"I am here to send a very clear message: Europe is with you". This was stated by the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Bologna, after flying over the areas of Emilia-Romagna devastated by the flood, together with the premier Giorgia Meloni and the governor Stefano Bonaccini.
«I think it was important for Von der Leyen to see the extent of the problem and the multifaceted problems with his own eyes because we will need to pay special attention to this region, to the other funds, from the cohesion funds onwards, I am thinking of the agricultural theme» , Meloni said, regarding the funds that Italy expects to obtain from the EU for reconstruction.
For his part, Von der Leyen explained: «It is urgent to start the solidarity fund, but there are very important rules to respect: there will be an initial payment then an estimate of the damages to have a clearer idea of the contribution from the EU, this will happen in the next three months, then we'll see what can be done".
“The main source of EU funding will be the solidarity fund. We will be able to give you a clearer idea in the future of the extent of the resources that will be made available», concluded the number one of the Commission.
(Unioneonline/lf)
