Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-04-Speech-1-155"
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"en.20060904.20.1-155"2
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".
Mr President, I would like to thank all the speakers for their very positive contributions to tonight’s discussion. A very wide and rich range of issues was raised, from trans-boundary pollution – fires in Russia, which should of course be raised in the framework of EU-Russia cooperation – to stricter criminal laws regarding arson and arsonists, which lie within the exclusive competence of the Member States.
Quite a few speakers referred to the Council regulation establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund, which does not allow the Commission to mobilise the fund on its own initiative. It is necessary for the Member State concerned to make an application to the Commission within ten weeks of the date of the first damage. To date, no such application has been received from the Spanish Government. The possibility of financial assistance from the Solidarity Fund depends on whether the criteria in the regulation for mobilising the fund are met. The rules governing this instrument allow for the possibility of assistance in the event of major natural disasters. To qualify for aid, the estimated cost of total direct damage must exceed EUR 3 billion at 2002 prices, or 0.6% of gross national income of the state in question, whichever is lower. The Solidarity Fund is not designed to support general longer-term prevention measures for the rehabilitation of agricultural production potential. In such cases, other potential sources of funding exist at Community level, including projects co-financed by the structural funds. In addition, several possibilities of response to national disaster exist within the common agricultural policy.
In 2006, the Commission’s civil protection mechanism responded to floods, earthquakes, forest fires, marine pollution and emergencies with a humanitarian dimension. Four European countries requested assistance in the spring floods, even though a greater number were eventually affected. We sent experts to all sorts of situations, from coordinating the European effort in Cyprus and Lebanon to assisting the Indonesian authorities in the aftermath of the earthquake and the eruption of a volcano. We sent emergency supplies such as medicines, medical supplies, food and shelter. We dispatched equipment to pump water and to extinguish fires. With your support we shall continue to better prepare ourselves and to improve our response for the benefit of the Member States and those we seek to help.
The European Union mechanism for civil protection is a relatively new instrument with limited resources, limited means and competences, but recent experience shows that it works: it is a real example of European Union added value.
Having said this, when dealing with natural disasters there is no room for complacency and it is clear that our prevention, preparedness and response activities can still be improved. This is why earlier this year the Commission prepared a legislative proposal to reinforce the mechanism both politically and operationally. For example, the proposal will allow for the mobilisation of extra transport equipment and will provide a platform upon which to contribute to the development of early warning systems.
In April 2005, the Commission also presented a proposal for a Council regulation establishing a rapid response and preparedness instrument for major emergencies. One part of this proposal provides the legal framework for the future financing of civil protection operations and will result in a budget of EUR 119 million over a seven-year period. This is an improvement on previous levels of funding but, as I have mentioned many times before, the Commission can only respond to the ambitious requests made by other institutions if sufficient resources are made available. Mrs Estrela, we have an ancient proverb, δεί δή χρημάτων – money is needed. Otherwise, we cannot deliver more!
Both these instruments are currently being negotiated by the Council. The Commission would like to have them adopted by the end of the year once Parliament’s opinion is available. I would also like to offer specific thanks for Parliament’s initiative to earmark an additional EUR 6.5 million in the civil protection budget for 2006. This has allowed the Commission to launch an initiative to design, develop and test European approaches to joint civil protection intervention. This cooperation and coordination will make our fight against natural disasters – such as the floods in several European countries, or the summer forest fires in Spain, for which assistance was requested by the Spanish authorities on 9 August – even more effective.
On the specific question of forest fires, which was raised by a number of Members, it is necessary to note as I have before that forestry matters are a Member State competence. Member States are responsible for launching actions to protect forests threatened by fire, as well as restoration efforts. The main aim of the measures we take at European Union level is to reinforce the Member States’ policies.
These measures include the possibility of financial support available under the new Rural Development Regulation, the Forest Focus Regulation and, from 2007, the Commission’s proposal for LIFE Plus, which explicitly provides for the possibility of financing forest monitoring programmes and forest fire prevention activities in order to continue the work of the Forest Forum.
Let us look towards the future. The Commission is preparing a study to look at the effectiveness of Community measures for forest protection and at options to improve the effectiveness of these measures. The results of these analyses are expected by the end of 2007.
The Commission has proposed a directive under the codecision procedure on the assessment and management of floods, which I hope will be adopted soon. The Commission has also undertaken preparatory work with regard to the threat of droughts, which become more intensive and frequent each year, particularly, but not only, in the southern parts of Europe. We are engaged in discussions with the Member States to collect information and to assess whether similar legislative action is needed."@en1
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