Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, in a written answer on 1 July 2026, outlined the European Commission's response to Storm Kristin damage in Portugal, confirming that the country's Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) allocation remains unchanged despite a reallocation of funds. The answer, responding to a question from Left MEP Catarina Martins, affects Portuguese households still without roofs or electricity and national authorities managing repair approvals.
Fitto noted that Portugal activated the Copernicus Emergency Management Service on 26 January 2026 for damage mapping, with the activation still ongoing. On 13 April 2026, Portugal submitted an application to the EU Solidarity Fund for storms in January and February 2026; the Commission's assessment continues. Following a Portuguese request under Article 21 of the RRP Regulation, the Commission proposed on 18 May 2026 an amendment to Portugal's RRP to address natural disaster impacts, which the Council adopted on 12 June 2026. Fitto stressed that the overall RRP allocation would not be modified, countering concerns that planned investments might be lost.
The answer provides concrete details on EU instruments deployed but leaves monitoring of repair progress to national authorities. No further institutional follow-up is specified, though the Solidarity Fund assessment remains pending.