Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-07-06-Speech-4-273"
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"en.20000706.11.4-273"2
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"Mr President, more than six months have now passed since the tragic floods in Venezuela. As a member of the European Parliament’s ad hoc delegation, I was able to witness the terrible effects of what is considered to be the worst natural disaster that has ever occurred in Latin America.
It was something that you had to see with your own eyes to believe. As striking as the photographs and television pictures in the media were, they merely hinted at the true scale of the disaster. We were also able to see the fantastic cooperation work that the NGOs are carrying out with people affected by the floods. This emergency humanitarian aid provided by the NGOs could not have occurred without the Commission’s financial support and I therefore wish to praise all those who made it possible.
However, the priority now must be to reconstruct the whole area affected and to stimulate economic recovery. A new plan for the region must include the rebuilding of homes and every kind of infrastructure and the provision of incentives for small and medium-sized enterprises, which were completely destroyed and many of which will have to start again from scratch. I am aware that the task of reconstruction is colossal and that is perhaps why it has been so slow. Only a few roads have been cleared. Water and electricity supplies have been restored to some extent, but little more has been done, and the people who have been affected are despairing of the delay. Thousands of them are still dependent on food aid to survive. It is vital to replace the thousands of jobs destroyed by the floods.
The Venezuelan Government will need a great deal of support if it is to succeed in this Herculean task. With regard to the task of reconstruction, which cannot be delayed, the Commission must offer the same level of support it provided in terms of emergency humanitarian aid for countries affected by Hurricane Mitch, or something similar. We therefore urge the Commission to provide a significant financial contribution over the next five years. Apart from a basic obligation to show solidarity, the historical ties that bind us to Venezuela and the stability of democracy in that country demand this."@en1
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