Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-20-Speech-1-060"
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"en.20031020.4.1-060"2
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"Mr President, forest fires are indeed a scourge which destroys thousands of hectares of woodland throughout the European Union every year, especially in southern countries. As we know, not only was this year no exception to that rule, but the situation reached tragic proportions in southern countries, and especially in Portugal, where 20 people died, 45 000 lost their sources of income, and it is estimated that more than 11% of woodland was consumed by the fires. The total cost is more than EUR 1.3 billion in direct damages.
This disaster provides ample proof that the European Union needs to promote measures for fighting forest fires, particularly at the level of prevention. A large majority in the European Parliament used the resolution of 4 September 2003, on the consequences of the summer heat wave, to indicate that that was its understanding of the situation. That resolution asked not only for more funds to bolster the Forest Focus programme, but also for the inclusion in that programme of adequate prevention measures consonant with the actions laid down in Regulation No 2158/92, which expired on 31 December 2002.
I would also like to remind you that not all the fire prevention measures included in that regulation are covered by the forestry-related actions laid down in the recent Regulation No 1999/1257, on rural development. I mention this because continuity is important in relation to prevention measures, which are even more urgent under the present circumstances. The rapporteur rightly reiterates her insistence on including the prevention-related amendments tabled at first reading and then rejected by the Council. She also asks for an increase in the amounts for financing the Forest Focus programme. These are positive proposals which should be adopted once more by this Parliament and which I support. Moreover, I regret the fact that the final compromise does not consider all of these measures together. I feel that the need to preserve the heritage of our forests, combined with the high-risk situation of many woodland areas, means that the Council must accept these amendments, tabled by Parliament, on prevention and financing."@en1
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