Spain seeks EU funding to address Valencia wildfire crisis
Professing financial inability to restore “normality” in Valencia following this summer’s catastrophic mega-wildfire, Spain submitted a request for assistance from the EU’s Solidarity Fund.
As stated by the Spanish Delegation in the request:
“While this is below the "major disaster" threshold, we believe it to be an extraordinary regional disaster that affects the living conditions of the Valencia region, with very serious implications for the area, which was already affected by the grave economic crisis. The damage caused by the fires could result in the region being affected by a serious degradation of its forest ecosystems, the depopulation of rural areas and the abandonment of farms, which would endanger the economic stability of the region and, consequently, its social and ecological stability.”
The mega-wildfire that burnt for almost a week some 52,500 hectares of forest and other lands in the Autonomous Community of Valencia claimed the loss of one human life and immense damage in the environment, infrastructures and private properties of 22 municipalities. The “material” damage is estimated at close to € 90 million.
Source: Council of the EU (request by the Spanish Delegation)