Spain to do ‘whatever it takes’ to aid flood victims: finance minister

Spain will do “whatever it takes” to help those afflicted by devastating floods, but it’s too early to start assigning blame, finance minister Carlos Cuerpo told Euronews in an interview held on Tuesday.  

Deadly flooding in Valencia has claimed hundreds of lives, and led tens of thousands of protestors to take to the streets and call for the resignation of regional president Carlos Mazón. 

The government is attempting to give people “a bit of hope that we will be with them as long as its takes, and with as many resources as are needed,” Cuerpo told Euronews’ Europe Conversation, using a phrase more often associated with Mario Draghi, the European Central Bank chief who famously pledged to save the euro. 

“You understand, of course, this sentiment of anger, of frustration in the local population,” Cuerpo added, with many in Spain complaining the state response has been slow and mismanaged.

“There will be time for us to assign responsibilities. And in my personal opinion, that time has not come yet .. now it’s the time for a quick response,” he said.

It’s still “a bit early” to calculate the economic impact of the disaster, Cuerpo said, citing a “devastating” impact on business in an area collectively worth around 1% of the country’s GDP.  

Cuerpo, who became minister for economy, trade and enterprise in December 2023, is visiting Brussels to seek access to EU funding streams designed to aid agriculture and the regions, rebuild the economy post-Covid, and show solidarity with countries facing natural disasters, and said he’d had “very good feedback” from Commissioners on the topic.  

The full Euronews interview will be published later this week.