Mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund: flooding in the United Kingdom, drought and fires in Cyprus and fires in Madeira, Portugal in 2016

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Portugal.

This Fund shall enable the Union to respond in a rapid, efficient and flexible manner to emergency situations in order to show solidarity with the population of regions struck by natural disasters.

In this respect, Parliament recalled that:

• on 26 February 2016, the United Kingdom submitted an application to mobilise the Fund, following floods that affected 11 regions4 during the period of December 2015 to January 2016;
• on 5 September 2016, Cyprus submitted an application to mobilise the Fund, following the consequences of severe drought built up since October 2015 and wild fires on 18 and 19 June 2016;
• on 21 September 2016, Portugal submitted an application to mobilise the Fund, following wild fires in the island of Madeira between 8 and 13 August 2016.

It stated that the applications by the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Portugal meet the conditions for providing a financial contribution from the Fund, as laid down in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 and that the Fund should therefore be mobilised in order to provide a financial contribution to these three countries.

Parliament approved the decision annexed to this resolution and recalled the amounts to be mobilised from the European Union Solidarity Fund:

• EUR 60 301 050 shall be provided to the United Kingdom;
• EUR 7 298 760  shall be provided to Cyprus;
• EUR 3 925 000 shall be provided to Portugal.