Source: European Parliament
1. and 3. On 29 November 2024, Poland submitted an application for the EU Solidarity Fund[1], which is being assessed by the Commission. If the conditions for mobilising the Fund are met, the Commission will determine the amount of financial assistance, within the limits of the financial resources available, propose it to the budgetary authority and make it available as quickly as possible.
2. Poland will be able to make use of flexibilities under the 2021-2027 cohesion policy framework based on the recently adopted Regulation ‘RESTORE’[2], entered into force on 24 December 2024, following the co-legislative negotiations. Member States could reprogramme part of their European Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund Plus and Cohesion Fund allocations for actions and projects in response to natural disasters, including reconstruction and repair measures to alleviate the negative socioeconomic consequences of natural disasters. The increased EU financing and pre-financing rates will ease the budgetary pressure on affected Member States and regions.
Poland will have 6 months from the entry into force of this regulation to submit amendments to its cohesion policy programmes to make use of the support and flexibilities provided in this context.
- [1] Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 of 11 November 2002 establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund (OJ L 311, 14.11.2002, p. 3) as amended by Regulation (EU) No 661/2014 of the European Parliament and the Council of 15 May 2014 (OJ L 189, 27.6.2014, p. 143) and by Regulation (EU) 2020/461 of the European Parliament and the Council of 30 March 2020 (OJ L 99, 31.3.2020, p. 9). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:32002R2012
- [2] Regulation (EU) 2024/3236 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2024 amending Regulations (EU) 2021/1057 and (EU) 2021/1058 as regards Regional Emergency Support to Reconstruction (RESTORE), available at this link : http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/3236/oj