EU announces €10 billion fund for flood-hit countries

WARSAW – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in Poland on Thursday evening that flood-affected countries will have access to a European Union (EU) fund of 10 billion euros (11 billion U.S. dollars).

The statement was made at a meeting in Wrocław, which was also attended by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the prime ministers of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and the Chancellor of Austria.

During a press conference after the meeting, von der Leyen assured of EU support for reconstruction in the coming months and years.

Tusk recently declared a state of natural disaster in flood-affected areas in Poland and promised to allocate funds for rescue and reconstruction operations.

Poland is struggling with serious floods, especially in its southwestern regions. Opole and Lower Silesia have suffered the most.

Floods caused infrastructure damage, evacuations and at least seven deaths in Poland. The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria were also affected to varying degrees.