Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-03-Speech-2-170"
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"en.20020903.6.2-170"2
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".
Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, honourable Members, I think that once again today's debate has sent out a clear signal, a clear signal of solidarity and a clear signal that the European institutions are working very well together and are being supportive of each other in this situation. I think this too is highly significant.
The Commission decided what help it could give in its executive capacity, what measures we could take directly, at its special meeting after the summer recess. There is financial aid for farmers, pre-accession aid and, most importantly of course, the Structural Funds. But we can also offer greater flexibility. On this point, I should like to stress that we decided, as far as tendering rules are concerned, to allow maximum flexibility in the regions affected, so that swift action can be taken. My colleague, Mr Monti, has made it perfectly clear that no objections under aid regulations will be filed against national aid to compensate up to 100% of the damage sustained by businesses and that this aid may even include loss of earnings or orders. I think this is a very important signal to the businesses affected in these areas.
As regards the question of setting up a fund to provide direct aid in the event of natural disasters, I am most grateful for the huge consensus in the House, a consensus which cuts across the party political divide and is in step with the Council. As you know, we have had no such instrument, no aid fund for natural disasters in the past. We need to set this fund up first. That means we need agreement and a special contract between Parliament, the Council and the Commission. The Commission will be tabling a proposal on this in the next few weeks. We shall then have to create the corresponding legal basis, so that money from the fund can be disbursed. I have a direct request to make of the European Parliament and the Council here: please remember the devil is in the detail when you formulate this legal basis; bear in mind that we want to get the money to the regions affected quickly. We should give the regions affected a lump sum in aid and, instead of waiting for projects to be specifically formulated, we should declare the aid as such for the region.
It would appear from the debate that the whole House agrees that we shall need aid of at least EUR 500 million to 1 000 million per annum. We need to come to an agreement with the Council here, because the fund will obviously have to be financed by the Member States, even if we want to provide aid this year without calling up new funds.
However, we should also make it clear that aid from us is subsidiary aid. It is solidarity aid on the part of the European Union and we should not raise false hopes. I also understood from today's debate that the House agrees that the decisions in question, the regulations in question need to be passed post haste. This being so, we shall have to set ourselves an ambitious timetable so that the decisions needed to set up this emergency aid fund can be taken by the end of October.
Thank you for your support."@en1
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