European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Poland on Thursday to show solidarity in the face of the flood crisis. The meeting in Wrocław will also be attended by Czech and Slovak Prime Ministers Petr Fiala and Robert Fico, as well as Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer.
On Thursday at 7 a.m. in Wrocław, the flood crisis team will meet again with the Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The current flood situation in southwestern Poland will be discussed during the meeting.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to meet with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the Prime Minister Czech Petr Fiala, Prime Minister Slovakia Robert Fica and the Chancellor Austria Karl Nehammer, who will come to Wrocław. A joint statement by the politicians is planned after 6 p.m.
Ursula von der LeyenJOHN THYS/PAP/EPA
“We express our heartfelt solidarity with all those affected by the devastating floods in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. I thank all those helping for their tireless work. The EU stands ready to support,” she wrote earlier on the X platform.
The visit of the head of the European Commission is to be an expression of solidarity with Poland. “I expect that the EU will take very seriously the need to build anti-flood infrastructure in those countries that have suffered the most. On Thursday, we will discuss this in detail with the head of the Commission,” wrote Tusk.
Debate in the European Parliament on floods
On Wednesday morning, the European Parliament in Strasbourg held a debate on the floods that have hit Central and Eastern Europe, including Poland. The discussion replaced a previously planned meeting with Viktor Orban, who was to present the priorities of the Hungarian presidency, but canceled his visit – precisely because of the floods.
In recent days, heavy rains have caused catastrophic flooding in Central and Eastern Europe. The most affected areas are in the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Germany and on Hungary.
In Poland, flooding has affected the southern and western parts of the country. The most dramatic situation is in Lower Silesia and the Opole region. On Saturday and Sunday morning, Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with crisis teams there, and the ministers of internal affairs, national defense, infrastructure and climate were also in the flooded areas.
Main image source: JOHN THYS/PAP/EPA