Source: European Parliament
1. The Commission adopted on 21 October 2024 its proposal RESTORE — Regional Emergency Support to Reconstruction[1].
It provides flexibilities with regards to cohesion policy resources to support Member States affected by unprecedented climate-related disasters.
Member States affected by natural disasters that have occurred since 1 January 2024 will be able to allocate an amount not exceeding 10% of their European Social Fund Plus and European Regional Development Fund national allocations to support reconstruction and repair measures and to alleviate the negative consequences of such disasters. Member States will benefit from additional pre-financing and high EU co-financing rate. The co-legislators reached an agreement and the amending act entered into force on 24 December 2024.
It will be up to Austria to decide how best to make use of the flexibilities and how much funding to redirect to tackle the effects of the floods. The EU Solidarity Fund can also be activated at the request of Austria within 12 weeks as from when the first damage occurred.
2. + 3. The President of the Commission made a public announcement on 19 September 2024 in Wroclaw informing that around EUR 10 billion cohesion policy resources could be mobilised with higher pre-financing and 100% co-financing for the regions affected by the floods.
- [1] This is a proposal for a regulationa regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1058 on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund and Regulation (EU) 2021/1057 on the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) (COM(2024) 496).