Greece appealed to the European Union today for help rebuilding communities destroyed by fires that have burned for over a week and killed at least 63 people.
The government has already paid out €72 million to more than 20,000 victims whose properties were destroyed in nationwide forest fires, which have now been contained to just three significant blazes.
EU Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Huebner
Just two weeks ahead of a parliamentary election, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has come under severe criticism for his government's handling of Greece's worst fires in memory and their aftermath.
Athens hopes to tap EU emergency relief aid to overcome the national disaster, which it estimates will cost the economy more than €1.2 billion.
The official in charge of a €1 billion Solidarity Fund, Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Huebner, flew by helicopter to view the scorched valleys of the Peloponnese peninsula before meeting Mr Karamanlis in Athens.
Five years ago the European Union provided €728 million to Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and France to counter damage from summer floods.