By Merve Berker
The European Parliament on Tuesday approved over €1 billion (nearly $1.1 billion) in EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) aid to assist five countries in their recovery from severe floods in 2023.
The aid will be distributed among Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Greece, and France to help repair infrastructure, safeguard cultural heritage, and support clean-up efforts, the parliament said.
Italy will receive the largest share with €378.8 million ($416 million) going to the Emilia-Romagna region and €67.8 million ($74.4 million) to Tuscany.
Slovenia will be allocated €428.4 million ($470 million) , while Greece and France will receive €101.5 million ($111.5 million) and €46.7 million ($51.3 million) respectively.
Austria will also benefit from €5.2 million ($5.8 million) in aid.
Expressing their "deepest solidarity with all the victims," MEPs highlighted the increasing frequency of natural disasters across Europe.
They urged the expansion of the EUSF budget, stating that "the upcoming Commission proposal on the new Multiannual Financial Framework" should account for these growing challenges.
The aid package was overwhelmingly approved, with 632 votes in favor.
Since its establishment in 2002, the EUSF has provided over €8.6 billion ($9.5 billion) in aid for 130 disasters across 24 EU member states and four accession countries.