Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543191
5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 11 FEBRUARY 2026 NEWS MEPs urge EU to reconsider Malta's access to Storm Harry relief funds MALTESE MEPs have called on the European Commission to review its restrictive ap- proach to Malta's eligibility for the EU Solidarity Fund follow- ing Storm Harry. The storm caused extensive damage to infrastructure, utili- ties, farms, and fisheries across Malta, Sicily, Portugal, and Spain. MEP Peter Agius expressed concern that the commission is restricting Malta to applying only via the national thresh- old of 0.6% of gross national income, rather than permit- ting access through alterna- tive routes. In a parliamentary question, Agius stated this lim- itation results from a narrow interpretation of Article 2(4) concerning the neighbouring state criterion, combined with Malta's automatic exclusion from regional applications. The EU Solidarity Fund, creat- ed to aid member states in re- covering from natural disasters, provides three access routes: As a state, as a region, or as a neighbouring state. National applications require damages exceeding 0.6% of GNI; regional applications require 1.5%; while the neighbouring state criterion has no threshold. Agius contended that Mal- ta's status as an island nation warrants a more flexible inter- pretation. "As island people, the Maltese are paying the full price of climate change through their contribution to the range of green deal obligations, in- cluding several ETS charges, CBAM, and energy efficiency measures without thresholds. It would be ironic if, when badly needed, the Maltese do not find EU solidarity on the adverse effects of climate change," he said. PN MEP David Casa echoed these concerns in a plenary debate in the European Par- liament in Strasbourg, calling on the EU to deliver faster and more effective solidarity to Malta and other nations affect- ed by Storm Harry. Casa highlighted the storm's severe damage to infrastruc- ture, property, and livelihoods, stressing that Maltese families, small businesses, farmers, and fishers continue to bear the consequences. "Solidarity must be more than words. It must translate into ac- tion that reaches people when they need it," Casa told MEPs, urging the swift deployment of EU solidarity instruments to support Maltese and Gozitan citizens, as well as communities across the region impacted by the storm. Casa warned that the current criteria for accessing the Soli- darity Fund are structurally un- balanced and that existing rules make it harder for smaller mem- ber states to obtain support. "This is further compounded by the commission's restrictive interpretation of clauses that cater for support when differ- ent member states are hit by the same disaster. This needs to change," he insisted. Labour MEP Alex Agius Sali- ba also questioned the meaning of European solidarity, noting that the European Solidarity Fund makes it difficult for small member states like Malta to ac- cess financial assistance. "Malta deserves no less than other member states when it comes to the aid that needs to be given after Storm Harry," Agius Saliba told the European Parliament. He questioned how Sicily, an island that experienced identi- cal devastation from the same storm, could receive funds while Malta, because it cannot be regarded as a region, is left without any aid. "How can we accept the fact that Sicily, an island that faced the same devastation caused by the same storm, is given the funds whilst Malta, because it can never be considered as a re- gion, is left high and dry with- out any type of aid?" The MEP stressed that this constitutes discrimination that must be addressed urgently, as Maltese and Gozitan citizens are Europeans just like every Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese citizen. Agius Saliba noted that the Maltese government initially declared it would provide aid through a national fund, but emphasised that if the EU tru- ly values equal treatment for all member states, it must also en- sure aid is distributed equally. He argued that it would be wiser for the EU to invest more in its people through essential aid rather than in arms and warfare. The storm impacted food se- curity infrastructure across the affected areas, with commu- nities now evaluating the full extent of the damage on local agriculture and fisheries. JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt A wrecked car trapped in the sand and the carcass of a wooden boat are the remnants of angry waves that battered St Thomas Bay during Storm Harry (Photo: Kurt Sansone/MaltaToday)