Recent years in Europe have shown that extreme events linked to climate change have become almost normal, from floods in Italy, Belgium and Germany to fires in Spain and Greece. It is for this reason that, in a Europe increasingly exposed to natural disasters, the ability of cities and regions to prepare effective prevention and react in a timely manner is increasingly crucial.
It’s not just about protecting lives, but also about safeguarding local infrastructure and economies. Cohesion policy, one of the pillars of the EU budget, can also play a fundamental role in strengthening the tools available to local authorities in preventing and managing emergencies, through funding and support for cross-border networks.
“The European relief mechanism and structural funds have made it possible to combine financial and operational assistance, making Europe something concrete for citizens precisely at the most critical moments,” said Zeljana Zovko, Vice-President of the European Parliament, who saw European solidarity first-hand when her Croatia was hit by the major earthquake of 2020.
Italy has also directly experienced the support of Brussels several times, not only for reconstruction after earthquakes, fires and floods, but also for interventions to prevent and strengthen local infrastructure.
Transforming buildings from consumers to producers of water
The example of Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna represents one of the most significant cases of how cohesion policy can support regions both in emergency management and in building a long-term response that prevents the recurrence of natural disasters.
The 2023 floods highlighted the vulnerability of a densely inhabited and highly productive territory, but they also showed how European support can transform into a decisive lever to quickly start reconstruction and, at the same time, rethink prevention policies.
As regional councilor Alessio Mammi confirmed, “without the European Solidarity Fund we would not have been able to start all the construction sites that are securing our territory today”, highlighting the crucial role of European instruments in guaranteeing a timely response.
However, the Emilia-Romagna experience demonstrates that the response cannot be limited to the post-disaster phase. The region has chosen to integrate reconstruction with broader planning, oriented towards reducing hydrogeological risk and adapting to climate change, supported by cohesion funds.
This framework includes investments in the maintenance of waterways, the construction of expansion tanks and the updating of urban plans, with the aim of limiting the exposure of the most vulnerable areas. For example, “hydraulic sensors, drones and advanced technologies allow us to intervene before the crisis becomes a disaster”, specified the councilor.
Another distinctive element is the involvement of local communities and the agricultural world, because, as Mammi recalled, “those who work the land know the territory like no one else” and can offer a fundamental contribution to soil management and preventive maintenance. On this point “further support will be needed” from the next common agricultural policy (CAP).
However, the case of Emilia-Romagna also highlights some structural critical issues that require a further leap in quality in public policies. As highlighted by councilor Mammi, “it is not enough to have plans and technologies” if sufficiently flexible financial instruments are lacking.
In this context, European cohesion takes on a strategic value for territories, because it allows us to overcome a fragmented logic of interventions between the State, regions and municipalities, and to support structural investments that can integrate prevention and territorial development.
Urban networks and international collaboration
If prevention and response strategies take shape at a local level, very often their effectiveness depends on the ability to cooperate between regions of different states, because natural disasters know no borders.
“No city can face fires, floods, earthquakes or heat waves alone”, underlined Konstantina Karidi, director of Resilient Cities Catalyst, an organization that helps cities strengthen the way they plan and act in response to possible crises, according to which “collaboration between territories allows them to react more quickly and effectively”.
In this context, urban and regional networks represent a key tool for transforming European policies into concrete actions. Through more or less formal platforms and alliances, local administrations can learn from the experiences of other regions and cities and thus adapt solutions already tested elsewhere to their own context.
Karidi explained that “sharing data, strategies and good practices makes us stronger”, reducing the risk of errors and accelerating decision-making processes, “especially in the prevention and planning phases”. An emblematic example is the Mediterranean Climate Action Partnership, an alliance of 16 regions (including Emilia-Romagna) sharing similar climate vulnerabilities.
This network allows us to experiment with “innovative approaches” to risk management that can respond to both daily needs and emergencies. “With these exchanges we can avoid mistakes already known elsewhere and accelerate the construction of safer and more sustainable cities,” continued Karidi.
The Mediterranean regions ask for a central role in the climate challenge
European financial support and political action
European support for regions and cities is based on a mix of policies, finance and cooperation between institutions.
As the Vice President of the European Parliament Zovko recalled, “from Italy to Croatia, passing through the Western Balkans, we have seen how dynamic tools can save lives and strengthen European cohesion”, provided that the resources arrive “where they are really needed and in rapid and flexible ways”. It is for this reason that financial instruments capable of translating political strategies into concrete investments are needed.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) plays a central role in strengthening the impact of European cohesion through long-term loans and technical support to bridge the gap between planning and implementation of interventions. The EIB’s added value emerges in particular in its ability to support prevention-oriented investments.
“The more we plan today, the less we pay tomorrow”, assured Monica Scatasta, head of unit of the European Investment Bank, recalling the importance of shifting attention to structural risk reduction.
The objective is to “improve the quality of projects, strengthen the administrative capacity of the territories and make the use of resources more efficient”, including those of European cohesion, especially in contexts characterized by budget constraints or limited project experience. “Prevention is the real investment”, concluded Scatasta.
