Casa calls for solidarity instrument overhaul after Storm Harry

PN Head of Delegation David Casa today called on the European Union to deliver faster and more effective solidarity with Malta and other countries hit by Storm Harry, during a plenary debate of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Casa highlighted the serious damage caused by the storm to infrastructure, property and livelihoods, stressing that Maltese families, small businesses, farmers and fishers continue to face the consequences.

“Solidarity must be more than words. It must translate into action that reaches people when they need it,” Casa told MEPs, urging the rapid mobilisation of EU solidarity instruments to support Maltese and Gozitan citizens, as well as communities across the region affected by the storm.

Casa warned that existing criteria that determines access to the Solidarity Fund was structurally imbalanced and that the current rules made it more difficult for smaller member states to access support. “This is further compounded by the Commission’s restrictive interpretation of clauses that cater for support when different member states are hit by the same disaster. This needs to change”, claimed Casa.   

Casa therefore called for a critical assessment of whether existing EU instruments are fit for purpose in today’s reality of increasingly frequent and destructive extreme weather events. He argued for faster procedures, simpler access to funding, lower thresholds, and specific measures for islands and more isolated regions that face unique challenges.

“Europe must respond better when disaster strikes, but it must also prepare better for what lies ahead,” Casa said, warning that climate-driven events are no longer exceptional but part of a new normal.