Brussels, 06/04/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 6 April 2009, the European Commission announced that it was ready to provide speedy aid to Italy to clear up after the earthquake in the centre of the country that has killed at least 50 and left some 50,000 homeless.
The European Commission's Control and Information Centre for Civil Protection, which relays member states' requests for following disasters to other member states, is in contact with Italy's civil defence authorities, explained a Commission spokesperson, adding that Italy has not yet requested any international aid and no requests for aid were expected at this stage to help rescue people. Italy believes it has sufficient means at its disposal but if a request for civil defence aid were to be made in the future, the Commission believes it would be for the supply of temporary housing for people whose homes have been destroyed or made uninhabitable by the earthquake. Some EU countries are ready to provide immediate civil protection aid if Italy should request it.
Other options available to Italy are requesting aid from the EU Solidarity Fund (up to a billion euros a year), changing the priorities for spending under the EU Structural Funds to divert funds to rebuilding infrastructure and the like, and using funding earmarked for rural development (restoring woodlands and forests and restoring farming potential). Italy could also provide its own aid to compensate for material damage and the indirect repercussions of the disaster. (L.C./transl.fl)