Following the heavy flooding and landslides which have devastated the Portuguese island of Madeira in recent weeks, killing at least 40 people, France's Atlantic coast was badly whipped by Hurricane Xynthia over the weekend, leaving over 50 dead.
French EU Minister Pierre Lellouche arrived in Brussels for a head-to-head with Hahn yesterday morning (1 March), requesting that EU Solidarity Fund money be mobilised for the French regions ravaged by Xynthia.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Lellouche said that Hahn was favourable to the idea, and the Austrian commissioner had agreed to visit the disaster areas with him.
"This aid will be precious," Lellouche explained, adding that it would send the right message, both "politically and psychologically" to France's coastal communities. "The solidarity fund works well," he concluded.
Madeira may redirect existing EU funds
Meanwhile, Hahn will later this week travel to Madeira, where he will see the flood damage first-hand and discuss the details of potential EU support.
Madeira is already investigating the possibility of redirecting existing EU funds to the worst-hit areas. The island already receives additional regional monies as a peripheral area, and as most of these funds are already earmarked for infrastructure projects, it should be possible to use them for rebuilding bridges, roads and running water systems in the disaster zones.
According to the Commission, the Solidarity Fund may only be called upon once a certain threshold has been reached - in Portugal's case, it is set at €958m worth of damage.
First estimates from the Portuguese authorities show that the damage would exceed this threshold.
In specific cases, however, the Fund can be mobilised even if the threshold is not met. The affected areas have 10 weeks to submit an application, though as Lellouche was quick to point out, the Solidarity Fund cannot be used for damages to private property.
