MEP urges Lithuania to seek EU aid over storm damage

European Parliament member and Democrats "For Lithuania" party leader Virginijus Sinkevičius said on Wednesday that Lithuania should approach the European Commission for financial assistance to help cover losses from the severe storm that struck the country over the weekend. Speaking to radio station Žinių Radijas, he said it would be worth submitting an application to tap the EU's agricultural crisis reserve on behalf of Lithuanian farmers.

Sinkevičius noted that Belgium, the Netherlands and several southern European countries regularly rely on this Commission mechanism when farmers are hit by disasters. He described this as nothing unusual, adding that the only notable trend is that the crisis reserve is being depleted faster each year. He explained that agricultural losses first need to be assessed and calculated according to a set formula before an application can be submitted to the Commission.

Solidarity fund and possible emergency declaration

Sinkevičius also urged Lithuania to consider drawing on EU solidarity mechanisms to cover broader storm-related losses, saying the EU's solidarity funds exist precisely for such situations and represent one of the bloc's strongest tools, offering partial support to member states hit by disasters. He further suggested that Lithuania weigh declaring a state of emergency given the scale of the damage.

Neighbouring Latvia, which was struck by the same severe weather over the weekend, has said it is also considering applying to the European Commission for financial assistance to cover its storm-related losses.

Lithuania and Latvia were hit on Saturday by one of the strongest summer storms in decades, with wind speeds exceeding 30 metres per second in some areas and a month's worth of rain falling in others. More than 250,000 electricity customers in each country lost power as the storm caused widespread destruction.