EU pledges 1.2 billion euro aid package to Italy's flood-devastated region

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised to allocate extra funds to help the reconstruction of the devastated Emilia-Romagna region.

Transcript

00:00 Eight months after the devastating floods in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region, the European

00:06 Commission President on Wednesday announced a 1.2 billion euro aid package. Ursula von

00:11 der Leyen was speaking during a visit with Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Maloney to

00:16 the town of Forli, one of the worst hit by the floods.

00:20 The European Union, this was the message, is by your side from day one on and the message

00:26 today is that we continue to stand by your side. We want to help you come back to your

00:31 feet, to become more resilient and for example to improve flood protection or repair public

00:38 infrastructure.

00:41 Heavy rains and floods swept the region last spring, killing 15 people and causing billions

00:46 of euros worth of damage. Von der Leyen attributed their severity following months of extreme

00:52 drought to climate change and emphasized the need for more protection measures.

00:57 [WHOOSH]