EU grants 42.8 million euros for flood aid in Austria!

EU grants 42.8 million euros for flood aid in Austria!

Niederösterreich, Österreich - On July 10, 2025, the EU Parliament approved the release of 280 million euros from the EU solidarity fund (EUSF) to support flood victims. This decision is made in response to the devastating floods that had affected large parts of Central Europe in autumn 2024. The funds are to flow to several countries, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Moldova. In particular, Austria receives 42.8 million euros to cover the costs caused by the storm "Boris", which brought strong storms and rains in the region from September 2024.

Overall, the funds that are provided by the EUSF include important measures to repair damaged infrastructure and the protection of the affected population, for example through emergency shelters. The help is coordinated by the EU Commission, which also proposed the release of the funds after the initially necessary approval of the Council of the EU countries was granted in June

criticism and demands for additional support

The SPÖ MP Günther Sidl commented on the approved help and emphasized that 42.8 million euros are inadequate in view of the billions of billions caused by the flood events. He called for a significant increase in the solidarity fund and pointed out the increasing extreme weather events, which should not be less in the coming years. Sidl recalled that Lower Austria has already experienced his third "hundred years of flood" in just 25 years.

The floods that occurred in autumn 2024 had far -reaching not only in Austria, but also in the Czech Republic and beyond. In particular, there were severe floods and landslides in Central Bosnia in October, which clarified the need for serious and comprehensive support.

EU solidarity fund and its meaning

The EU solidarity fund has become an important instrument in the support of Member States and accession countries according to natural disasters since its introduction in 2002. Since then, over 8.6 billion euros have been provided for 130 disasters, which were primarily used to reconstruct and restore the infrastructure. The current assignment of 280 million euros illustrates how urgently such help is needed to remedy the lengthy consequences of disasters and to support affected communities.

Overall, the extensive help shows that the EU is determined to support the regions affected by natural disasters. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how quickly the help arrive and to what extent additional measures will be taken to combat the challenges of climate change and the associated extreme weather events in the future.