Aid from the EU Solidarity Fund following the winter storms

The European Union Solidarity Fund is an instrument through which the EU assists Member States following natural disasters. Funding is not provided automatically. The affected country must apply for it; the European Commission then submits a proposal, and the European Parliament approves the mobilisation of the fund by means of a resolution. On this occasion, the Commission has combined four applications into a single proposal (COM(2026)7001). Malta and Italy submitted their applications on 10 April 2026, Portugal on 13 April and Spain on 17 April. The resolution approves the attached decision on the mobilisation of the Fund and does not constitute a separate legal act.

Portugal will receive the largest amount, namely €261,483,810. Between 22 January and 15 February 2026, the country was hit by a series of storms accompanied by flooding and landslides. The damage amounted to 5,351.97 million euros. Spain will receive 149,055,370 euros for damage caused by a series of storms between 22 January and 14 February 2026. Andalusia and Extremadura were the worst affected, with damage totalling 4,839.53 million euros. Italy will receive €74,884,983. Storm Harry struck Sardinia, Sicily and Calabria between 18 and 21 January 2026, causing damage amounting to €2,995.4 million. The same storm also affected Malta, which will receive €3,724,057. The Maltese authorities have put the direct damage at €132.97 million. All four countries will receive a total of €489,148,220.

The resolution was passed by 651 votes in favour, 17 against and 3 abstentions. The EPP, S&D, Renew and Greens/EFA – that is, the pro-European majority – supported it by an overwhelming majority, although none of them voted as a bloc. Within the EPP, three MEPs voted against and the rest voted in favour. The S&D voted 130 in favour and 1 against, Renew 73 in favour and 1 against, and the Greens/EFA 46 in favour and 1 against. The ECR (71 in favour, 5 against) and PfE (74 in favour, 6 against) also voted in favour by a majority. All 24 members of the ESN voted in favour. The Left (far left) also supported the resolution, with all 44 votes in favour.

Three votes against came from Malta, Italy, Portugal and Spain, all from members of the pro-European majority groups:

Salvatore De Meo (Italy, Forza Italia, EPP)

Sebastião Bugalho (Portugal, Partido Social Democrata, EPP)

Jaume Asens Llodrà (Spain, Comuns, Greens/EFA)

The vote from Spain was also the only vote against within the entire Greens/EFA group. None of the Maltese MEPs voted against the motion, and none of the MEPs from the four countries concerned abstained. The remaining 14 votes against were cast by MEPs from other Member States.

The report was drawn up by the Committee on Budgets (BUDG), with Lucia Yar (Renew) acting as rapporteur. The shadow rapporteurs for the other groups are Hélder Sousa Silva (EPP), Giuseppe Lupo (S&D), Nicolae Ștefănuță (Greens/EFA), Ruggero Razza (ECR), Angéline Furet (PfE) and Elena Kountoura (The Left). All four groups of the pro-European majority have their own shadow rapporteurs here.