The European Union will provide €10 billion to the countries affected by the floods, promised European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. On Thursday, she met with the heads of government from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria in Wrocław.
An extraordinary situation requires extraordinary measures. The Union will stand by you in the months and years needed for recovery and repairs after this disaster
- she said.
EU to Provide Significant Funds for Flood Recovery
The head of the Prime Minister's Office announced that Poland would receive half of the total funds. "Prime Minister Donald Tusk organized a rapid summit of the flood-affected countries, including the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria's chancellor, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The result: €10 billion (of which €5 billion for Poland) from the Cohesion Fund on preferential terms is being activated for post-flood recovery," he wrote on social media.
After the meeting in Wrocław, Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that each country would present a reconstruction plan for the flooded areas to the European Commission. He also revealed that it took only 45 minutes to reach an agreement on the EU aid package.
"It Should Be Enough"
Minister of Infrastructure Dariusz Klimczak said on TVN24 that the amount is "very large." While significant, he considers it optimal for Poland’s needs.
I also estimated that this would be the general range of funds. I believe it will be sufficient
- he assured, though he added that assessments are still ongoing and this is just the preliminary stage of calculating the flood damages.
I doubt that any other amount than what is necessary would be negotiated by our Prime Minister, Donald Tusk. He is very well-informed; we work closely from morning till night, and he also knows the kind of estimates we need to meet all the expectations of the people, local governments, businesses, and individuals who will also be beneficiaries of this aid
- Klimczak said on TVN.
