MEP Welcomes EU Help with Flood Clear-up

11.28.30am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 3rd Aug 2007

Lib Dem MEP for the South West and Gibraltar Graham Watson has offered his support to the government to help bring EU aid to the parts of his constituency badly affected by the recent flooding.

Commenting after the announcement by the Communities and Local Government department to apply for EU Solidarity Funding to assist with flood damage, Graham Watson said:

"The European Union Solidarity Fund, set up after the catastrophic flooding which hit Central Europe in summer 2002, is designed to provide fast, effective and flexible emergency financial aid to areas struck by natural disasters. This is just one of the many advantages to Britain of our membership of the EU. I wrote to Gordon Brown last month urging the government to lodge an application for EU funding and to do so within the tight 10 week deadline. I am pleased that Ministers have taken this initiative and are working to submit an application for aid for both affected areas in the UK: Gloucester and Yorkshire. I will be doing all I can to work with local authorities, central government and the European Commission to ensure that the EU plays an integral part in the clear-up operation."

Member States must submit an application for funding no later than 10 weeks after the first damage. For an application to be successful, the technical criteria set out by the EU states that the total amount of damage caused by a natural disaster has to exceed £2.2 billion.