The meeting was held in the Polish city of Wroclaw, in southwestern Poland, which has been threatened by high river levels for days.
Speaking at a news briefing afterwards, Von der Leyen said: “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures”.
Her comments came as Italy became the latest country to suffer the fury of Storm Boris – a low pressure system which swept across Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Austria, killing at least 23 people.
Schools across Emilia Romagna have closed. Some roads were impacted by landslides and railway traffic has been severely disrupted.
Authorities warned residents to stay out of their basements and to relocate to the upper floors of their homes.
Schools, libraries and parks were shut in Ravenna, and the University of Bologna cancelled exams and lessons.
The city of Faenza has been the worst-affected, with the levels of the two rivers crossing it rising rapidly overnight.
Residents quoted by local media said they had had to leave their homes in dinghies in the middle of the night. High river levels have also caused the sewage system to overflow.
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