Comisia Europeană has announced the approval of €33.9 million from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to support Romania in addressing the considerable damages caused by drought and forest fires in 2022.

Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, stated: "This is EU solidarity in action! We promised and kept our word: the financial support of €33.9 million will help Romania rebuild and recover from what has been destroyed by the drought and forest fires in 2022. The EU Solidarity Fund is a concrete way we can demonstrate our solidarity and support, and it is extremely important in the context of ongoing climate change."

From March to August 2022, Romania experienced severe drought due to reduced precipitation. This had widespread consequences, including lost crops, forest fires, and a shortage of current and drinking water for the population in many regions.

The EUSF assistance will cover part of the costs of emergency and recovery operations, such as search and rescue services and interventions to support the immediate needs of the population, as well as repairing damaged infrastructure and the general cleaning of disaster-affected areas.

The EUSF helps Member States and candidate countries cope with the financial burden of major natural disasters and health emergencies. Since 2002, the fund has mobilized over €8.2 billion for 127 disasters (107 natural disasters and 20 health emergencies) in 24 Member States (plus the United Kingdom) and three candidate countries (Albania, Montenegro, and Serbia).