Debate: The effectiveness of Member States' use of EU Solidarity Fund money in cases of natural disasters
Date: MONDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Nicolas Schmit
Language: EN

Solidarity is a core value upon which the Union is built. The EU Solidarity Fund was created to provide EU solidarity by contributing to post-disaster relief in Member States and accession countries confronted with devastating natural disasters and major public health emergencies.  Since its creation, the fund has mobilised close to EUR 7 billion for interventions in a hundred disaster events in 24 countries. A recent evaluation of the EU Solidarity Fund confirmed the effectiveness of the fund and the synergies between the EU Solidarity Fund and other EU policy instruments for disaster risk management. It also concluded that the fund brings clear EU added value and demonstrates EU solidarity in action.  However, we cannot ignore that climate change is causing more frequent and intense weather and climate-extreme disasters in Europe and around the world. The past two years have provided a sad truth. Heatwaves, drought, forest fires, floods, earthquakes, are breaking records every year in both rate and intensity, with a disastrous impact on human lives, the economy and on ecosystems. Between 2002 and 2019, the fund was mobilised for 91 interventions. In comparison, in 2020 alone the Commission received 31 new fund applications. For the first time ever, the fund was mobilised not only following natural disasters, but also in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Of these, 19 Members States and three enlargement candidates will receive fund assistance by the end of 2021 to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency. And this year, the Commission has so far received eight EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) applications for support to recover from natural disasters.  We should also be concerned about the increasing intensity and impact of the disasters. Last year, Croatia received EUSF assistance of over 680 million, the second highest amount ever paid by the fund for emergency and recovery operations after a natural disaster. This year the application from Germany for the devastating floods in July reported the biggest total direct damage ever presented in the history of the fund – EUR 29.2 billion. This is the damage suffered by Germany alone. Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Luxembourg also submitted applications following this summer’s natural disasters. The Commission has started the assessment of these applications in order to have a comprehensive overview of the needs. Based on this assessment, the Commission will consider all possible options within our instruments to allow the EUSF to continue to deliver on EU solidarity to Member States.  The increasing number and scale of natural disasters in the last two years, as well as the need to provide assistance in relation to the COVID-19 public health emergency, has put a severe strain on the resources set aside for the fund, as agreed by the legislators in the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).  Moreover, contrary to the Commission’s MMF proposal to restore the EUSF envelope of EUR 1 billion, the instrument was integrated into the new solidarity and emergency aid reserve, with the total amount of EUR 1.2 billion shared with the emergency aid reserve. Mobilisation of the resources is today more challenging as it also covers other EU internal and external emergencies, while calls are likely to grow, as has been painfully illustrated this summer. The EU cannot be asked to choose between competing needs for relief and recovery at home or abroad. We must be in a position to provide support to both Member States and those in need elsewhere. In any case, the Commission remains determined to support Member States to speed up assessment and application procedures and deliver on EU solidarity with the EUSF.