Good news is coming for the localities and populations affected by the floods in Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany in 2023. August 27 The European Commission has proposed the allocation of around 1 billion to support the affected territories natural disasters. Of these funds, 446 million go to Italy to help deal with the consequences of the floods, restore and secure the territory, as well as provide substantial support for compensation for individuals who have suffered damage.
A measure that in reality goes beyond the proposal, given that The funds are already there and all that is missing is the formal ratification by the Commission itself. which should arrive at one of the meetings scheduled for the coming weeks. The aid coming from Europe is in addition to the almost 3 billion already set up by the Government and the Regions in the phases immediately following the emergency. The end of summer and the arrival of a season marked by frequent rains lead us to wonder how this money will be spent in the region and what has been done so far.
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The European Solidarity Fund and aid to Italy
The European Solidarity Fund will provide the funds. This institution was founded in 2002 and is tasked with providing economic support to a member country when it faces serious natural disasters or public health emergencies. It is not an emergency fund, so We do not consider it abnormal that the intervention measure arrived after a certain period of time floods in Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. Once the provision is ratified by the Commission, the funds will reach the country immediately interested.
The expected contribution in 2024 for the 2023 events is 1 billion in total. The beneficiaries will be France, Slovenia, Greece, Austria and, as mentioned, Italy. Europe has distributed the 446 million to which our country is entitled between the two regions hardest hit by the floods. Specifically, 387.8 million for the floods in Emilia-Romagna in May 2023 and 67.8 million for the floods in Tuscany November of the same year.
Reconstruction update
According to the European Parliament's notes on the matter, this type of subsidy must follow economic interventions already implemented by the various States. They should be seen as additional assistance and not as compensation. of public funds used. To protect this, 18 months after the grants are paid, Europe will ask for the bill and assess where and how this money will be used. Finally, it will demand the repayment of unspent funds. In various capacities, the government and local authorities have stepped in to deal with the emergency. Much remains to be done, but much has been done.
More than a year later, General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, Commissioner for Reconstruction, in a speech reported on his institutional website, draws up a positive and very clear assessment of the intervention measures implemented this year. 30% of the work is completed, 30% is in progress and the remaining 40% is in the planning phase. So far, efforts have mainly focused on securing the territory. In particular on the water network, on public and school buildings and on the viability of municipal and provincial roads in the three Regions (the Marches, also affected by the 2023 flood, are included in the national support plan but not in the European plan).
Now we need to look after the families and businesses affected, so that The regions provide tools on their websites to request any compensation and dedicated assistance services on the territory. Above all, it will be necessary to invest in preventive work in the face of this type of circumstance, perhaps looking outside Italy and drawing solutions from models that work. Of course, you cannot prevent the periodicity of natural events, but you can be as prepared as possible.
