Changes from plenary report to adopted text

Change 1

ChangedA. whereas on 30 May 2024, Germany was hit by torrential rain causing extreme flooding in Southern Germany at the beginning of June resulting in six fatalities and total direct damages of EUR 4 131.6131,6 million according to the Commission;

Change 2

ChangedB. whereas on 29 June 2024, Italy suffered violent storms leading to the overflow of rivers and streams in the Autonomous Region of Valle d’Aosta resulting in total direct damages estimated by the Italian authorities at EUR 158.39158,39 million;

Change 3

Changed4a5. Stresses the significant damage caused by floods to agricultural land and farms, transportation infrastructure and particularly small villages and towns outside of urban regions; stresses that, due to climate change, islands and coastal regions are particularly vulnerable to natural calamities; acknowledges that phenomena such as earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, and droughts - which also affect lakes and rivers - represent an increasing threat to many European regions, particularly those in the Mediterranean; questions whether the EUSF is adequately aligned with the emergency needs related to climate adaptation in these particularly fragile territories; therefore, believes that islands and coastal regions should receive adequate funding within the framework of the EUSF to address their specific vulnerabilities; calls on Member States to take into consideration that vulnerable populations are particularly affected by natural disasters due to socio-economic factors further hampering their ability to recover;

Change 4

Changed5.6. Stresses that the EUSF is only a curative instrument and that the Union should also continue to address climate change adaptation and mitigation by supporting European and national policies to prevent natural disasters; underlines that the EEA Report No 1/2024 ‘European Climate Risk Assessment’ warned that the Union is unprepared for the effects of climate change and stresses the need for action to avoid that the climate risks identified reach critical levels; calls on Member States and the Commission to take the necessary measures to bring the Union to achieve the commitments made in the Paris agreement; recalls the need for effective synergies with other Union policies and programmes and underlines that Member States should make best use of funding opportunitiesopportunities, in particular,particular of the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund + and the Rural development programmes; calls on the Commission to assess with due urgency any reasoned requests by Member States to reallocate funds within the National Recovery and Resilience plans to natural disaster assistance, in accordance with the rules laid down in Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the RRFEuropean Regulation;Parliament and of the Council; stresses also the need for preventive measures, not only to mitigate future damage but also to prevent the exacerbation of risk conditions following catastrophic events, such as floods, wildfires, landslides or the drying up of lakes and rivers; underlines the importance of adequate flexibility between the different programmes; underscores that assistance provided under the EUSF should not be to the detriment of EuropeanUnion funding received by Member States under other Union programmes or policies; recalls that Member States can grant state aid, in accordance with applicable Union rules, notably for agricultural businesses that have suffered damages due to natural disasters;

Change 5

AddedDECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

Change 6 under “DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL”

ChangedThe Commissionon proposesthe tomobilisation mobiliseof the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 (EUSF regulation) for an amount of EUR 116 031 553 to provide assistance to Germany and Italy relating to floods occurred in 2024.2024

Change 7 under “DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL”

RemovedGermany – major disaster: floods in Southern Germany in May 2024

RemovedOn 30 May 2024, torrential rain hit the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg causing extreme flooding in Southern Germany at the beginning of June. The water levels in many places exceeded historic highs and a state of emergency was declared in 18 Bavarian districts. The flood disaster led to 6 fatalities and the failure of several dams in the region, requiring the evacuation of several municipalities and rescue missions. Floodwaters and debris flow damaged bridges, rail networks and roads, impacting overland travel in the affected areas. Train services were severely affected and in one instance an express train carrying 185 passengers was derailed after a landslide.

RemovedThe Commission estimates the total direct damage caused by the disaster at EUR 4 131.6 million. This amount exceeds the ‘major natural disaster’ threshold for Germany of EUR 3 billion in 2011 prices, which is EUR 3.8 billion in 2024 prices. Therefore, the disaster qualifies as a ‘major natural disaster’ according to Article 2(2) of the EUSF Regulation.

RemovedItaly – regional disaster: floods in Valle d’Aosta region

RemovedOn 29 June 2024, violent storms brought significant rainfall resulting in the overflow of rivers and streams. The torrential flooding caused extensive damage to the infrastructure, disruption of services and isolation of communities in the autonomous region of Valle d’Aosta. 58% of the municipalities in Valle d'Aosta were affected by the flooding. The land area affected is about 66% of the total land area of the region. The most affected municipalities included Aymavilles, Cogne and Valtournenche. More than 52 000 inhabitants and 4 800 businesses were directly affected by the disaster.

RemovedThe application presented the event as a “regional natural disaster” as laid down in Article 2(3) of the EUSF Regulation, which is any natural disaster in a region at NUTS level 2 of an eligible State resulting in direct damage exceeding 1.5% of that region's gross domestic product (GDP). The Italian authorities estimate the total direct damage caused by the disaster at EUR 158.39 million. This amount exceeds the indicated applicable threshold for “regional disaster”, which is EUR 71.05 million for the Valle d’Aosta region in 2024.