Catastrophic floods in Europe in summer 2021

29.7.2021

Question for oral answer  O-000056/2021
to the Commission
Rule 136
Younous Omarjee, Pascal Arimont, Raffaele Fitto, Constanze Krehl, Niklas Nienaß, Francesca Donato, Ondřej Knotek, Martina Michels
on behalf of the Committee on Regional Development

On 14 and 15 July, several regions of Belgium and Germany were hit hard by devastating floods, as well as some regions in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, and France, where the floods were less intense. More than 200 people died in these floods, many people were displaced, damage to property was severe, and the images of landslides, devastated villages and cities, and completely destroyed houses were very shocking. The territories concerned suffered great destruction, and even changes to the landscape in some areas. Economic activity and agricultural resources are badly affected.

As stated in a recent Parliament report on the EU Solidarity Fund, the risk of natural disaster has now become permanent and endemic. Natural disasters will grow in number and intensity in the coming decades on account of climate change already under way. And the EU must strengthen its solidarity instruments to address these problems.

In this context:

• 1.Have Belgium and Germany requested the support of the EU Solidarity Fund, and has the Commission taken all necessary steps for assessing the damage and mobilising support as quickly as possible with a view to helping the Belgian and German national and regional authorities involved in relief efforts following the disaster?
• 2.Have Belgium and Germany requested the assistance of the Emergency Response Coordination Centre? How was the EU Civil Protection Mechanism mobilised? And is our European Emergency Response adapted to the reality of very sudden disasters?
• 3.What lessons should be drawn from these floods for the future? Do we have a European mapping of sectors and territories which will be affected by climate change? How does the Commission plan to address the question of climate change adaptation for the most at-risk territories during this programming period? How will this question be taken into account in the partnership agreements and in all cohesion programmes and funds? Does the Commission see a need to introduce a new fund addressing the impacts of climate change?

Submitted: 29.7.2021

Lapses: 30.10.2021