EU Parliament - Aid for Tsunami-hit areas and Slovakia on the way

The Budgets Committee adopted on 14 July a series of reports which pave the way for the release of relief funds to countries affected by natural disasters in 2004. The first package addresses the way the EU is going to finance the aid for the Asian countries hit by the Tsunami on 26 December 2004. The second one aims to help the Slovak region of Tatras, swept by floods in November last year.

Whilst he welcomes the deal reached with Council on these dossiers, Budgets Committee chairman Janusz LEWANDOWSKI (EPP-ED, PL) deplores the lack of responsiveness from the Member States of the EU: "It is one thing to pledge aid, it is another to find the money to support these pledges," he said. "Member States must remember that savings cannot be made on these important commitments and action must be taken as soon as possible, otherwise the EU as a whole sends a very mixed signal to the people in need of urgent aid."

The Budgets Committee has endorsed the support of reconstruction needs for the Tsunami-affected countries (mainly Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives). A package of €170m will be given by the EU in 2005 (with €180m to come in 2006), of which €15m comes from the "flexibility instrument" which exists to cover unforeseen needs.

As for the Tatras disaster, Slovakia will receive an additional amount of €5.6m, released through the European Solidarity Fund, which was created in 2002 to help EU countries hit by natural disasters.

The whole package will be put to the plenary in September.

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• European Commission Approves Detailed Plans for Post-Tsunami Reconstruction (23/5/2005)
• GAERC - Council Conclusions on the earthquake and tsunamis in the Indian Ocean (31/1/2005)
• European Commission contributes €14 million to WFP Tsunami appeal (11/1/2005)
• Session extraordinaire du Conseil de l'Union européenne sur le séisme et tsunamis dans l'Océan indien (7/1/2005)