RIGA, Jan 18 (AFP) - Latvian Finance Minister Oskars Spurdzins is optimistic the European Union will give the Baltic country financial help after it was hit by the worst storm in 40 years, state radio reported Tuesday.
"I am optimistic about help from the European Solidarity Fund," Spurdzins told Latvian state radio early Tuesday after meeting with European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs.
"Now we have to tally all the damage, and of course, we can't receive help for everything," Spurdzins said.
"We will probably have to ask for help together with other countries, which were also affected by the storm," he said.
Northern Europe, including the Baltic states, was lashed on January 9 by a storm packing winds of up to 144 kilometers per hour (86 miles per hour).
A country qualifies for help from the European Solidarity Fund if it has suffered a catastrophe that has a serious impact on people's lives, the environment and economy, and if damages resulting from the storm are equivalent to 0.6 percent of gross domestic product.
In Latvia's case, that would be equivalent to 38 million lats (54 million euros, 71 million dollars), using 2003 gross domestic product as the basis for calculation.
"Roughly calculated, damage could amount to about 30 to 50 million lats," Spurdzins said Monday afternoon before leaving for Brussels.
Latvia's electricity grid was heavily damaged, with at least 40 percent of the country blacked out in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
The Latvian government declared a national energy crisis on January 9, allowing it to mobilise all emergency services to repair damage to the power network.
The crisis was declared over on Thursday last week by the head of an emergency committee set up after the storm, and the government formally lifted it on Monday.
01/18/2005 09:32 GMT - AFP