Greek Member of the European Parliament Fredis Beleris has submitted a formal question to the European Commission requesting the creation of a new disaster fund.
Beleris, representing New Democracy and the European People's Party, said destructive forest fires in Greece, Cyprus, France and Spain directly affect the quality of life of European citizens. He noted that these events confirm the need for a comprehensive European response and reconstruction fund.
While acknowledging that the rescEU mechanism supports member states with fire suppression assistance, Beleris stressed that the EU Solidarity Fund budget is no longer adequate to handle the frequency of these natural disasters.
He stated that restoring property, infrastructure and forest ecosystems is essential for protecting the quality of life of citizens across Europe.
Funding for future disasters
Beleris proposed that the EU Solidarity Fund should evolve into a new European Natural Disaster Response Fund with a guaranteed, independent and sufficient budget in the upcoming 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework.
This new fund would focus on protecting forests and water resources, preventing soil erosion, strengthening infrastructure resilience and providing direct support to citizens in affected areas.
Questions for the European Commission
In his formal submission, Beleris asked the European Commission whether it intends to establish the new fund with guaranteed resources, common specifications, and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
He also asked if the Commission plans to introduce a new European assistance framework to compensate affected citizens.
Finally, Beleris inquired whether the Commission intends to provide special scoring for affected local and regional authorities when allocating direct European funding.
