European Commission, MEMO, Brussels, 23 May 2014:
Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
are struggling with overwhelming floods which have also had a serious
impact on large parts of Croatia. Since the start of the emergency, the
European Union has been showing solidarity with the affected countries
and will continue to help them overcome and recover from the dramatic
situation.
European support in the first
response to the crisis - provided by the Member States and coordinated
by the European Commission - has been an important part of the reaction
to the emergency in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This assistance
has helped save lives, pump out water from flooded buildings, maintain
electricity access, deliver supplies to affected areas and predict water
flow evolution and assess the damage through satellite images. The
Commission is also going to give humanitarian assistance for the
affected people.
As the situation evolves, the EU
is mobilising all possible instruments to support the recovery and
reconstruction of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
While a full assessment of the
damage and needs is not yet available, the relevant services of the
European Commission are working on a support package under EU accession
financial instruments for medium and longer term measures. The
Commission is committed to ensuring continuity and avoiding a gap
between the first aid and recovery support.
- Civil protection support and humanitarian aid
On Friday, 15 May, Serbia and
Bosnia and Herzegovina requested assistance through the EU Civil
Protection Mechanism, the European tool which supports and coordinates
Member States' emergency response to natural and man-made disasters.
Within hours, several Member
States indicated that they would send much-needed assistance in the form
of helicopters, motor boats, pumping modules and manpower. Since then,
the response has been continuously scaled up. As of today, 21 Member
States have offered assistance to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and
more than 500 relief workers from EU Member States have been working on
the ground in the two countries.
The European Commission's
Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) has been in contact with
the relevant authorities in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to match
the incoming offers for assistance with the needs on the ground. The
European Commission is co-financing the transportation costs of aid.
Two teams of EU civil protection
experts have been dispatched to the two countries. Their task is to
coordinate the incoming European assistance and support the local
authorities. EU humanitarian aid experts are also deployed to Serbia and
Bosnia and Herzegovina to help assess the humanitarian needs on the
ground together with partner humanitarian organisations. Based on the
needs assessment, emergency funding will be made available rapidly to
meet the most urgent needs of the affected population.
The European Commission is also
providing satellite imagery of the flooded areas. More than 50 maps have
been produced to support both the affected countries and those
providing assistance.
Commissioner Kristalina
Georgieva, responsible for humanitarian aid and crisis response, has
visited each of the affected countries to express the EU's solidarity
with the affected people. She has met government representatives in
Belgrade, Sarajevo and Zagreb, visited some of the worst affected areas
and discussed the response with some of the European teams which
participate in the response.
- EUFOR ALTHEA and EULEX: contribution to the crisis response
The EU military operation in
Bosnia and Herzegovina (Operation EUFOR ALTHEA) and its soldiers from 22
nations have also been on the forefront of international assistance for
Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has been helping evacuate people from
flooded areas, providing medical assistance, transporting food, water,
medicines and other essential supplies and engineering equipment.
The EU Rule of Law Mission for
Kosovo (EULEX) has joined the response in Serbia, presenting food,
water, electricity generators and specialised equipment to the Serbian
authorities. EULEX has also made available a helicopter, equipped for
emergency evacuations and cargo deliveries. It is being used for
deliveries of food and medicines as well as evacuations.
- Assessment of the landmine situation
The EU, including EUFOR ALTHEA,
is deploying experts to support authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina
and the organisations engaged in demining activities to assess the
impact of floods and landslides on the location of mines.
- Support for reconstruction and rehabilitation
In the short-term, some on-going
projects under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) will
be amended in order to rapidly mobilise direct support to reconstruction
and relief efforts in affected areas. In addition, funds from IPA
programmes from previous years can be re-allocated quickly and mobilised
around mid-June.
The EU is committed to continue
its support also in the medium to long term. The European Commission is
working with the affected countries and in close coordination with the
International Financing Institutions (IFIs) to assess the needs. On that
basis, the EU will mobilise further IPA funding, including through a
regional programme, to address reconstruction needs and improve river
and flood risk management. The exact scope will have to be developed on
the basis of complete needs assessments. The followings actions are
examples of what further EU support could cover:
-
grants, together with IFIs loans, to reconstruct infrastructure: priority will be given to transport infrastructure, public buildings, schools, social services, etc.;
-
reconstruction of damaged coal mines and power plants which are crucial for energy supply;
-
grants to NGOs, international organisations and other relevant partners for the provision of services, supplies, and works to support reconstruction and relief efforts;
-
technical assistance for the assessment of damages, recovery needs and project preparation;
-
technical assistance to develop flood risk maps, improve flood risk management and civil protection mechanisms.
Such activities need a strategic
approach and should be linked to the Danube Strategy and river basin
management plans, as well as to emergency response mechanisms.
Serbia, as a country in accession negotiations, is also eligible for the EU Solidarity Fund
for disaster relief under the same conditions as EU Member States are.
The Solidarity Fund can contribute to covering the costs incurred by the
emergency to the public authorities, help restore essential
infrastructure and services, reimburse funding emergency and rescue
operations as well as meet some of the costs of cleaning-up of the
disaster-stricken regions, including natural zones. The Fund is limited
in principle to non-insurable damage and does not compensate private
losses (including in agriculture). Long-term action – such as lasting
reconstruction, economic redevelopment and prevention – are not eligible
for EU Solidarity Fund aid. The exact amount of aid that Serbia can
receive will be determined after the country submits an application and
depends on a total direct damage estimate.
The EU Commissioner for Regional
Development, Johannes Hahn, is travelling to Belgrade this weekend to
discuss with the authorities the steps ahead.
[europa.eu]
23/5/14
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Norway among biggest donors to flood-stricken Serbia...
ReplyDeleteSerbia will remember what Norway did to help it now, and has always done in the past, Vučić told reporters at the residence of the Norwegian ambassador in Belgrade, where the grants were presented on Friday.
Wishing to convey how important the country's assistance is, Vučić said: "If we had ten Norways today we would breathe easier, but we do not."
Norway has so far set aside around three million euros to help the most vulnerable, said Norwegian Ambassador Nils Ragnar Kamsvag.
The United Nations yesterday sent equipment for toilets and generators worth USD 583,000 - a shipment, the diplomat explained, that was funded by his country.
Norway then donated USD 627,000 to the Serbian Government to be used for water purification and water tanks, while two more million euros will be donated for the reconstruction of schools and public institutions once these projects have been prepared.
In addition, Norway has decided to immediately give half a million euros to civil society organizations and local self-governments in areas that have been hardest hit by the flooding.
The Norwegian Red Cross is at the same time raising funds for Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and by Thursday collected almost EUR 190,000.
"Our support to the government and the civil society is based on a deep belief that citizens, governments and municipalities need to work together to overcome this crisis and rebuild the country. The great solidarity that been shown in this crisis gives cause for optimism that all problems will be overcome," said Ragnar Kamsvag.
http://www.b92.net//eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2014&mm=05&dd=23&nav_id=90442
23/5/14