No EU funds for damages caused by February storm

The government said that last February’s storm caused €25 million in damages, significantly lower than the €62 million that would have been required for Malta to be eligible for EU assistance

17 May 2019, 5:55pm

1 min read

Some farmers woke up to find their livelihood blown away the day after the storm

A storm last February that saw Malta battered by 133km/h winds and some 50mm of rain caused €25 million in damages.

In a joint statement, the government, through the secretariat for EU funds and the secretariat for agriculture, said it will be initiating the process to assist farmers who suffered structural damage as a result of the storm.

It said it was committed to finding an adequate solution and was considering aid for damages which affected agricultural products.

“This is the first time that the government will be directly aiding farmers following storm damages,” the government said, adding that it remained committed to continue assisting and supporting farmers as it recognised the significant consequences of such incidents.

It said that as far back as February, it had formally applied for EU funds to repair the damage across the country.

The government noted that for a country to be eligible to benefit from the European Solidarity Fund (EUSF), the damage needs to amount to 0.6% of the Gross National Income, or 1.5% of its Gross Domestic Product – equivalent to €62 million, in the case of Malta.

“Based on this information, Malta was not eligible for this support,” the government said