In 2025, the European Commission announced its intention to allocate nearly 1.6 billion euros to Spain to address the aftermath of the devastating flood that struck the province of Valencia in the autumn of last year. The main portion of this amount—945 million euros—will come from the European Solidarity Fund. The remaining 645 million are funds previously earmarked under cohesion funds, which will now be redirected to restore the affected areas.
The total amount of aid under discussion is not limited to these funds. In the near future, Spain will also receive an additional 1.2 billion euros from the updated recovery plan recently approved by the EU Council. These funds will also go towards tackling the disaster’s consequences and restoring infrastructure.
According to government estimates, the damage caused by the extreme rainfall that hit the region in October 2024 amounted to about 18 billion euros. Of this sum, just over 4.3 billion could potentially be covered by European funds. However, the annual budget of the Solidarity Fund does not exceed 1.2 billion euros, which limits the scope of available financing.
Of the 945 million euros allocated from the Solidarity Fund, 100 million have already been transferred to Spain as an advance payment back in April. These funds are intended for urgent road repairs, restoration of cultural heritage sites, reinforcement of protective structures, and large-scale cleanup efforts.
The reallocated cohesion funds will not only help restore transport and social infrastructure, but also adapt facilities to new climate challenges. To access these funds, only minimal co-financing will be required from local authorities—just 5% of the total amount.
The European Commission’s decision must still be approved by the EU Council and the European Parliament, especially regarding the allocation of 945 million from the Solidarity Fund. If the proposal is accepted, it will become the second largest payment in the fund’s history—only Italy received more, following a series of earthquakes in 2015-2016.
In addition to Spain, France will also receive part of the European aid—over 110 million euros will go towards restoring Mayotte and Réunion, which were affected by cyclones in late 2024 and early 2025.
