Financial aid to save the Ebro Delta

24.1.2020

Question for written answer E-000398/2020
to the Commission
Rule 138
Javi López (S&D)

The Catalan coastal strip suffered serious damage from Storm Gloria in the form of flooded beaches and streets, rivers bursting their banks, damage to housing and infrastructure, as well as human losses. The area most affected was the Ebro Delta, one of the most valuable wetlands in the Mediterranean, where seawater surged up to 3 kilometres inland, engulfing 3 000 hectares of rice paddies (15% of the paddies in the area) as well as wiping out beaches, mussel beds, walking areas and natural sites.

The cost of recovery will be very high, and the survival of the wetland will require an action plan for the short, medium and long term.

Does the Commission intend to implement a climate change adaptation and action plan for particularly sensitive areas such as the Ebro Delta? What kind of emergency action can we expect from the European Union? Does the Commission intend to mobilise resources for the Ebro Delta and to repair the damage suffered to the area’s communities and economies?