EU’s aid to Serbia for flood prevention is maybe even more important to prevent a catastrophe similar to last year’s devastating floods to occur in the future, David McAllister, rapporteur on Serbia, told the European Parliament.
“South-eastern Europe was hit hard by last year’s dreadful floods. These had severe consequences for our Member States like Croatia and Romania, and also for Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
I visited Serbia three weeks ago and I was pleased to see the results of the European Union’s efforts to relieve the after-effects of the floods in May last year. Together with Michael Davenport, the Head of our EU delegation to Serbia, I visited the town of Svilajnac, which was heavily affected by the floods. We reopened a renovated kindergarten and we also handed over keys for private houses which were rebuilt with the aid of EU funding.
This visit firmly convinced me that the solidarity of the European Union with the citizens of Serbia was money well spent for a noble cause.
The European Union is the biggest donor of assistance for flood relief in Serbia, with the EU funding more than 1 000 private houses that have been built, reconstructed and supplied with all that is necessary.
But now we need to turn forwards towards flood prevention, and in that respect the European Union has secured an additional EUR 62 million, of which EUR 19 million will go towards prevention.
I think this effort and action will be equally important, if not even more important, since we should all work together to prevent a similar catastrophe occurring in the future,” Mc Allister said.
