By Agnes Szucs
BRUSSELS (AA) - EU lawmakers on Wednesday approved €400 million (approximately $427 million) in disaster recovery aid for Türkiye, expressing “deepest solidarity” with the victims of the twin earthquakes that struck the country's southern regions this February.
Members of the European Parliament’s Budget Committee gave the green light for “nearly €455 million in EU Solidarity Fund aid in response to recent natural disasters in Romania, Italy and Türkiye,” the European Parliament announced in a statement.
The EU lawmakers also expressed their “deepest solidarity with the victims, their families and all individuals affected by the natural disasters in Romania, Italy and Türkiye,” the statement added.
The decision will amend the EU’s budget, making Türkiye the biggest beneficiary of the new aid package.
Romania and Italy will receive €33.9 million (approximately $36.2 million) and €20.9 million (approximately $22.3 million), respectively, to aid in recovery from severe droughts and floods.
The European Parliament’s plenary session has yet to approve the budget amendment but it is set to be only be a formality after the Budget Committee decision and last week’s green light from EU member states.
On Feb. 6, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck southern and southeastern Türkiye, claiming the lives of over 50,000 people.
Some 13.5 million people were affected across 11 provinces in Türkiye: Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig.