Almost four weeks after the devastating flood disaster, the federal and state governments have agreed on a national reconstruction fund with 30 billion euros. This was announced by Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) on Tuesday after a video conference with the Prime Ministers of the federal states in Berlin. The money is to be used to finance the long-term development of the flood plains.
According to the agreement, the federal government and the federal states will each share half of the construction costs of the affected federal states, amounting to 28 billion euros, with the federal government alone bearing two billion euros. The participation of the federal states takes place via a 30-year adjustment in the distribution for sales tax. In the coming week, the Federal Cabinet will pass the relevant law on the fund, said the Chancellor.
The first reading in the Bundestag could therefore take place in the weeks after next. Finally, according to Merkel, the law could be discussed by parliament in September. For those affected by the flood, there should be “very prompt” clarity about the financial aid. “This is a sign of solidarity across the country.”
In mid-July, extreme heavy rain had caused severe flooding along rivers in the federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. Entire places and regions have been devastated, and the infrastructure has been destroyed in many cases. As things stand, almost 190 people died, most of them in the particularly badly devastated Ahr valley. To a lesser extent, there were also floods in parts of Bavaria and Saxony. (AFP)
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