Additional assistance to outermost regions

Key points

The EESC:

• welcomes the European Commission’s (EC) proposal, which fully acknowledges the structural vulnerability of the outermost regions (ORs) to natural disasters and climate change by considering flexibility measures to take into account climate and humanitarian emergencies in these regions, particularly in Mayotte;
• supports the targeted amendments to Regulation (EU) No 228/2013, which aim to:
  • ensure continuity of support under the programme of options specifically relating to remoteness and insularity (POSEI) during reconstruction, even when productive activity is absent;
  • remove the 10% ceiling for the redeployment of funds under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) for Mayotte and postpone the deadline for selecting beneficiaries until after 30 June 2025;
• calls on the EC and the Member States (MS) to ensure that the reassignment of funds is not carried out to the detriment of structural rural development projects. It also calls to include a provision in the regulation encouraging the use of nature-based solutions in the post-disaster reconstruction phase and maintain rigorous and transparent annual monitoring of the commitments undertaken by beneficiaries;
• urges the EC to work closely with the MS, local authorities and civil society organisations to make the most effective and rapid use of the possibilities to support the regions affected. Civil society organisations, workers, SMEs and NGOs have been severely affected by the natural disasters and a substantial share of the funds must be directed to them;
• in addition, recommends that:
  • a procedure for the rapid recognition of natural disasters be formalised at EU level;
  • a dedicated EU climate disaster fund be considered in order to respond effectively to major crises, without compromising the structural policies financed by the EAFRD or the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This fund, complementary to the European Solidarity Fund, would guarantee the sustainability of future support in a context of increasing major risks;
  • adaptations to the regulation be part of the broader strategic framework of the Long-Term Vision for the EU’s Rural Areas (LTVRA), ensuring coherence between emergency aid, territorial resilience and sustainable rural development.
• is of the view that the EU needs a new, stable and solid funding mechanism which must be adaptive, flexible and ready to respond to new and emerging crises in the years to come;
• lastly, calls for more coordination between the various EU disaster responses and for the implementation of a structured prevention framework, including a one-stop shop for ORs and a climate/OR early warning mechanism, as well as simplified administrative procedures for granting aid.