EU chief visits flood-stricken region in Poland and pledges billions in swift aid

euronews (in English)

While in Wroclaw, Poland, the President of the European Commission announced billions in aid for countries affected by severe flooding - saying it was "heart-breaking to see the destruction and the devastation through the floods."

Transcript

00:00The EU pledged 10 billion euros for flood recovery for central European countries as

00:07extreme weather grips the region.

00:11The announcement was made by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen

00:15while she was visiting a flood-damaged region in southeastern Poland.

00:21While there, she met with the government heads of affected countries like Poland, Austria,

00:26the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

00:31Here we say it's 100% European money, no co-financing.

00:36These are extraordinary times and extraordinary times need extraordinary measures.

00:42At first sight, 10 billion euros are possible to mobilize from the cohesion funds for the

00:50countries that are affected.

00:52This is an emergency reaction now.

00:57EU countries usually are required to co-finance projects to access cohesion funding, meaning

01:03the decision for the EU to finance 100% is an extraordinary measure.

01:09Across Europe, homes have been destroyed, hundreds evacuated and lives lost as several

01:15countries were affected by flooding and extreme weather.

Category

Transcript

Recommended