The European Union will draw €400 million from its natural disasters response fund to help Slovenia battle the fallout of floods which were dubbed as “the biggest natural disaster in recent history” by the country’s Prime Minister Robert Golob, Report informs, citing Bloomberg.
The country will receive €100 million before the end of the year, while the remaining funds will be available next year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Ljubljana after having visited the affected region with Golob.
At least six people have been killed and tens of thousands of Slovenian homes damaged as heavy storms caused floods and landslides. The Alpine country with a population of 2.1 million was severely impacted by the natural disaster which also caused major damages in neighboring countries Austria and Croatia.
Rebuilding efforts may also tap the EU’s Next Generation EU recovery fund, von der Leyen said, adding that €2.7 billion are still accessible for Slovenian investment. Additionally, €3.3 billion in designated cohesion funds could be reprogrammed. “A maximum of flexibility will be needed,” the president said.