The Government of Spain will mobilise all European solidarity mechanisms to support the areas affected by the Isolated High Level Depression (DANA)

The Minister for Economy, Trade and Enterprise, Carlos Cuerpo, appears before the media in Brussels

The Minister for Economy, Trade and Enterprise, Carlos Cuerpo, has briefed from Brussels that the Government of Spain will mobilise all the European solidarity mechanisms at its disposal to help the areas affected by the Isolated High Level Depression (DANA). This decision is part of the Executive's actions in response to the natural disaster that has severely impacted several Spanish regions.

Minister Carlos Cuerpo has held key meetings with Commissioners and senior European Commission civil servants to explore all avenues to access European support for areas affected by the disaster. These officials include Vice-President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn and Secretary-General of the European Commission Ilze Juhansone.

Cuerpo emphasised that the plan is to mobilise various aid instruments, including the European Union Solidarity Fund, the resources from the European Investment Bank (EIB), other available mechanisms, such as the Agricultural Reserve, and all flexible options for using structural and cohesion funds will be explored.

In addition, the Minister announced that a modification of the Addendum to the Recovery Plan was planned "to include a specific vector for Valencia" and to redirect European funds "towards strategic projects that go beyond the immediate response. They are going to rebuild, to modernise, to have a more resilient and therefore more productive economy going forward."

Carlos Cuerpo has indicated that the Government of Spain hopes to make the proposed addendum "before the end of the year".

Solidarity, a fundamental value of the European Union

The Minister also stressed the importance of collaborating with European institutions to forge ahead with accessing these funds and solidarity mechanisms.

In this sense, he praised the constructive and cooperative spirit since the disaster was triggered by the DANA, which he has observed in meetings and contacts with Commissioners and the Vice-President of the European Commission.

"The solidarity of the European institutions has been evident from the outset," said the Minister, which "reflects the fundamental values of the European Union". "According to our analysis, we share a growing concern about the increased frequency and intensity of these natural disasters in recent years. It is crucial to continue working to equip ourselves with resilient infrastructures and a more competitive productive structure," he asserted.

Non official translation