Letter of solidarity with Spanish People

Dear friends,

It is with great sorrow that we receive the news of the flash floodings in Spain. As we stand now, more than 90 people have lost their lives, there are dozens of missing ones, and the damage to infrastructure, housing and cities and towns is still being calculated. The images of people struggling for their lives are truly terrifying, and we are deeply thankful to all the frontline emergency workers, from the UME and Protección Civil to doctors, nurses and firemen who worked and are working around the clock to prevent the consequences from getting even worse.

We call for solidarity, within Spain but also at European level, mobilizing whatever resources are necessary to assist the affected population and the flooded areas, searching for the missing and clearing out the debris and mud. The authorities must deploy aid and support measures to the workers and citizens who have lost so much in the past days, so they can stand on their feet again.

We also call for a review of procedures that kept workers in workplaces and citizens outside without proper warning until it was too late despite the meteorological warnings, and for the Spanish authorities to develop a long-term plan to manage hydrological risks, which are a recurring event in the affected areas, and likely to get worse with Climate Change.

European workers and Trade Unions stand with you. 

In Solidarity, 

Lucie Studničná EESC 

Workers' Group President