory Allione (Renew Europe, French) and Marie Toussaint (Greens, French) both stressed the repetitive nature of these events. The former called on the EU to “establish a genuine culture of preparedness”. The second recommended “speeding up rather than jeopardising the fight against climate change”. The Green MEP called for scientists’ conclusions on climate change to be taken into account, and for public money to be invested “in protecting people”.
“We are also ready to improve the resilience, preparedness and adaptation of these populations”, assured the European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, as he introduced the discussions.
“Under cohesion policy, 21 Member States, including France, have already earmarked direct investment in disaster management, totalling €14.4 billion between 2021 and 2027”, said the European Commissioner. The mid-term review of cohesion policy will make it possible to allocate additional resources.
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Social Climate Fund, the new RESTORE Regulation and the European Solidarity Fund were also cited as ways for affected regions to finance their reconstruction. On Friday 7 March, Andrius Kubilius said that France had submitted an application to the European Solidarity Fund following the damage caused by cyclone Chido in December in Mayotte.
By way of future prevention, the European Commission is “currently working on the first adaptation plan to improve the protection and preparedness of our communities in the face of these disasters”, declared Andrius Kubilius. (Original version in French by Florent Servia)