The recent devastating floods across Europe, from Southern Spain to Central and Eastern regions, are yet another wake-up call to the pressing realities of the climate crisis. Lives have been lost, homes destroyed, and entire communities uprooted, underscoring the human cost of increasingly severe and unpredictable weather events. This disaster is not an isolated incident but part of a troubling pattern exacerbated by climate change and inadequate preparedness.

These tragic events set the stage for critical discussions in the European Parliament, particularly during the plenary debates and the vote on the “RESTORE” report.

Left MEP Younous Omarjee (La France Insoumise, France), rapporteur of the file, aims to make a tangible difference for citizens on the ground. He explains: “The scheme we have adopted will enable us to help Mayotte in an unprecedented way, rebuild the Valencia region, and support all the regions of Central and Eastern Europe devastated by the floods in 2024. It will also allow us to respond to natural disasters that may occur in 2025. The European Social Fund will finance emergency food aid, direct support to SMEs, and short-time working measures.”

It is time to build a Europe capable of protecting its people, its environment, and its future from the escalating impacts of climate change.

Left MEP Younous Omarjee added: “Climate change is a new reality. It has entered a race that cannot be reversed in a few years. We must now adapt our response mechanisms to these disasters. The European Union’s regional policy cannot sit back, do nothing, and carry on as before, that is no longer an option. We must completely change our perspective.”

The cost of inaction is measured not only in euros but in lives and livelihoods lost.

We cannot afford to wait.

Climate action is a matter of social justice. The Left champions a green and just transition that empowers communities, and ensures a sustainable, fossil-free future. By addressing the climate crisis with bold solutions, the Left strives for a world where environmental, economic, and social justice go hand in hand.