REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION European Union Solidarity Fund_Annual Report 2010
Date: 2011-10-31
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, distribution of EU funding, eligibility criteria, eligible region, emergency aid, financial aid, fund (EU), general budget (EU), natural disaster

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 31.10.2011 
COM(2011) 694 final 

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION 

European Union Solidarity Fund_Annual Report 2010 

 
 
 
 
  
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3 

Pending applications from 2009 .................................................................................. 3 

New applications received in 2010 .............................................................................. 6 

Financing.................................................................................................................... 11 

Monitoring ................................................................................................................. 12 

Closures...................................................................................................................... 13 

Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 14 

Annex 1: Thresholds for major disasters applicable in 2010  .................................................. 16 

Annex 2: European Union Solidarity Fund Pending Applications from 2009 and  

  New Applications decided in 2010 .......................................................................... 17 

Annex 3: EU Solidarity Fund Applications since 2002 ........................................................... 19 

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REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION 

European Union Solidarity Fund  
Annual Report 2010 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The  European  Union  Solidarity  Fund  (EUSF)  was  set  up  on  15  November  20021. 
Article  12  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  2012/2002  of  11 November 2002 
establishing  the  European  Union  Solidarity  Fund  (hereinafter  "the  Regulation") 
provides that a report on the activity of the Fund in the previous year be presented to 
the European Parliament and to the Council. The present report presents the activities 
of  the  Fund  in  2010  covering,  as  in  previous  reports,  the  treatment  of  pending  and 
new  applications  and  the  assessment  of  implementation  reports  with  a  view  to 
preparing these for closure. 

2010  has  been  the  Solidarity  Fund's  busiest  year  ever  in  terms  of  the  number  of 
applications  received.  A  total  of  17  new  applications  for  Solidarity  Fund  financial 
assistance were submitted to the Commission over the course of the year. All of these 
applications  concerned  flooding  disasters.  The  majority  of  these  cases  were  only 
submitted  in  the  latter  half  of  the  year  and  for  6  applications  the  assessment  and 
adoption procedure was still ongoing by the end of 2010. In the course of 2010 the 
Commission  accepted  nine  of  the  applications  and  decided  that  the  conditions  for 
mobilising the Fund were not met in the case of five other applications. In total the 
to  EUR 262.303 million  which  was 
Commission  proposed  aid  amounting 
subsequently approved by the European Parliament and the Council.2 

2. 

PENDING APPLICATIONS FROM 2009 

Greece (Attica forest fires) 

From  21  August  2009  onwards,  the  Attica  region  of  Greece  suffered  damage  to 
infrastructure, houses and crops from wildfires that were driven across the region by 
strong  winds.  On  27  October  2009,  within  the  10  week  deadline  for  applications 
following  the  date  of  the  fist  damage  caused  by  the  disaster  imposed  by  the 
Regulation, the Greek authorities submitted an application for financial aid to the EU 
Solidarity Fund. 

The  Greek  authorities  estimated  the  direct  damage  caused  by  the  fires  at 
EUR 152.774 million.  This  amount  represents  0.07 %  of  the  Greek  GNI  of 
EUR 221.672 billion (based on 2007 data), i.e. only 11 % of the normal threshold for 

1 
2 

Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 of 11 November 2002, OJ L 311/3 of 14.11.2002 
The majority of these grants could only be paid out in 2011 following the signing of the corresponding 
implementation agreements with the beneficiary countries. 

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mobilisation of the Fund for Greece3. As total damage remained below the threshold 
the  application  was  examined  under  the  exceptional  criteria  for  "extraordinary 
regional disasters". 

One  of  the  conditions  for  exceptionally  mobilising  the  Fund  under  the  regional 
criteria is that the majority of the population living in the disaster stricken area must 
be affected. The Greek government based its application on the region of Attica and 
reported that 106 404 residents were affected by the fire, from a total population of 
just under 3.8 million inhabitants in the Attica region. This represents 2.8 % of the 
population  of  the  region,  i.e.  much  less  than  the  majority.  Moreover,  while  the 
disaster  had  locally  caused  serious  damage  the  application  presented  no  evidence 
allowing  to  conclude  that  the  region  would  suffer  from  serious  and  lasting 
repercussions  on  living  conditions  and  its  economic  stability  -  which  are  the  other 
conditions that must be met (cumulatively) if a disaster is to qualify exceptionally as 
an "extraordinary regional disaster". 

Accordingly, on 28 May 2010 the Commission decided that the application could not 
be  accepted  as  it  did  not  meet  the  requirements  set  out  in  the  Regulation  for  the 
exceptional  mobilisation  of  the  Fund.  The  Greek  authorities  were  informed 
accordingly. 

Greece (Evia flooding) 

On 12 September 2009 the Evia Island region of eastern Greece suffered damage to 
homes,  infrastructure  and  agriculture  as  a  result  of  flooding  that  followed  heavy 
rainfall  in  the  area.  On  17  November  2009,  within  the  10  week  deadline  following 
the start of the disaster, the Greek authorities submitted an application to the Fund for 
financial aid. 

The  Greek  authorities  estimated  direct  damage  caused  by 
the  floods  at 
EUR 82.233 million. At just 6.26 % of the normal threshold applicable to Greece for 
mobilising the Solidarity Fund, the application was examined under the exceptional 
criteria for "extraordinary regional disasters". 

While locally, the floods had significant effects on the Evia region, resulting in the 
loss  of  one  life,  loss  of  crops  and  damage  to  the  regional  road  network,  the 
application  presented  no  clear  evidence  that  the  majority  of  the  population  in  the 
region had been affected. Moreover, the Greek application failed to provide adequate 
evidence demonstrating that the floods had caused serious and lasting repercussions 
on living conditions and the economic stability of the region. On 28 May 2010, the 
Commission  therefore  decided  that  the  application  did  not  meet  the  conditions  for 
exceptionally  mobilising  the  Fund  and  informed  the  Greek  authorities  that  their 
application had not been accepted. 

3 

The  threshold  for  mobilising  the  Solidarity  Fund  is  defined  as  damage  exceeding  0.6 %  of  Gross 
National Income of a country or EUR 3 billion in 2002 prices. An overview of the thresholds applicable 
in 2010 is presented in Annex 1. 

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Cyprus (storm) 

On  18  September  2009,  a  storm  accompanied  by  a  number  of  twisters  hit  the 
outskirts of Nicosia. The Cypriot authorities presented their application for Solidarity 
Fund  assistance  on  6  November  2009,  around  2  weeks  ahead  of  the  10  week 
application deadline. 

The  Cypriot  authorities  estimated  the  direct  damage  caused  by  the  disaster  at 
EUR 2.609 million. This amount represents less than 3 % of the normal threshold for 
mobilising the Solidarity Fund applicable to Cyprus in 2009 of EUR 88.552 million 
(i.e. 0.6 % of GNI based on 2007 data). As total damage remained below the normal 
threshold for mobilising the Solidarity Fund the application was examined under the 
exceptional criteria for "extraordinary regional disasters". 

After assessing the application the Commission came to the conclusion that it did not 
fulfil  the  condition  as  set  out  in  the  Regulation  (EC)  No  2012/2002.  In  fact,  the 
application contained no evidence indicating that the major part of the population in 
the  region  to  which  the  application  relates  was  affected.  Furthermore,  no  evidence 
was provided showing that the disaster caused serious and lasting repercussion on the 
living conditions and economic stability of the affected area. For these reasons, the 
Commission decided on 6 April 2010 that the application did not meet the conditions 
for  exceptionally  mobilising  the  Fund  and  informed  the  Cypriot  authorities 
accordingly. 

Italy (Sicily mudslides and flooding) 

On  1  October  2009,  a  storm  struck  Sicily  particularly  affecting  the  province  of 
Messina. Persistent rainfall in the coastal areas between Galati and Scaletta Zanclea 
caused  a  number  of  landslides  and  mud  floods  that  blocked  some  stretches  of  the 
road  system  as  well  as  the  railway  and  main  highway.  Sicilian  authorities  reported 
that there were 31 deaths and 122 injuries as a direct consequence of the landslides 
and  mud-floods,  and  2 019  people  were  evacuated  from  their  homes.  The  Italian 
authorities  submitted  an  application  to  the  Solidarity  Fund  on  7  December  2009, 
within the 10 week deadline for applications. 

The  Italian  authorities  estimated  the  direct  damage  at  EUR 598.94 million.  The 
damage  represents  17.62 %  of  the  normal  threshold  for  mobilising  the  Solidarity 
Fund  applicable  to  Italy  in  2009  of  EUR 3.399 billion.  As  total  damage  remained 
below  the  normal  threshold  for  mobilising  the  Solidarity  Fund  the  application  was 
examined under the exceptional criteria for "extraordinary regional disasters". 

The  application  related  to  the  province  of  Messina  which  has  a  total  population  of 
622 450  (figures  from  2005).  Within  this  province,  14 576  people,  or  just  2.2 %  of 
the population were directly affected representing thus only a very small part of the 
population  of  the  province  to  which  they  belong.  Moreover,  while  the  application 
showed that the disaster had locally caused severe damage it remained limited to a 
small territory with a relatively small number of people. No evidence was provided 
demonstrating  that  the  disaster  caused  serious  and  lasting  repercussions  on  the 
economic  stability  of  the  region.  For  these  reasons,  the  Commission  decided  on  8 
June  2010  that  the  application  did  not  meet  the  conditions  for  exceptionally 

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mobilising  the  Fund  under  the  criteria  for  extraordinary  regional  disasters  and 
informed the Italian authorities accordingly. 

3. 

NEW APPLICATIONS RECEIVED IN 2010 

Ireland (flooding) 

From  19 November 2009  onward,  Ireland  suffered  severe  flooding  in  15  of  its  26 
provinces.  The  flooding  caused  damage  to  public  infrastructure  including  roads, 
water  and  waste  water  facilities  as  well  as  widespread  damage  to  housing  and 
businesses.  The  Irish  authorities  submitted  an  application  to  the  Fund  on 
27 January 2010,  within  the  10  week  deadline  for  applications.  Further  information 
required to complete the assessment of the application was provided at the request of 
the Commission on 15 June 2010. 

The Irish authorities estimated the direct damage at EUR 520.9 million, representing 
0.33 %  of  GNI  and  55.68 %  of  the  normal  threshold  for  mobilising  the  Solidarity 
Fund  applicable  to  Ireland  in  2010  of  EUR 935.456 million.  As  damage  remained 
below  the  threshold,  the  Irish  application  was  examined  under  the  exceptional 
criteria for "extraordinary regional disasters". 

The  evidence  provided  by  the  Irish  authorities  showed  that  the  majority  of  the 
population  in  the  disaster  stricken  area  was  affected  by  the  consequences  of  the 
floods. Moreover, the high level of damage to roads and other public infrastructure 
and the widespread  structural damage  to private buildings adequately demonstrated 
the long term effects of the disaster on living conditions and the economic stability of 
the affected region. On 14 September 2010, the Commission therefore concluded that 
the  Irish  application  should  be  accepted  and  proposed  granting  aid  of 
EUR 13 022 500. The corresponding amending budget procedure was completed by 
the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  on  24  November  2010.  Following  the 
signing of the Implementation Agreement with Ireland the Commission paid out the 
grant on 22 December 2010. 

Italy (Tuscany Flooding) 

From  25  December  2009,  heavy  rainfall  caused  flooding  and  landslides  along  the 
course of the River Serchio in western Tuscany, affecting 27 municipalities in Lucca 
Province  and  one  municipality  in  Pisa  Province.  On  4  March  2010,  within  the  10 
week deadline following the start of the flooding, the Italian authorities submitted an 
application to the Solidarity Fund. 

According to the Italian authorities, total direct damage resulting from the flooding 
amounted to EUR 211.701 million. This figure represents 0.02 % of Italian GNI, and 
just 6.11 % of the normal threshold for mobilising the Solidarity Fund applicable to 
Italy  of  EUR 3.467 billion  in  2010.  The  application  was  therefore  examined  under 
the exceptional criteria for "extraordinary regional disasters". 

The  application  showed  that  locally,  the  flooding  caused  disruption  in  the  region 
around  the  River  Serchio,  with  damage  to  roads,  water  infrastructure  and  public 

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services  as  well  as  private  buildings  and  other  property.  However,  just  1 %  of  the 
local population were directly affected by the flooding and the Italian authorities did 
not demonstrate in their application that the flooding would have serious and lasting 
repercussions  on  the  economic  stability  in  the  region.  For  these  reasons,  on 
8 June 2010  the  Commission  decided  that  the  Italian  application  did  not  meet  the 
conditions for exceptionally mobilising the Fund and informed the Italian authorities 
accordingly. 

Spain (Andalucía Flooding) 

Starting on 9 February 2010, Andalucía suffered flooding following a long period of 
heavy  rainfall.  The  Spanish  authorities  submitted  an  application  for  aid  to  the 
Solidarity Fund on 19 April 2010.  

Damage  of  EUR 709.74 million  was  reported,  representing  20.47 %  of  the  normal 
threshold  of  EUR 3.467 billion  applicable  to  Spain  for  mobilising  the  Solidarity 
Fund. However, upon assessment of the application, the Commission concluded that 
there  had  been  earlier  unreported  flooding  damage  in  December 2009  and 
January 2010  stemming  from  the  same  meteorological  phenomenon.  The  10  week 
application deadline counting from the date of the first damage caused by the disaster 
had  thus  not  been  respected.  Furthermore,  the  Spanish  authorities  did  not  provide 
sufficient evidence to allow full assessment of the case under the exceptional criteria 
for  "extraordinary  regional  disasters".  The  Commission  therefore  decided  on 
5 October 2010 that the conditions for exceptionally mobilising the Solidarity Fund 
were not met and informed the Spanish authorities accordingly. 

Portugal (Madeira floods) 

On 20 February 2010, the Portuguese islands of Madeira and Porto Santo were struck 
by  powerful  floods  which  resulted  in  the  deaths  of  42  people  and  caused  severe 
damage to parts of the islands' infrastructure, public and private buildings, agriculture 
and businesses. 

The  Commission  received  an  application  for  Solidarity  Fund  assistance  from  the 
Portuguese  authorities  on  20 April 2010,  some  two  weeks  before  the  10  week 
deadline  for  applications.  Additional  information  necessary  to  complete  the 
assessment  of  the  application  was  received  at  the  request  of  the  Commission  on 
15 July 2010. The Portuguese authorities estimated the total direct damage caused by 
the  flooding  at  EUR 1.080 billion.  This  figure  represents  112.69 %  of  the  normal 
threshold  for  mobilising  the  Solidarity  Fund  applicable  to  Portugal  in  2010  of 
EUR 958.406 million.  The  disaster  therefore  qualified  as  a  "major  natural  disaster" 
under  the  terms  of  Solidarity  Fund  Regulation.  In  the  course  of  the  devastating 
events,  153  bridges  were  damaged,  400  houses  were  completely  destroyed  or 
suffered severe structural damage and the waterfront of Funchal was left in need of 
on 
significant 
29 September 2010  that  the  application  met  the  conditions  for  mobilising  the  Fund 
and  proposed  awarding  a  grant  of  EUR 31 255 790  to  Portugal.  The  corresponding 
amending  budget  was  adopted  by  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  on  15 
December  2010.  Following  the  conclusion  of  the  Implementation  Agreement  with 
Portugal the Commission paid out the grant on 5 April 2011. 

reconstruction.  The  Commission 

concluded 

therefore 

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France (Storm Xynthia) 

On  27  and  28 February 2010,  a  winter  storm  struck  across  almost  the  entirety  of 
French  mainland  territory.  It  caused  widespread  damage,  particularly  on  the  west 
coast of France where sea defences were breached. The French authorities submitted 
an  application  for  Solidarity  Fund  assistance  on  7 May 2010,  within  the  10  week 
deadline. 

The total direct damage caused by the storm across French territory was estimated at 
some  EUR 2.5 billion.  As  this  falls  short  of  the  threshold  of  EUR 3.467 billion 
applicable  to  France  in  2010  the  French  application  was  subject  to  examination 
against the exceptional criteria for "extraordinary regional disasters". In order to meet 
these criteria the French authorities chose to limit the scope of their application to the 
most  hardly  affected  zone  and  submitted  an  application  that  focused  on  a  single 
coherent area on the west coast of France which bore the brunt of the damages from 
the  storm,  estimated  at  EUR 1.425 billion.  This  amount  represents  41.12 %  of  the 
normal threshold for intervention of the Fund. 

The zone that constituted the subject of the application consists of 10 municipalities 
in the Vendée region and 36 municipalities and 2 part-municipalities in the Charente-
Maritime region. This area suffered severe flooding after a violent storm surge. The 
French authorities estimated that more than 1 500 houses would have to be destroyed 
because of the scale of structural damage. Furthermore, the flooding of 14 956 ha of 
farmland caused a massive loss of crops and damaged arable land due to the deposits 
of sodium in the soil. Economic activity which relies on the coastal area, in particular 
tourism and oyster farming, also suffered as a result of the widespread environmental 
and structural damage. 

The  Commission  therefore  considered  that  the  French  application  met  the 
exceptional  criteria  for  "extraordinary  regional  disasters"  and  decided  on 
29 September 2010  to  propose  aid  to  France  amounting  to  EUR 35 635 750.  The 
corresponding  amending  budget  was  adopted  by  the  European  Parliament  and  the 
Council  on  15  December  2010.  Following  the  conclusion  of  the  Implementation 
Agreement with France the Commission paid out the grant on 14 March 2011. 

Slovakia (flooding) 

On 9 May 2010, a large part of central and eastern Slovakia was flooded following 
an  extended  period  of  heavy  rainfall4.  The  Slovakian  authorities  applied  for 
assistance  from  the  Solidarity  Fund  on  16 July 2010,  within  the  10  week  deadline. 
On  27  September  2010  the  Slovak  authorities  presented  to  the  Commission  further 
details including an update of their estimates of total damages. 

4 

This meteorological condition affected major parts of central and south-eastern Europe during May and 
June  2010  and  lead  to  Solidarity  Fund  applications  from  five  countries:  Slovakia,  Poland,  Czech 
Republic, Hungary and, Croatia. 

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The  flooding  resulted  in  widespread  damage  to  roads,  houses  and  agricultural 
produce.  45 895  households  were  affected  by  the  flooding  and  a  further  306 
households were affected by landslides. The transport network in the region was also 
particularly hard hit by the floods. 

The  Slovakian  authorities  estimated  total  direct  damage  at  EUR 561.134 million. 
This  amount  represents  0.89 %  of  Slovakia's  GNI  and  represents  148.37 %  of  the 
normal threshold for mobilising the Solidarity Fund applicable to Slovakia in 2010 of 
EUR 378.205 million. Thus, the Slovakian application qualified as a "major natural 
disaster".  The  Commission  therefore  decided  on  15 December 2010  to  accept  the 
application and proposed to grant aid to Slovakia amounting to EUR 20 430 841. The 
corresponding amending budget proposal followed at the beginning of January 2011. 

Poland (flooding) 

Poland suffered two interconnected waves of flooding in May and June 2010 caused 
by a period of exceptionally heavy rainfall. The first damage caused by these floods 
was recorded on 14 May 2010. The Polish authorities submitted an application to the 
Solidarity Fund on 23 July 2010, within the 10 week deadline.  

The  flooding  caused  significant  damage,  principally  around  the  Vistula  and  Odra 
rivers.  266 000  people  were  affected  by  the  floods,  including  31 000  who  were 
evacuated  from  their  homes.  There  was  also  widespread  damage  to  businesses, 
agriculture and public infrastructure. In order to cope with the scale of the disaster, 
Poland also requested assistance from the European Civil Protection Mechanism. 

The total direct damage was estimated at EUR 2.998 billion representing 0.846 % of 
Polish GNI and exceeding by far the normal threshold for mobilising the Solidarity 
Fund  applicable  to  Poland  in  2010  of  EUR 2.124 billion.  Poland's  application 
therefore met the normal threshold for the mobilisation of the Fund and was treated 
as  a  "major  natural  disaster".  The  Commission  decided  on  15  December  2010  to 
accept 
to 
EUR 105 567 155.  The  corresponding  amending  budget  proposal  followed  at  the 
beginning of January 2011. 

to  grant  Poland  aid  amounting 

the  application  and  proposed 

Czech Republic (flooding) 

The  Czech  Republic  submitted  an  application  for  financial  aid  under  the 
"neighbouring  country"  criterion  after  suffering  flooding  related  to  the  same 
meteorological  phenomenon  as  that  which  caused  major  disasters  in  Slovakia  and 
Poland during May 2010. The Czech authorities reported flooding damage beginning 
on 18 May 2010 and submitted their application on 23 July 2010, within the 10 week 
deadline. 

The "neighbouring country" criterion allows countries which have suffered from the 
same  disaster  as  a  neighbouring  country  for  which  a  major  disaster  has  been 
recognised  to  apply  for  aid,  even  if  the  amount  of  damage  is  below  the  normal 
threshold. In the Czech case, the flooding caused damage in four regions in the north 
and east of the country. Over two million inhabitants of these regions were directly 
affected by the floods due to structural damage to housing, loss of private property, 

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loss  of  essential  services,  and  damage  to  the  local  economy.  1 000  people  were 
evacuated from their homes. 

The total direct damages caused by the flooding amounted to EUR 204.456 million. 
While this constitutes just 0.15 % of Czech GNI, or 24.81 % of the normal threshold 
for  mobilising 
in  2010  of 
in 
EUR 824.029 million, the application fulfilled the neighbouring country criterion as 
both Poland and Slovakia's applications were accepted as "major disasters".  

the  Czech  Republic 

the  Solidarity  Fund 

The  Commission  therefore  decided  on  15 December 2010  to  accept  the  Czech 
application  and  proposed  granting  aid  amounting 
to  EUR 5 111 401.  The 
corresponding amending budget proposal followed at the beginning of January 2011. 

Hungary (flooding) 

As  a  result  of  one  month  of  near-continuous  rainfall  in  May  and  June  2010  severe 
flooding  occurred  in  Hungary  causing  widespread  flooding  and  damage  in  the 
Danube  basin  and  in  the  north-east  of  the  country.  The  Hungarian  authorities 
submitted their application for assistance to the Solidarity Fund on the 24 July 2010, 
within  the  10  week  deadline.  The  Hungarian  application  detailed  the  extensive 
damage  to  infrastructure,  with  flooding  of  roads  and  612  separate  incidents  of 
damage to Hungary's rail network. The economy, particularly in rural areas, suffered 
due  to  flooding  and  hail  storms,  with  145 000  ha  of  land  rendered  unusable.  The 
rescue operation required the evacuation of 5 259 people. 

The  Hungarian  authorities  reported  total  direct  damages  of  EUR 719.343 million, 
representing  0.73 %  of  Hungarian  GNI  and  representing  121.78 %  of  the  normal 
threshold  for  mobilising  the  Solidarity  Fund  applicable  to  Hungary  in  2010  of 
EUR 590.710 million.  As  the  damages  were  above  the  threshold  for  the  normal 
mobilisation of the Fund, the application qualified as a "major natural disaster. The 
Commission  accepted  Hungary's  application  on  15  December  2010  and  proposed 
granting  assistance  of  EUR 22 485 772  to  Hungary.  The  corresponding  amending 
budget proposal followed at the beginning of January 2011. 

Croatia (flooding) 

Eastern  and  central  regions  of  Croatia  were  victims  of  the  same  meteorological 
conditions  which  caused  the  flooding  disaster  in  Hungary  between  May  and  June 
2010.  As  a  neighbour  of  Hungary,  Croatia  was  able  to  submit  an  application  for 
Solidarity  Fund  financial  aid  under  the  "neighbouring  country"  criterion.  After 
suffering  its  first  damage  on  31 May 2010,  the  Croatian  authorities  submitted  an 
application on 9 August 2010, within the 10 week deadline. 

from 

The flooding and hailstorms resulted in significant damage to 687 houses, damage to 
water supplies, blocked roads at a local and regional level, and the evacuation of 112 
families 
total  direct  damage  was  calculated  at 
EUR 153.039 million,  representing  55.49 %  of  the  normal  threshold  for  mobilising 
the  Solidarity  Fund  in  Croatia  in  2010  of  EUR 275.804 million.  As  the  same 
phenomenon  qualified  as  a  major  disaster  in  Hungary  the  Croatian  application  was 
accepted  under  the  "neighbouring  country"  criterion.  The  Commission  therefore 

their  homes.  The 

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decided  on  15  December  2010  to  grant  financial  aid  of  EUR 3 825 983  to  Croatia. 
The amending corresponding budget proposal followed at the beginning of January 
2011. 

Romania (flooding) 

On  23  June  2010  a  period  of  flooding  and  land  slides  began  which  affected  the 
majority  of  Romania's  regions  and  caused  severe  damage  throughout  the  country. 
Romanian  authorities  submitted  an  application  for  Solidarity  Fund  financial 
assistance on 31 August 2010, within the 10 week deadline for applications. 

The Romanian floods affected a total of 6.7 million people, including 15 000 people 
who  had  to  be  evacuated  from  their  homes.  There  was  significant  damage  and 
disruption on the road network, with 5 257 km of road network affected, while other 
infrastructure such as water and waste water facilities also suffered serious damage. 
The  floods  also  damaged  the  Romanian  economy,  with  110 585 ha  of  agricultural 
land and 8 222 ha of forest rendered unusable by the floods. The total direct damage 
was  estimated  by  the  Romanian  authorities  at  EUR 875.758 million.  This  amount 
represents 0.67 % of Romania's GNI and exceeds the normal threshold for mobilising 
the  Solidarity  Fund  of  EUR 787.935 million.  As  a  consequence  the  Romanian 
application  qualified  as  a  "major  natural  disaster".  The  Commission  accepted 
Romania's  application  on  15 December 2010  and  proposed  assistance  amounting  to 
EUR 24 967 741.  The  corresponding  amending  budget  proposal  followed  at  the 
beginning of January 2011. 

Pending Applications 

A total of 17 applications were received in 2010. As some of these applications were 
received  late  in  the  year  their  assessment  continued  into  2011.  They  concerned 
applications  from  France  (Var  flooding),  Czech  Republic  (autumn  flooding), 
Germany  (Sachsen  flooding),  Croatia  and  Slovenia  (September  flooding),  and 
Hungary  (red  sludge  spill).  These  applications  will  be  fully  addressed  in  the 
European Union Solidarity Fund Annual Report 2011. 

4. 

FINANCING 

In  2010,  a  grant  from  the  Solidarity  Fund  was  paid  out  for  one  case  for  which  the 
application was received in the January 2010 (floods in Ireland). The corresponding 
Preliminary  Draft  Amending  Budget  No 7/20105  was  approved  by  the  Budgetary 
Authority on 24 November 2010. 

5 

Draft amending budget No 8 to the budget 2010 was renumbered and adopted as amending budget No 7 
by  the  European  Parliament  on  24.11.2010  without  any  modification.  COM(2010)533,  OJ  L  50  of 
24.2.2011. 

EN 

11 

   EN 

 
                                                 
For  two  more  applications  received  in  2010,  the  Fund  was  also  mobilised. 
Preliminary Draft Amending Budget No 8/20106 covers the floods affecting Portugal 
(Madeira  floods)  and  France  (storm  Xynthia)  and  was  approved  by  the  Budgetary 
Authority  on  15  December  2010.  The  payments  were  made  in  early  2011  after 
adoption of the grant decisions and after the implementation agreements were signed. 

Beneficiary State  Disaster 

Category 

Amount granted (EUR) 

Ireland 

Portugal 

France 

Total 

Flooding (November 2009) 

regional 

Madeira floods 

Storm Xynthia 

major 

regional 

13 022 500 

31 255 790 

35 635 750 

79 914 040 

5. 

MONITORING 

Italy (Abruzzo Earthquake) 

The  Commission  carried  out  a  monitoring  visit  to  L'Aquila  and  Rome  from  11  to 
13 April  2010  in  order  to  be  informed  of  the  systems  put  in  place  by  the  Italian 
authorities  to  implement  the  Solidarity  Fund  grant  of  EUR 493.8 million  following 
the earthquake of April 2009. The L'Aquila earthquake in the Italian Abruzzo region 
was in fact the biggest disaster since the creation of the Fund and subsequently lead 
to the highest grant ever, amounting to almost half a billion Euros7. 

The  Commission  particularly  inquired  into  allegations  made  in  the  media  about  a 
possible involvement of the National Civil Protection Department in irregularities in 
awarding  contracts  related  to  the  reconstruction  works  in  L'Aquila  but  found  no 
evidence substantiating these allegations. 

The visit was welcomed by the Italian authorities who provided ample and detailed 
information about implementation of the Solidarity Fund grant and of the system put 
in  place  to  guarantee  the  regularity  and  legality  of  the  spending.  From  the 
Commission  point  of  view,  the  visit  provided  assurances  on  the  functioning  of  the 
systems  put  in  place  and  the  progress  made.  From  the  information  received,  the 
Solidarity Fund grant has been used efficiently and respecting the rules imposed by 
the Solidarity Fund Regulation, the grant decision and the implementing agreement. 
This impression was confirmed by the implementation report submitted by the Italian 
authorities early in 2011. 

6 

7 

Draft amending budget No 9 to the budget 2010 was renumbered and adopted as amending budget No 8 
by  the  European  Parliament  on  15.12.2010  without  any  modification.  COM(2010)577;  OJ  L  50  of 
24.2.2011. 
Detailed  information  can  be  found  in  the  European  Union  Solidarity  Fund  Annual  Report  2009, 
COM(2011)136 of 23.03.2011. 

EN 

12 

   EN 

 
                                                 
France (Storm Klaus) 

The Commission carried out a monitoring visit to France on 15 June 2010 in order to 
be informed of the systems put in place by the French authorities to implement the 
Solidarity  Fund  grant  of  EUR 109.4 million  following  storm  Klaus  which  severely 
hit  the  region  of  Aquitaine,  Midi-Pyrénées  and  Languedoc-Roussillon  in  January 
2009. Storm Klaus in south-western France was another major disaster with damage 
considerably above the average. 

As  on  previous  occasions  this  visit  was  highly  welcomed  by  the  authorities 
concerned  and  provided  an  opportunity  to  clarify  technical  issues  such  as  those 
concerning  eligibility  of  expenditure,  the  deadline  for  using  the  grant  and  control 
issues.  The  visit  also  allowed  the  Commission  to  gain  an  impression  of  the  added 
value  of  the  Solidarity  Fund  and  to  gather  information  on  the  implementation 
systems. 

6. 

CLOSURES 

Article 8(2) of Solidarity Fund Regulation states that no later than six months after 
the  expiry  of  the  one-year  period  from  the  date  of  disbursement  of  the  grant,  the 
beneficiary  State  shall  present  a  report  on  the  financial  execution  of  the  grant 
(hereinafter: an “implementation report”) with a statement justifying the expenditure 
(hereinafter:  a  “validity  statement”).  At  the  end  of  this  procedure,  the  Commission 
shall wind up the assistance from the Fund. 

In the course of 2010, four EU Solidarity Fund files were closed. 

(1)  As  regards  the  closure  of  assistance  of  the  case  relating  to  the  wind  storm  in 
Slovakia in 2005, for which financial aid of EUR 5 667 578 was granted, the 
implementation report was received on 9 May 2007. As a result of the wrong 
exchange rate used by the Slovakian authorities, the expenditure declared was 
EUR 34 992.28  short  of  the  amount  granted.  In  order  to  solve  the  issue  of 
lacking  expenditure  because  of  the  erroneous  exchange  rate  used,  the 
Commission  proposed  to  Slovakia  to  declare  further  expenditure  to  cover  the 
difference.  In  March  2010,  the  Slovakian  authorities  declared  further 
expenditure which was found to be eligible under the terms of the Regulation, 
the  Grant  Decision  and  the  Implementation  Agreement.  The  Commission 
wound up the file in May 2010. 

(2) 

to  EUR  10 632 185  was  granted  and 

In  the  case  relating  to  the  flooding  disaster  in  Bulgaria  of  August  2005, 
the 
financial  aid  amounting 
implementation  report  was  received  on  17  January  2008.  The  Bulgarian 
authorities  declared  in  their  validity  statement  that  their  expenditure  was 
EUR 35 090 short of the amount granted. In addition, the auditing work of the 
ineligible  expenditures  of  EUR 8 476. 
Bulgarian  authorities 
Consequently,  and 
the 
Commission initiated a recovery procedure and the amount of EUR 43 566 was 
the  Bulgarian  authorities  on  29 December 2008.  The 
recovered  from 

the  Bulgarian  authorities, 

in  agreement  with 

revealed 

EN 

13 

   EN 

 
Commission's further analysis and assessment were completed in spring 2010. 
The Commission wound up the case in May 2010.  

(3)  Regarding  the  windstorm  disaster  in  Latvia  of  January  2005,  a  grant  of 
EUR 9 487 180  was  paid  out  to  the  Latvian  authorities.  The  implementation 
report  was  received  by  the  Commission  on  5  November  2007.  The  Latvian 
authorities declared unused and ineligible expenditures of EUR 114 458.80. In 
order 
the  Commission  requested  further 
information from the Latvian authorities. It was agreed to recover the amount 
of EUR 114 458.80. The Commission initiated the recovery procedure and the 
amount was received by the Commission in August 2010. 

the  assessment, 

to  complete 

(4)  The  fourth  closure  file  concerned  the  flooding  disaster  in  Austria  of  August 
2005,  for  which  financial  aid  of  EUR 14 798 589  was  granted  and  the 
implementation  report  was  received  on  12  February  2008.  After  thorough 
assessment  by  the  Commission  services,  further  information  regarding  the 
statement of validity needed to be requested. The Austrian authorities provided 
this  additional 
the 
Commission wound up the file in December 2010. 

irregularities  were  found, 

information  and,  as  no 

In  2010,  the  Commission  received  final  implementation  reports  for  grants  made  in 
2008 from the UK (floods), France (storm Dean/Antilles), Greece (forest fires) and 
Slovenia  (floods).  At  the  end  of  the  period  covered  by  this  annual  report  the 
assessment of these implementation reports was ongoing. 

7. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The  operation  of  the  Solidarity  Fund  in  2010  once  again  confirmed  the  experience 
made in earlier years. It can be summarised as follows: 

• 

• 

For major disasters with damage exceeding the - relatively high - threshold the 
Solidarity Fund works rather satisfactorily. The criteria are clear and simple to 
assess,  countries  do  not  normally  have  difficulties  preparing  an  application. 
The success rate continues to be 100%. 

By contrast, applications for smaller disasters presented under the exceptional 
rules  for  so-called  extraordinary  regional  disasters  confront  countries  with 
serious  difficulties  in  particular  as  the  criteria  laid  down  in  the  Regulation 
appear  little  clear  and  complicated.  The  obligation  for  the  states  to  define  in 
their  application  the  affected  region  as  a  single  coherent  area  in  which  the 
majority of the population must be affected does often not reflect the reality. In 
many  instances  even  regional  disasters  strike  in  geographically  unconnected 
areas  (e.g.  floods  in  different  river  basins)  which  renders  the  definition  of  a 
single  coherent  area  difficult.  Moreover,  demonstrating  serious  and  lasting 
effects on the economic stability of the affected region appears as a somewhat 
speculative,  economically  not  very  sound  and  -  in  any  event  -  burdensome 
exercise  which  is  difficult  to  assess,  especially  for  smaller  areas.  Until  now 
around  two  thirds  of  applications  presented  under  this  rule  are  not  accepted 
because they do not meet the criteria. 

EN 

14 

   EN 

 
• 

Overall  it  is  felt  that  the  Fund  should  be  more  responsive  and  make  aid 
available  more  quickly.  While  indeed  the  Fund  was  never  conceived  as  an 
emergency  instrument  it  is  legitimate  to  expect  that  financial  aid  from  it  is 
made available as quickly as possible. Delays of up to one year are clearly too 
long. 

Under the rules of the current Solidarity Fund Regulation there is very little scope to 
address these (and some other) issues. A first attempt by the Commission in 2005 to 
improve the functioning of the Fund by proposing a new Solidarity Fund Regulation 
was  favourably  received  by  the  European  Parliament  but  found  no  support  among 
Member States.  

The Commission has therefore opted for a new approach and presented on 6 October 
2011 a Communication on the Future of the Solidarity Fund8. This Communication 
analyses the functioning of the Fund in greater detail, highlights issues and presents 
possible solutions. It is intended to discuss the Communication with stakeholders, in 
particular  with  Member  States,  the  European  Parliament  and  regions.  In  a  second 
stage and depending on the outcome of the discussions the Commission may present 
a legislative proposal to adjust and improve the current Regulation. 

8 

Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European 
Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: The Future of the European Union 
Solidarity Fund, COM(2011) 613 final of 6.10.2011. 

EN 

15 

   EN 

 
                                                 
ANNEX 1: THRESHOLDS FOR MAJOR DISASTERS APPLICABLE IN 2010 
(BASED ON 2008 FIGURES FOR GROSS NATIONAL INCOME) 

Country 

GNI 2008* 

0.6 % of GNI* 

AT 

BE 

BG 

CY 

CZ 

DE 

DK 

EE 

EL 

ES 

FI 

FR 

HU 

IE 

IT 

LT 

LU 

LV 

MT 

NL 

PL 

PT 

RO 

SE 

SI 

SK 

UK 

TR 

HR 

ÖSTERREICH 

BELGIË/BELGIQUE 

BULGARIA 

KYPROS 

ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA 

DEUTSCHLAND 

DANMARK 

EESTI 

ELLADA 

ESPAÑA 

SUOMI/FINLAND 

FRANCE 

MAGYARORSZÁG 

ÉIRE/IRELAND 

ITALIA 

LIETUVA 

LUXEMBOURG (G.D.) 

LATVIJA 

MALTA 

NEDERLAND 

POLSKA 

PORTUGAL 

ROMÂNIA 

SVERIGE 

SLOVENIJA 

SLOVENSKO 

UNITED KINGDOM 

TÜRKIYE 

HRVATSKA 

277 386 

346 971 

33 613 

16 125 

137 338 

2 536 990 

236 286 

15 104 

231 285 

1 060 554 

184 311 

1 963 018 

98 452 

155 909 

1 548 138 

31 216 

29 716 

22 812 

5 513 

580 214 

354 153 

159 734 

131 323 

339 519 

36 278 

63 034 

1 854 711 

373 991 

45 967 

(Million €) 

Major disaster 
threshold 2010* 

1 664.317 

2 081.826 

201.680 

96.749 

824.029 

3 466.573** 

1 417.714 

90.623 

1 387.712 

3 466.573** 

1 105.866 

3 466.573** 

590.710 
935.456 

1 664.317 

2 081.826 

201.680 

96.749 

824.029 

15 221.940 

1 417.714 

90.623 

1 387.712 

6 363.324 

1 105.866 

11 778.108 

590.710 
935.456 

9 288.830 

3 466.573** 

187.296 

178.294 

136.874 

33.077 

3 481.284 

2 124.920 

958.406 

787.935 

2 037.115 

217.669 

378.205 

11 128.264 

2 243.944 

275.804 

187.296 

178.294 

136.874 

33.077 

3 466.573** 

2 124.920 

958.406 

787.935 

2 037.115 

217.669 

378.205 

3 466.573** 

2 243.944 

275.804 

Thresholds are defined as the lower of 0.6% of GNI or EUR 3 billion in 2002 prices. 

*Rounded figures 
** ~ € 3 billion in 2002 prices 

EN 

16 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
 
 
27/10/09 

6/11/09 

17/11/09 

7/12/09 

15/06/10 

4/03/10 

19/04/10 

15/07/10 

ANNEX 2: EUROPEAN UNION SOLIDARITY FUND PENDING APPLICATIONS FROM 2009 AND NEW APPLICATIONS DECIDED IN 20109 

Applicant Country 

Greece 

Cyprus 

Greece 

Italy 

Ireland 

Italy 

Spain 

Name and nature of disaster 

Attica Fires 

Storm 

Evia Flooding 

First damage date 

Application date 

Complete information 
available on 

Major disaster threshold (m€) 

Total direct damage (m€) 

Category 

Damage/threshold 

Cost of eligible emergency 
operations (m€) 

21/08/09 

27/10/09 

18/09/09 

6/11/09 

12/09/09 

17/11/09 

1330.03 

152.77 

regional 

11.49% 

88.55 

2.61 

regional 

2.95% 

1330.03 

83.23 

regional 

6.26% 

47.08 

0.21 

50.66 

Eligible cost/ total damage 

30.82% 

7.85% 

60.87% 

Aid/eligible cost 

Aid rate 
(% of total damage) 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

Messina 
Mudslide 

1/10/09 

7/12/09 

Flooding 

19/11/09 

27/01/10 

Tuscany 
Flooding 

25/12/09 

4/03/10 

Andalucía 
Flooding 

09/02/10 

19/04/10 

Portugal 

Madeira 
Flooding 

20/02/10 

20/04/10 

3398.60 

598.94 

regional 

17.62% 

48.94 

8.17% 

- 

- 

935.45 

520.9 

regional 

55.68% 

3466.57 

211.7 

regional 

6.11% 

3466.57 

709.74 

regional 

20.47% 

111.5 

56.61 

79.42 

21.41% 

11.68% 

2.5% 

26.74% 

11.19% 

- 

- 

- 

- 

958.41 

1080 

major 

112.69% 

165.24 

15.3% 

18.92% 

2.89% 

Date of Grant Decision 

rejected 

rejected 

rejected 

rejected 

8/12/10 

rejected 

rejected 

13/012011 

Date of Implementation 
Agreement 

Aid granted (EUR) 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

17/12/10 

13 022 500 

- 

- 

- 

- 

31 255 790 

9 

EN 

Further applications were received from CZ (August floods), DE (Sachsen floods), HR (Sept floods), SI (Sept floods) and HU (red sludge spill). These were only decided in 
2011 and will be covered in the 2011 Annual Report. 

17 

EN 

 
  
 
                                                 
Slovakia 

Poland 

Czech Republic 

Hungary 

Croatia 

Romania 

Flooding 

Flooding 

Flooding 

Flooding 

Flooding 

Flooding 

Applicant Country 

Name and nature of disaster 

First damage date 

Application date 

Complete information 
available on 

Major disaster threshold (m€) 

Total direct damage (m€) 

Category 

Damage/threshold 

Cost of eligible emergency 
operations (m€) 

Eligible cost/ total damage 

Aid/eligible cost 

Aid rate 
(% of total damage) 

Date of Grant Decision 

Date of Implementation 
Agreement 

France 

Storm 
Xynthia 

27/02/10 

07/05/10 

09/05/10 

16/07/10 

14/05/10 

23/07/10 

07/05/10 

27/09/10 

23/07/10 

3466.57 

1425.43 

regional 

41.12% 

378.21 

561.13 

major 

148.37% 

473.84 

78.42 

33.24% 

7.52% 

2.5% 

14/01/11 

10/02/11 

13.98% 

26.05% 

3.64% 

2011 

2011 

2124.92 

2998.99 

major 

141.13% 

2195.66 

73.21% 

4.81% 

3.52% 

2011 

2011 

18/05/10 

23/07/10 

23/07/10 

824.03 

204.46 

neighbouring 

24.81% 

136.95 

66.98% 

3.73% 

2.5% 

2011 

2011 

15/05/10 

24/07/10 

24/07/10 

590.71 

719.34 

major 

121.78% 

194.2 

27% 

11.58% 

3.13% 

2011 

2011 

31/05/10 

9/08/10 

9/08/10 

275.8 

153.04 

neighbouring 

55.49% 

11.67 

7.63% 

32.78% 

2.5% 

2011 

2011 

23/06/10 

31/08/10 

31/08/10 

787.94 

875.76 

major 

111.15% 

715.03 

81.65% 

3.49% 

2.85% 

2011 

2011 

Aid granted (EUR) 

35 635 750 

20 430 841 

105 567 155 

5 111 401 

22 485 772 

3 825 983 

24 967 741 

EN 

18 

EN 

 
  
 
 
ANNEX 3: EU SOLIDARITY FUND APPLICATIONS SINCE 2002 

Year  Country 

Nature of the disaster 

1  AT  Flooding 

2  CZ  Flooding 

3 

FR  Flooding (Le Gard) 

2 
0 
0 
2 

4  DE  Flooding 

Total aid for 2002 applications 

Damage 
(million €) 

2 900 

2 300 

835 

9 100 

Category 

major 

major 

regional 

major 

2 
0 
0 
3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

ES  Oil spill (Prestige) 

436 

regional 

IT  Earthquake (Molise/Apulia) 

1 558 

regional 

IT  Volcanic eruption (Etna) 

894 

regional 

IT  Flooding (North Italy) 

(1 900) 

(major) 

5  GR  Adverse winter weather 

(not clear) 

(major ?) 

6 

PT  Forest fires 

1 228 

major 

7 

FR 

Forest fires (Southern 
France) 

8 

ES 

Forest fires (Portuguese 
border) 

9  MT  Flooding 

531 

(regional) 

53 

30 

neighbouring 
country 

major 

10 

IT 

Flooding (Friuli Venezia-
Giulia) 

(525) 

(regional) 

Total aid for 2003 applications 

FR  Flooding (Rhone delta) 

ES  Flooding (Malaga) 

785 

(73) 

regional 

(regional) 

1 

2 

3-
9 

2 
0 
0 
4 

Aid granted 
(million €) 

134 

129 

21 

444 

728 

8.626 

30.826 

16.798 

Rejected 

Rejected 

48.539 

Rejected 

1.331 

0.961 

Rejected 

107.081 

19.625 

Rejected 

ES  Forest fires (7 applications) 

(480) 

(regional) 

all 7 rejected 

10  SK  Flooding 

11 

SI  Earthquake 

Total aid for 2004 applications 

(29) 

(13) 

(regional) 

(regional) 

1 

SK  Storm (Tatras) 

203 

major  

Rejected 

withdrawn 

19.625 

5.668 

2 
0 
0 
5 

EN 

2 

IT  Flooding (Sardinia) 

(223, over-
estimated)  

(regional) 

Rejected 

3 

EE  Storm 

4  LV  Storm 

5 

SE  Storm "Gudrun" 

major 

major 

major 

1.29 

9.487 

81.725 

48 

193 

2 297 

19 

   EN

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Year  Country 

Nature of the disaster 

6 

LT  Storm 

Damage 
(million €) 

15 

Category 

neighbouring 
country 

Aid granted 
(million €) 

0.379 

7  GR  Evros flooding  

(112) 

(regional) 

Rejected 

(700) 

(regional) 

withdrawn 

2 
0 
0 
5 

8  RO  Spring flooding 

9  BG  Spring flooding  

10  BG  Summer flooding 

489 

222 

237 

11  RO  Summer flooding 

1 050 

major 

major 

major 

major 

1  DE  Storm "Kyrill" 

4750 

major 

12  AT 

Flooding 
(Tyrol/Vorarlberg) 

Total aid for 2005 applications 

2 
0 
0 
6 

1  UK 

Buncefield oil depot 
explosion 

2  GR  Evros flooding 

3  HU  Flooding 

4 

ES  Galicia forest fires 

Total aid for 2006 applications 

2 

3 

4 

FR 

La Réunion,  
Cyclone "Gamede" 

ES  El Hierro flooding 

ES  La Mancha flooding 

5  UK  Flooding 

6  CY  Forest fires 

7 

8-
16 

ES  Forest Fires Canary islands 

IT 

9 applications for forest 
fires in 9 regions 

17  FR  Storm Dean/Martinique 

2 
0 
0 
7 

18  GR  Forest fires 

19 

SI 

Flooding 

Total aid for 2007 applications 

592 

regional 

372 

519 

(91) 

regional 

major 

(regional) 

211 

(18) 

(66) 

4 612 

(38) 

(144) 

regional 

(regional) 

(regional) 

major 

(regional) 

(regional) 

509 

2 118 

233 

regional 

major 

major 

2 
0 
0 
8 

1  CY  Drought 

165.4 

major 

2  RO  Floods 

471.4 

regional 

Total aid for 2008 applications 

18.798 

9.722 

10.632 

52.4 

14.799 

204.905 

9.306 

15.064 

Rejected 

24.370 

166.9 

5.29 

Rejected 

Rejected 

162.387 

Rejected 

Rejected 

12.78 

89.769 

8.254 

445.380 

7.605 

11.785 

19.390 

- 

(regional) 

not admissible, 
deadline missed 

EN 

20 

   EN

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Year  Country 

Nature of the disaster 

1 

2 

FR  Storm Klaus 

IT  Abruzzo earthquake 

Damage 
(million €) 
3 805.5 

10 212.0 

Category 

major 

major 

3  GR  Forest fires 09 

(152.8) 

(regional) 

4  CY  Storms 09 

5  GR  Evia floods 

(2.6) 

(83.2) 

(regional) 

(regional) 

6 

IT  Messina Mudslide 

(598.9) 

(regional) 

2 
0 
0 
9 

Total aid for 2009 applications 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

IE  Flooding 09 

IT  Tuscany flooding 09 

ES  Andalusia flooding 10 

PT  Madeira flooding 

FR  Storm Xynthia 

SK  Flooding 10 

PL  Flooding 10 

2 
0 
1 
0 

8  CZ  Flooding 10 

9  HU  Flooding 10 

10  HR  Flooding 10 

520.9 

(211.7) 

(709.7) 

1 080 

1 425 

649.9 

2 993.7 

204.5 

719.3 

regional 

(regional) 

(regional) 

major 

regional 

major 

major 

neighbouring  

major 

153.04 

neighbouring  

Aid granted 
(million €) 

109.377 

493.771 

Rejected 

Rejected 

Rejected 

Rejected 

603.148 

13.022 

Rejected 

Rejected 

31.256 

35.636 

20.431 

105.567 

5.111 

22.486 

3.826 

11  FR  Var flooding 10 

703-778 

regional 

Pending on 31/12/2010 

12  RO  Flooding 10 

13  CZ  August Flooding 10 

14  DE  Sachsen Flooding 10 

15  HR  September Flooding 10 

16 

SI 

September Flooding 10 

17  HU  Red Sludge Spill 10 

875.75 

436.5 

937.7 

47 

251.3 

174.32 

Total aid for 2010 applications 
Grand total of aid approved since 2002 

major 

regional 

regional 

24.968 

Pending on 31/12/2010 

Pending on 31/12/2010 

neighbouring 

Pending on 31/12/2010 

major 

regional 

Pending on 31/12/2010 

Pending on 31/12/2010 

262.303 
EUR 2 414.200 million

EN 

21 

   EN