Changes between two versions
What changed between the draft committee report and the plenary report
From · draft committee report· 1 Jun 2026
on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Romania regarding the floods at the end of May 2025, Cyprus following the wildfires in July 2025 and Spain following the wildfires in August 2025
To · plenary report· 24 Jun 2026
on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the mobilisation of the European Union Solidarity Fund to provide assistance to Romania regarding the floods at the end of May 2025, Cyprus following the wildfires in July 2025 and Spain following the wildfires in August 2025
AI:What changed, in short
The new version adds a recital on climate change impacts and expands paragraphs on EUSF procedures, vulnerable populations, and infrastructure resilience.13 It adds calls for transparency, monitoring, and coordination in fund distribution, and for accelerating aid delivery with higher advance payments.456 It appends a detailed explanatory section on the Commission's mobilisation proposal, including damage figures and budget availability.7 The other changes are formal: paragraph renumbering and minor wording adjustments.2
6 changes of substance · 0 formal · 1 of wording only
Written by AI from the two texts only · read the changes before relying on it · 4 Sept 2026 · Report a problem
Changes to the text itself, in document order. Cover page, citations and punctuation-only edits are left out; they are under “Every difference”.
Changes of substance · 6
Change 1 Substance
AI summary:Adds a recital stating that increasing severity and frequency of floods and wildfires across member states reflects accelerating climate change impacts, requiring strengthened Union action in adaptation, prevention and resilience.
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Added:D. whereas the increasing severity and frequency of floods and wildfires across Member States reflects the accelerating impacts of climate change, requiring strengthened Union action in adaptation, prevention and resilience measures;
Change 3 Substance
AI summary:Replaces paragraphs 4 and 5 with new paragraphs 4, 5, and 6, adding calls for budget assessment, acceleration and simplification of procedures, focus on vulnerable populations, prompt aid delivery, and critical infrastructure restoration.
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Removed:4. Highlights the increasing number of severe, destructive and deadly natural disasters in Europe and calls on Member States and the Commission to invest in adaptation measures to avoid human and economic losses;
Added:4. Recalls that the EUSF has a limited budget and cannot be regarded as the sole instrument for addressing major natural disasters; calls therefore for an assessment of the Union budget’s financial capacity; stresses the need of acceleration and simplification of all its procedures to ensure that aid reaches the affected areas as swiftly as possible;
Removed:5. Stresses that the EUSF is only a curative instrument and that the Union should also continue to address climate change adaptation and mitigation by supporting European and national policies to prevent natural disasters; underlines that EEA Report No 1/2024 ‘European Climate Risk Assessment’ stresses the need for action to avoid the climate risks identified reaching critical levels; calls on Member States and the Commission to take the necessary measures to bring the Union to achieve the commitments made in the Paris Agreement; stresses also the need for preventive measures, not only to mitigate future damage but also to prevent the exacerbation of risk conditions following catastrophic events, such as floods, wildfires, landslides or the drying up of lakes and rivers; underlines the importance of adequate flexibility between the different programmes;
Added:5. Highlights the increasing number of severe, destructive and deadly natural disasters in Europe and calls on Member States and the Commission to invest in climate mitigation and adaptation measures to avoid human and economic losses; calls on Members States to take into consideration that climate risks disproportionally affect vulnerable populations due to socio-economic factors; notes that Member States should prioritise recovery measures to support the affected populations, primarily the vulnerable communities, to ensure access to adequate housing and essential services during recovery; calls for efforts to be made to ensure that EUSF aid reaches its final recipients promptly, including businesses, SMEs, families, and affected citizens, as well as infrastructure reconstruction and material damage repair, all with the corresponding impact assessment and appropriate control mechanisms; highlights the importance of restoring and reinforcing critical infrastructure, including transport, energy, water management, health and communication networks, in order to enhance the resilience of affected regions and reduce vulnerability to future disasters;
Added:6. Stresses that the EUSF is only a curative instrument and that the Union should also continue to address climate change adaptation and mitigation by supporting European and national policies to prevent natural disasters; underlines that EEA Report No 1/2024 ‘European Climate Risk Assessment’ stresses the need for action to the risks identified therein; calls on Member States and the Commission to continue efforts to strengthen resilience, enhance preparedness and contribute to the implementation of commitments under the Paris Agreement, while ensuring effective disaster prevention, risk management and civil protection capacities across the Union; stresses also the need for preventive measures, not only to mitigate future damage but also to prevent the exacerbation of risk conditions following catastrophic events, such as floods, wildfires, landslides or the drying up of lakes and rivers; underlines the importance of adequate flexibility between the different programmes; underlines that any flexibility between different funding programmes must be accompanied by strict budgetary control to avoid the duplication or waste of funding, and must fully respect the principles of budgetary efficiency and targeted performance indicators;
Change 4 Substance
AI summary:Renumbers paragraph 7 to 8 and adds a call for coordination among national, regional, and local levels to ensure transparent and equitable fund distribution.
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Changed:7.8. Recalls the need for effective synergies with other Union policies and programmes and underlines that Member States should make best use of funding opportunities in particular, of the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund+ and the rural development programmes; calls on the Commission to assess with due urgency any reasoned requests by Member States to reallocate funds within the National Recovery and Resilience plans to natural disaster assistance, in accordance with the rules laid down in Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council; urges the relevant authorities to ensure the appropriate and necessary coordination between national, regional and local levels to guarantee that funds are distributed transparently, equitably, and without any arbitrariness across all affected localities;
Change 5 Substance
AI summary:Renumbers paragraph 9 to 10 and adds a call for full transparency, effective monitoring, and ex-post control of EUSF resource use.
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Changed:9.10. Recalls the importance of rapid and solid damage assessment that takes due account of the economic repercussions and calls for increased operational efforts to be made in order to reduce the average time for the release of advanced payments, while ensuring the Union budget is protected; stresses, in this regard, the need for full transparency, effective monitoring and ex-post control of the use of EUSF resources, in order to ensure that Union funds reach the affected regions and populations; urges also the Commission to explore all possible avenues for accelerating the mobilisation of the EUSF;
2 more changes of substance
Change 6 Substance
AI summary:Renumbers paragraph 10 to 11 and adds calls for rapid assistance to affected citizens, families, businesses, and communities, and for exploring avenues to accelerate mobilisation, including amending rules and granting higher advance payments.
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Changed:10.11. Stresses the urgent need to release immediate financial assistance through the EUSF to affected citizens, families, businesses and local communities as rapidly as possible to ensure that support can reach Romania, Cyprus and Spain in a timely manner; urges also the Commission to explore all possible avenues for accelerating the mobilisation of the EUSF, in particular by amending current rules and granting higher advance payments to applicant countries; stresses the importance of reducing the time between the submission of an application for EUSF assistance and the financing decision; underlines the need to simplify and accelerate internal procedures without undermining the institutional balance, in particular the rights of the European Parliament as one arm of the budgetary authority;
Change 7 Substance
AI summary:Adds a lengthy explanatory section detailing the Commission's proposal for mobilising EUSF funds for Romania, Cyprus, and Spain, including damage assessments, thresholds, and available budget calculations.
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Added:The Commission proposes to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002 for an amount of EUR 144 099 756 to provide assistance to Romania following the floods at the end of May 2025, Cyprus following the wildfires in July 2025 and Spain following the wildfires in August 2025.
Added:Romania – regional natural disaster: floods starting on 27 May 2025
Added:Between 26 May and early June 2025, Romania experienced several days of heavy rains which led to flooding in the Centru, Sud Muntenia and Nord Est regions. The most severe damage was recorded at the Praid Salt Mine, where flood water from the Corund river dissolved part of the riverbed, severely damaging the hydrotechnical infrastructure of the area and penetrating into the mine. The flooding compromised the stability of the salt support pillars and endangered the structural integrity of the site. In other parts of the affected regions, hail and strong winds caused widespread infrastructure damage, while public services were disrupted and thousands of households were left without electricity.
Added:The Romanian authorities estimated the total direct damage caused by the disaster at EUR 573.59 million. According to the Commission, the direct damage expressed as a percentage of the weighted regional GDP of the affected regions amounted to 1.8%, which exceeds the 1.5% threshold applicable to regional natural disasters under Article 2(3) of the EUSF Regulation. The disaster therefore qualifies as a regional natural disaster within the meaning of the Regulation.
Added:Cyprus – major natural disaster: wildfires in July 2025
Added:During the summer of 2025, Cyprus experienced a combination of prolonged drought, extreme heatwaves and strong winds which created the conditions for unprecedented wildfires in the Limassol and Pafos regions in July. The fires forced thousands of residents to evacuate, caused the closure or reduction of services in several schools and health establishments, destroyed close to 900 private properties and led to at least 2 fatalities. The Cypriot authorities also requested support through the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, and Greece provided a ground forest firefighting module in response.
Added:The Commission accepted total direct damage of EUR 252.68 million as plausible. This amount exceeds the threshold applicable to Cyprus for a major natural disaster, corresponding to 0.6% of GNI, which was EUR 170.05 million in 2025. The disaster therefore qualifies as a major natural disaster under Article 2(2) of the EUSF Regulation.
Added:Spain – major natural disaster: wildfires in August 2025
Added:In August 2025, Spain experienced a third and most destructive wave of severe wildfires following a summer marked by prolonged drought, extreme heatwaves and multiple fire outbreaks. The fires affected 16 Autonomous Communities, caused major environmental, social and economic damage, destroyed livelihoods particularly in rural areas and led to numerous evacuations. The Spanish authorities also requested assistance through the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, with support provided by nine Member States. The wildfires caused at least 8 fatalities.
Added:The Spanish authorities estimated the total direct damage at EUR 4 318.27 million. The Commission considered this amount to exceed the threshold applicable to Spain for a major natural disaster, namely EUR 3 958.44 million in 2025. The disaster therefore qualifies as a major natural disaster under Article 2(2) of the EUSF Regulation.
Added:Conclusion
Added:The methodology for calculating EUSF aid was set out in the 2002–2003 Annual Report on the EUSF and accepted by the European Parliament and the Council. The EUSF contribution may not exceed the estimated total cost of eligible operations. Applying the methodology outlined above, the Commission has evaluated the EUSF aid in response to the three applications submitted by Romania, Cyprus and Spain, and therefore proposes to the budget authority to mobilise the following amounts:
Added:Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2020/2093 of 17 December 2020 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021-2027 (hereafter ‘the MFF Regulation’), allows for the mobilisation of the EUSF in the context of the Solidarity and Emergency Aid Reserve (SEAR). Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/765 (hereafter the amended MFF Regulation’) split the SEAR in two separate instruments: the European Solidarity Reserve and the Emergency Aid Reserve.
Added:The European Solidarity Reserve with an annual amount of EUR 1 016 million in 2018 prices (corresponding to EUR 1 190.4 million in 2026 prices) will be used for assistance to respond to emergency situations covered by the EUSF. Point 10 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 16 December 2020 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation on budgetary matters and on sound financial management as well as on new own resources, including a roadmap towards the introduction of new own resources, lays down the modalities for the mobilisation of the EUSF in the context of the SEAR.
Added:In order to avoid an early depletion of the annual allocation, Article 3(7) of the EUSF Regulation and Article 9(2), second subparagraph of the amended MFF Regulation stipulate that 25% of the annual EUSF allocation must remain available on 1 October of each year (end-of-year-cushion). In 2026, this amount corresponds to EUR 297.6 million.
Added:Moreover, according to Article 4a(4) of the EUSF Regulation, the amount of EUR 50 million has already been inscribed in the General Budget 2026 (in commitments and payments) for the payment of possible advances. Both Cyprus and Spain requested and were granted advance payments of EUR 2.32 million and EUR 30.14 million, respectively.
Added:In accordance with Article 9(2) of the amended MFF Regulation, any portion of the annual amount not used in a given year n may be used up to year n+1. The amount of EUR 21.3 million has been carried over from 2025 to 2026, of which EUR 20.85 million are available for the payment of possible advances9.
Added:In conclusion, the total available amount on the reserve line before 1 October is EUR 843.25 million (excluding advances and end-of-year cushion), which is sufficient to cover the proposed amount for mobilisation.
Added:The rapporteur supports the swift adoption of the Commission proposal for a decision annexed to this report and the rapid release of the corresponding financial assistance, as a sign of European solidarity with Romania, Cyprus and Spain.
Added:The rapporteur calls on the Commission that this financial contribution should be delivered with particular urgency.
1 change of wording only
Change 2 Wording
AI summary:Replaces 'programmes;' with 'programmes and of European solidarity in times of crisis, especially in the affected areas;' in paragraph 3.
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Changed:3. Reiterates the importance of communicating to the public the tangible benefits brought about by the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF), also to further increase citizens’ awareness of Union tools and programmes;programmes and of European solidarity in times of crisis, especially in the affected areas;