See What Has Been Repaired So Far with EU Funds After Last Year's Floods

At the second meeting of the EU Advisory Panel for the Flood Recovery Programme, held today in Sarajevo, progress in flood recovery efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovina was reviewed, information was exchanged on results achieved so far, and future priorities were discussed. The repair of housing units, updating damage assessments, strengthening flood protection, and continuing effective coordination were particularly highlighted, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

As of February 4, 2015, the EU Flood Recovery Programme has achieved the following key results across the areas affected by floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina:

- 1,170 homes have been repaired, and work on repairing an additional 171 homes is currently underway.

- 78 public buildings have been repaired, and work on 26 public buildings is underway.
- 37 utility infrastructure facilities have been repaired, and work on 42 facilities is underway.
- Grant payments have been completed for all 56 selected small and medium-sized enterprises (totaling EUR 1.47 million), which will help retain and generate over 1,800 jobs.

Following the meeting, Massimo Mina, Head of the Operations Section for Social Development, Civil Society and Cross-border Cooperation at the EU Delegation to BiH, stated that the EU considers coordination and cooperation with relevant domestic authorities to be crucial in managing the EU's flood recovery efforts and in directing that assistance.

- Today's Advisory Panel meeting gave us an opportunity to assess the progress and results we have achieved so far together with the authorities, and to discuss ways to deepen our future cooperation. We are pleased that there are many visible and tangible results on the ground, but it is clear that further sustainable efforts are needed in key areas such as housing unit repair and normalization of living conditions to help those most in need. Close cooperation in the future is also important in strengthening flood resilience to ensure these communities are safe from future floods, especially in the context of the 25 million euros in grants that the EU has allocated to Bosnia and Herzegovina in this area - Mina said.

The Advisory Panel is a key component of the governance structure of the EU Flood Recovery Programme. It consists of key domestic institutions responsible for flood recovery efforts at the state, entity, and Brčko District of BiH levels, as well as representatives of the European Union Delegation to BiH, in their capacity as donors, and the United Nations Development Programme in BiH (UNDP), in its capacity as a programme implementation partner.

The Advisory Panel was established in October 2014 to ensure maximum synergy in flood recovery activities between the European Union and domestic authorities at all levels, and it also serves as a forum for exchanging information on ongoing and planned flood recovery activities.