€280 million to help Austria, Czechia, Poland, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Moldova recover from floods

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, the European Commission has proposed to allocate €280 million from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to support flood recovery in Austria, Czechia, Poland, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Moldova.

This initiative was taken in response to the severe floods that affected these countries in September and October 2024. The proposed financial assistance is distributed as follows: €42.8 million for Austria, €114 million for Czechia, €76 million for Poland, €2.1 million for Slovakia, €45.7 million for Bosnia and Herzegovina and €195,200 for Moldova.

As the main EU post-disaster relief instrument, the EUSF will finance various aspects of disaster recovery, including the repair of damaged infrastructure, the protection of affected populations, such as temporary accommodation, and the improvement of preventive infrastructure. It will also support the safeguarding of cultural heritage sites, and cleaning-up operations.

The 2024 Central European floods, catalysed by storm Boris, brought unprecedented rainfall that led to extensive flooding, starting in Austria and Czechia in September before expanding to Poland and other Central European regions. This was followed in early October by severe flash floods and landslides in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, which caused significant damage and loss.

In the height of this crisis, the EU extended additional assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism upon the requests of Czechia and Poland. During a visit to the devastated areas in September 2024, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed the EU’s unwavering support for the affected communities.

Next Steps

Today’s proposal needs the approval of both the European Parliament and the Council, after which the Commission will finalize the necessary implementing decisions to release the financial aid in a single instalment.

Background

The EU Solidarity Fund is a key instrument for supporting disaster recovery in both Member States and candidate countries. Since its creation, in 2002, it has distributed over €9.6 billion in response to 136 disaster events, 116 natural disasters and 20 health emergencies) across 24 Member States (plus the UK) and 4 accession countries. Emergency and recovery operations conducted by Member States may be financed retroactively by the EUSF from day one of the disasters.

Given the increased frequency and severity of natural disasters, coupled with limited EUSF resources, the recently adopted RESTORE legislation allows Member States to supplement EUSF assistance with Cohesion Policy funds