Flood-related meeting
On Thursday evening a flood gathering was held in Wroclaw, attended by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic and Slovakia Petr Fiala and Robert Fico, and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
At a later press conference von der Leyen assured Europe's support for Poland and another countries affected by the flood. She stressed the request to act together in the face of the component and expressed sadness about its destructive effects. The talks with the Prime Ministers afraid fast assistance to the affected countries.
The biggest thing is to find financing for reconstruction after the crash. said von der Leyen. – To this end, we can usage 2 sources, especially the Solidarity Fund, which can be utilized to rebuild roads, highways, railway lines, bridges, that is, infrastructure.
EUR 10 million
Ursula von der Leyen admitted that by looking at the degree of the damage, the available resources would not be sufficient. The anticipation of further action under the Cohesion Fund was so discussed, with a focus on maximum flexibility and speed. She stressed that the fund would be mobilised so that it could be flexibly adapted to the needs of individual countries, especially where they are the largest.
Ursula von der Leyen announced that pre-financing would first be launched, allowing countries to receive funds in advance and then allocate them to investments. She pointed out that there would be no co-financing request as the Cohesion Fund provides full, 100% support, adapted to exceptional circumstances.
EUR 0 billion from the Cohesion Fund will be available as a crisis consequence for countries affected by floods. Von der Leyen provided further support for reconstruction in the coming months and years.
Recovery plan
After the meeting, Donald Tusk reported that Poland will prepare a plan to rebuild areas destroyed by flooding, and akin plans will be developed by the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria. The Prime Minister besides stressed that it took precisely 45 minutes to get affirmative declarations from the European Commission.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala stressed at the conference that despite the ongoing fight against flooding, it is already crucial to plan the reconstruction of the destroyed areas. During the conference, the Slovak Prime Minister stressed that his country was lucky, as there were no deaths from flooding. However, he expressed deep compassion for the victims in Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic, stressing that although infrastructure can be rebuilt, human life cannot be restored.
Fico pointed out that after talking to Prime Minister Donald Tuski he understood the importance of the meeting, stressing that European Union citizens anticipate the EU to pay as much attention to them as to global matters.
According to Fico, the Solidarity Fund and Union method assistance are not adequate in the face of damage, and fresh tools and greater flexibility will be needed. During the meeting, the leaders asked the president of the European Commission to make greater usage of funds, for which Ursula von der Leyen agreed, simplifying the conditions for access to funds, which is expected to importantly aid countries affected by the flood.
