<h6><strong>Ane Barcos</strong></h6> <h4><strong>Six months after the DANA disaster that devastated the Valencian Community on October 29, 2024, leaving more than 200 fatalities, representatives of the main victim associations met this Tuesday in Brussels with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. Both EU leaders accepted the invitation to visit "ground zero" of the disaster, although Von der Leyen conditioned the visit on the actual arrival of the European funds committed for reconstruction. </strong></h4> The Association of Victims of the DANA 29 d’Octubre 2024 (October 29, 2024), the Association of Victims of the DANA Horta Sud-Valencia (October 29, 2024), and the Association of Fatal Victims of the DANA 29-0 (October 29, 2024) visited the EU capital at the invitation of the President of the Commission, who pledged to review prevention procedures and civil protection mechanisms in the face of extreme weather events such as the one last October, which, according to the representatives, was “aggravated by negligent management” by local and regional authorities. The associations criticized the actions of the government of Carlos Mazón, President of the Generalitat Valenciana (Valencian Regional Government), to which Von der Leyen responded that, as an institutional leader, she does not consider party issues. The meeting comes after the associations unsuccessfully requested a meeting with the President of the Commission during her recent visit to Valencia for the European People's Party Congress. “The fact that we were assisted in Brussels before the President of the Generalitat himself speaks volumes about the Mazón government,” the spokespersons emphasized. At a reception organized by MEPs this Tuesday morning at the European Parliament, no representatives from the Popular Party (PP) attended, a fact that was harshly criticized by the associations. “They were not missed,” they stated. Despite the absence of the PP, the representatives appeared “very supportive” during the meeting. “Here we felt empathy and closeness. In Valencia, they don't receive us because they don't want to,” they denounced. However, the associations plan to meet with PP MEPs this Wednesday. “We'll see how they receive us. If it were González Pons, he could have received us in Valencia, but they make us travel hundreds of kilometers to meet with a Valencian,” they noted. For her part, Roberta Metsola pledged to work to strengthen psychological support for the victims, one of the associations' main demands. Regarding European solidarity funds, Von der Leyen confirmed that Brussels has released an advance of €100 million to cover urgent reconstruction investments, while the main Solidarity Fund application requested by the Spanish government is still under evaluation. She also indicated that her possible visit to Valencia could coincide with the final release of this aid. The Commission President emphasized that these funds will be subject to matching funds and exhaustive monitoring to ensure their proper use. “Infrastructure reconstruction that ignores the context of climate change will not be permitted,” the spokespersons stated, highlighting Von der Leyen's personal commitment to ensuring that the funds are managed transparently.
