The Diplomat
The plenary of the European Parliament yesterday endorsed the granting of an aid of 9.45 million euros, from the Solidarity Fund, to mitigate the natural damage caused by the eruption of the volcano of La Palma in September 2021. The initiative was approved with 555 votes in favor, seven against and four abstentions, as reported by the European Parliament.
Spain, which already received an advance payment of 5.39 million euros last May, estimated total damages of more than 1 billion euros (equivalent to 2.19% of the Canary Islands’ GDP) due to the eruption. According to national authorities, the eruption caused the destruction of 1,452 buildings (of which 1,177 were residential) and affected a large number of plantations (banana, vineyards, avocado and citrus trees) and livestock farms.
Established following the floods in Central Europe in the summer of 2002, the purpose of the Solidarity Fund is to assist countries in emergency and recovery efforts following natural disasters. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, its scope was expanded in April 2020 to cover major public health emergencies.
Since its inception, it has been used for around 100 disasters of many different types, including floods, forest fires, earthquakes, storms and droughts. Twenty-eight European countries have received more than 7 billion euros. Spain has received aid for the Prestige accident, forest fires and the Lorca earthquake in 2011, among other disasters.
