The European Commission has paid more than €404 million from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to Slovenia and Greece to help them recover and rebuild after the devastating climate disasters that hit these countries in 2023.
The Commission paid €328 million in EUSF support to Slovenia to help the country recover from the floods that occurred in August and September of 2023. An additional €76 million was transferred to Greece to ease the financial burden of reconstruction efforts after the damage caused by cyclone ‘Daniel’ in September 2023.
The payments come on top of two EUSF advance payments that were already paid to Slovenia and Greece to help kick-start recovery operations: a €100 million advance payment was paid to Slovenia while a €25 million advance payment was paid to Greece. Therefore, the total amount of EUSF aid granted to Slovenia and Greece collectively amounts to around €529 million and is a tangible expression of the EU’s solidarity.
The mobilisation of EUSF is based on applications submitted by eligible countries. The emergency and recovery operations may be financed by the EUSF retroactively from day one of the disaster. The EUSF support made available will help Slovenia and Greece restore key infrastructure, in the fields of transport, water and wastewater, and will help fund temporary accommodation and rescue services.
The EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) is the EU’s main instrument for post-disaster recovery. It supports member states and accession countries hit by climate-related disasters and, since 2020, major health emergencies. Since 2002, the EUSF has mobilised over €8.6 billion for interventions in 130 disaster events.
