EU Aid Program of 85 Million Euros: 965 Flood-Damaged Homes Rebuilt So Far

-As promised at the donor conference, the European Union is currently providing nearly 85 million euros for flood recovery and prevention in BiH, including over 42 million euros for the ongoing EU Flood Recovery Programme, as well as an additional planned 42 million euros for flood protection, stated Andy McGuffi, spokesperson for the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in BiH, for Patria.

He further explained that the EU Flood Recovery Programme was launched in August 2014 to support the recovery process following the devastating floods of May last year.

-The value of the Programme is 43.52 million euros, with the European Union contributing 42.24 million euros. The Programme is being implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and its implementation continues until October 2015.

The overall goal of the Programme is to normalize living conditions in flood-affected communities, as well as to ensure that aid reaches the most vulnerable categories, McGuffi stated.

The Programme consists of several components, including the reconstruction of vital public sector infrastructure and the re-establishment of key public services, emergency reconstruction of housing units for the most vulnerable categories, revitalization of the local economy and agricultural production, and the rehabilitation of communal infrastructure in flood-affected communities.

-The Programme aims to rebuild over 4,200 facilities, including 4,000 private homes of the most vulnerable and marginalized categories affected by the floods, 90 school and preschool institutions, three municipal administration buildings, four health centers and four social work centers, 100 local roads and bridges, and 10 water supply and sewage network facilities.

In addition, the EU is financing the retention and creation of up to 2,000 jobs in small and medium-sized enterprises, including support for agricultural producers, McGuffi said.

Tender for Housing Risk Assessment on January 15

The EU Flood Recovery Programme is currently being implemented on the ground. As of January 8, renovation work has been completed on a total of 965 housing units, with work ongoing on 248 units. So far, rehabilitation and renovation of 74 public facilities have been completed, with work ongoing on an additional 23 public facilities, and 19 more public facilities are in various stages of procurement procedures or project documentation development. Renovation work on 32 communal infrastructure facilities has been completed, with work ongoing on 26 such facilities. An additional 25 communal infrastructure projects are currently planned. Regarding the livelihood component, funds have been secured for 52 selected small and medium-sized enterprises (a total of 1,362,592.86 euros). The tender for the housing risk assessment is expected to be published on January 15.

Flood Protection

-The European Union has allocated an additional 42 million euros for flood protection. In addition to flood protection and river management, the Special Measures from 2014 for Bosnia and Herzegovina also include further EU assistance for the reconstruction of housing stock, small and medium-sized enterprises, and local economic development in flood-affected areas, support for strengthening civil protection capacities in disaster response, and support for local non-governmental organizations, McGuffi noted.