TALLINN - European Commissioner for Regional Policy Danuta Huebner and Estonian Finance Minister Aivar Soerd have signed an agreement for the disbursement of 1.29 million euros to Estonia as reimbursement for expenditures incurred after the severe storm of January 2005.
The grant is being made available through the European Union Solidarity Fund, the commission said.
The money will go toward reimbursing public funds spent on the immediate emergency response, in particular rescue services, clean-up operations in affected areas and the restoration of basic infrastructure to working conditions.
Also, Lithuania's farmers will get 11.25 million litas (3.26 million euros) from the Rural Support Program to reimburse the losses brought by natural calamities last year. The funds will be paid to the entitled beneficiaries in the nearest time, the Ministry of Agriculture said.
Northern Europe was struck by a severe windstorm on Jan. 8 's 9, 2005, which caused significant damage. Responding to a request made by the Swedish, Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian authorities, the commission proposed to mobilize the Solidarity Fund for four grants totaling nearly 93 million euros to help deal with the consequences of the wind storm, the commission said.
The damages caused by the storm are estimated by Estonian authorities at over 47 million euros, affecting mostly infrastructures and forests.
