Brussels, 15/04/2008 (Agence Europe) - In a special report published on Tuesday 15 April, the European Court of Auditors is highly critical of the time it takes for a response from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF). The time taken between the disaster and the payment is usually about one year. The Court is positive on other matters. It concludes that the fund is working efficiently and points to no lack of flexibility in its treatment of applications for aid. “However, despite the protracted process involved in obtaining aid from the Fund”, the Court of Auditor's report points out that “states that received money were satisfied with the Fund. The Fund has therefore, in respect of the states that received aid, met its underlying objective of demonstrating solidarity with member states in times of disaster”.
The European Union Solidarity Fund was set up in 2002 as a response to the serious floods in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and France. Up to the end of 2006, it had provided aid of over €1 billion in respect of 23 disasters. The Court has reviewed all applications sent to the Fund up to the end of 2006, explaining that the Fund “is not designed to meet all the costs linked to a disaster immediately but mainly to reimburse a part of those connected with ensuring the restoration of vital services and provision of temporary accommodation”.
“The rapidity with which funds are made available to beneficiaries is a direct reflection of the procedure provided in the EUSF regulation, which has meant that, in practice, it is not a rapid response instrument but a refinancing instrument for expenditures already incurred by the national authorities”, the European Commission comments in response to the Court of Auditors' report. (L.C.)