Greece Granted €101.53 Million in Natural Disaster Relief from EU Solidarity Fund

Flooded areas in Thessaly.

The European Council recently agreed to mobilize the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide relief to Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Austria, and France, in response to six natural disasters that occurred in 2023.

A total of 1,028.54 million euros will be mobilized from the European Union Solidarity Fund, which includes 231.78 million euros designated for advance payments. The allocations are as follows:

– Greece: 101.53 million euros will be allocated for relief from floods caused by the Mediterranean storm “Daniel” in various locations, particularly in the Thessaly region, in September 2023. This includes 25.38 million euros as an advance payment.

– Italy: 446.64 million euros will be provided to assist with floods resulting from extremely intense rainfall in the Emilia-Romagna region in May 2023 (378.83 million euros), including 94.71 million euros as an advance payment, as well as for floods in the Tuscany region in October and November 2023 (67.81 million euros).

Photo source: Region of Thessaly

– Slovenia: 428.41 million euros will be allocated to address the floods caused by heavy rainfall across the country in August 2023, including 100 million euros as an advance payment.

– Austria: 5.20 million euros will be granted for assistance related to floods in the southern regions due to heavy rainfall in August 2023.

– France: 46.76 million euros will be allocated for relief from floods caused by heavy rainfall in the former Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in November 2023, including 11.69 million euros as an advance payment.

The EU Solidarity Fund is designed to provide financial assistance in the event of major disasters in member states or in countries undergoing accession negotiations with the EU.

The assistance to Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Austria, and France will be drawn from the EU’s 2024 budget, directed towards countries that have applied for financial support through this specific EU facility.