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Document 52015DC0118
EU Solidarity Fund annual report - summary
This summary has been archived and will not be updated, because the summarised document is no longer in force or does not reflect the current situation.
- Date of last review:
- 05/08/2015
- Initial creation date:
- 05/08/2015
- Summary code:
-
- 26.99.00.00 Archived summaries
- EUROVOC descriptor:
- Directory code:
- Summarised document(s):
- Author:
- Publications Office of the European Union
EU Solidarity Fund annual report - summary
In 2002, the European Union (EU) established the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) which gives financial assistance to EU countries that suffer major natural disasters.
ACT
Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council - European Union Solidarity Fund annual report 2013 (COM(2015) 118 final of 10.3.2015)
SUMMARY
In 2002, the European Union (EU) established the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) which gives financial assistance to EU countries that suffer major natural disasters.
WHAT DOES THIS REPORT DO?
Each year, the European Commission publishes a report presenting the EUSF’s activities of the previous year. This report describes the EUSF’s activities in 2013.
KEY POINTS
Applications
In 2013, the European Commission received 8 new applications for EUSF assistance:
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3 concerned flooding in Slovenia, Austria and Croatia in October/November 2012;
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4 concerned severe floods in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary in May/June 2013;
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1 from Portugal concerned mud and landslides on Madeira in January 2013.
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The Commission accepted all the applications, other than those from Portugal and Hungary, and proposed the mobilisation of the EUSF.
For Hungary and Portugal, the Commission considered the disasters had only a limited impact on the population and the economic stability of the affected region and were therefore ineligible.
An application from Romania, pending from 2012, relating to drought and fires was also granted funding in 2013.
The Commission approved aid totalling €415.127 million.
Monitoring visits
The Commission was satisfied with the outcome of monitoring visits which it made to 3 countries that had received funding prior to 2013 to discuss implementation issues:
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to Lorca (Spain) relating to the €21.071 million contribution made following the earthquake of 11 May 2011 affecting the town;
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to Genoa (Italy) relating to the €18.062 million contribution made following the flooding in Liguria and Tuscany of 2011;
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to Bologna (Italy) following the €670.192-million contribution made for the earthquakes affecting Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and Veneto of 20 May 2012.
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Closures
Following the assessment by the Commission of implementation reports, files were closed in relation to 4 projects funded prior to 2013. These related to Germany (storm Kyrill of 2007), France (storm Klaus of 2009), Greece (Evros flooding of 2006) and Abruzzo, Italy (earthquake of 2009).
2013 proposal
The Commission points to the challenging and time-consuming assessment of whether applications meet the exceptional criteria laid down in Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002. In 2013, it presented a proposal to amend the regulation which seeks to:
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simplify the rules so that aid can be paid out more rapidly;
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introduce the possibility of advance payments;
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spell out more clearly who and what will be eligible, particularly for regional disasters; and
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focus on disaster prevention and risk-management strategies for EU countries.
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RELATED ACTS
Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 of 11 November 2002 establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund (OJ L 311, 14.11.2002, pp. 3-8)
Last updated: 06.08.2015