EU solidarity is urgently needed to help the Spanish flood victims and repair the damage caused

Subject: EU solidarity is urgently needed to help the Spanish flood victims and repair the damage caused

We are witnessing a distressing situation among the Spanish political parties, let alone the tragic loss of over 200 lives. Recent severe weather has caused catastrophic flooding across several regions, giving rise to doubts about the adequacy of flood prevention measures for towns and villages and concerns about the support available for all the people affected. Many citizens feel that current flood prevention efforts are not fully addressing local community needs.

In view of this, the Commission is asked to address the following:

1. There is uncertainty about how EU funds allocated for flood prevention in these high- risk areas have been used. Will there be an investigation into whether river basin management plans and flood risk management plans have been reviewed adequately?

2. What support or guidance is the Commission providing to Member States and regional authorities to ensure that flood prevention planning addresses residents’ real needs and safety, and are there EU initiatives focused on promoting flood resilience that is tailored to communities?

3. How does the Commission respond to requests to use recovery funds to provide flood victims with swift, substantial aid to repair damage caused to homes, businesses, crops and livestock, and to support public health measures, additional hospital resources and urgently needed flood prevention work?

Submitted: 6.11.2024

Answer given by Ms Roswall on behalf of the European Commission

(17 January 2025)

Progress in flood risk management has been enhanced due to the Floods Directive (1). The Spanish second Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) include several preparedness measures identified as critical or of very high priority. The Commission will soon publish the assessment of Member States second FRMPs developed under the Floods Directive (2).

The Commission is working with all Member States on a European Water Resilience Strategy to increase resilience to flooding and a European Climate Adaptation Action Plan (3) to enhance Member States ‘preparedness.

In addition, the EU manages the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (4) and the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (5).

Under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (6) (RRF), Member States committed to finance measures related to disaster preparedness, including reforms and investments in infrastructures addressing climate change impacts.

The Spanish RRF Plan can improve access to finance by Spanish Autonomous Communities in priority areas and support efforts for urban regeneration, including social and affordable housing.

The recent legislative amendments on Regional Emergency Support for Reconstruction allow to flexibly mobilise cohesion policy funding (7) for reconstruction and damage repair, next to other planned measures for socioeconomic development.

The Spanish authorities may also grant state aid to compensate the damage provoked by this natural disaster (8). Such aid can (9) be exempted of prior notification to the Commission (10).

1 ∙ ⸱ Directive 2007/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on the assessment and management of flood, OJ L 288, 6.11.2007,

p. 27-34. 2 ∙ ⸱

Including country-specific recommendations to improve implementation in Member States. 3 ∙ ⸱ https://commission.europa.eu/document/e6cd4328-673c-4e7a-8683-f63ffb2cf648_en 4 ∙ ⸱ https://emergency.copernicus.eu/mapping/#zoom=2&lat=13.56036&lon=33.82273&layers=0BT00 5 ∙ ⸱ https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/eu-civil-protection-mechanism_en 6 ∙ ⸱ https://commission.europa.eu/business-economy-euro/economic-recovery/recovery-and-resilience-facility_en 7 ∙ ⸱ Regulation (EU) 2024/3236 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2024 amending Regulations (EU) 2021/1057 and (EU) 2021/1058 as regards Regional Emergency Support to Reconstruction (RESTORE), OJ L, 2024/3236, 23.12.2024. 8 ∙ ⸱ On the basis of Article 107(2)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. 9 ∙ ⸱ Under certain conditions. 10 ∙ ⸱

Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty, OJ L 187, 26.6.2014, p. 1, and Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/2472 of 14 December 2022 declaring certain categories of aid in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, OJ L 327, 21.12.2022, p. 1.




















| | )Under the Common Agricultural Policy (11), (12) Member States may programme preventive actions and investments to restore agricultural and forestry potential and provide temporary financial support to beneficiaries affected by natural disasters.

11 ∙ ⸱ Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 establishing rules on support for strategic plans to be drawn

up by Member States under the common agricultural policy (CAP Strategic Plans) and financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013, OJ L 435/1, 6.12.2021. 12 ∙ ⸱

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2024%3A495%3AFIN