European Parliament members voted on Wednesday to assign Greece 4.5 million euros ($4.9 million) in aid from the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to help reconstruct areas of Crete hit by deadly floods and landslides in February
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th November, 2019) European Parliament members voted on Wednesday to assign Greece 4.5 million Euros ($4.9 million) in aid from the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to help reconstruct areas of Crete hit by deadly floods and landslides in February.Exceptionally heavy rain and storms battered the Greek island of Crete for three days between February 23 and February 26, 2019. The resulting landslides and floods claimed human life and also had devastating consequences for the island's economy and infrastructure, particularly impacting roads and agriculture.
"Now that the proposal has been approved by Parliament and Council (8 November), Greece should receive 4,552,517 in financial assistance, minus 10% (455,252) already paid out to Greece as an advance, mainly to help restore transport infrastructure and support clean-up operations," the European Parliament's press release read.
The funds are supposed to be used to restore roads and bridges, embankments, drainage systems, the electricity network and private homes, predominantly in the areas of Rethymno and Chania, where entire villages were cut off due to landslides and flooding.
The Greek government estimated that total damages from the adverse weather totaled 182.1 million euros, in a proposal initially submitted to members of the European Parliament in May 2019.
EUSF regulations stipulate that in the event of regional disasters, EU governments are eligible to receive 2.5 percent of total damage costs from the fund.
The EU Solidarity Fund was established in 2002 initially in response to unprecedented flooding in Central Europe. The fund seeks to relieve the financial burden placed on governments following national disasters.
