Spain gets maximum advance payment of €100m from EU for flood damage repairs in Valencia

SPAIN’S government has received a first payment of €100 million from the EU’s Solidarity Fund to pay for recovery work in flood-hit areas of Valencia.

The sum is a far cry from the €4.4 billion that the country asked for, but evaluation of the bid will take ‘some months’ according to the European Commission.

The €100 million is the maximum amount that an EU member state can get as an ‘advance’ from the fund, pending a final decision.

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The vice-president of the Commission for Cohesion and Reforms, Raffaele Fitto, said: “The flood caused profound devastation in Valencia that led to the loss of hundreds of lives and the destruction of many houses and infrastructures.”

“Our commitment to support the population and the region during the difficult recovery period remains unwavering,” he said in a statement.

The EU’s Solidarity Fund provides money to repair infrastructures following a natural disaster.

Countries get up to 12 weeks to make a claim and Spain did so in late January, asking for €4.4 billion.

Once the application has been analysed, a recommendation will be made which needs approval by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament.

The Valencian government said earlier this month that the financial cost of the floods totalled €18 billion.