Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-03-10-Speech-4-040-000"
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"en.20110310.4.4-040-000"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, solidarity is the right word to start with. When disasters happen – be they man-made or natural – we must stand together in Europe. That is central to European integration.
The second keyword that we must mention here is speed. It is important to provide help quickly, because rapid assistance is the most effective form of assistance.
Thirdly, however, I must point out that it is, first and foremost, the Member States that are responsible for protecting the population, where possible, from such disasters. We must examine how we can use European resources and also the funds that are available to us in a more efficient and more effective way. However, I should point out that many Member States call for European resources in order to conceal the fact that they are taking inadequate measures themselves.
What can we do at EU level? We have two major expense items: firstly, the European Regional Development Fund for which Commissioner Hahn is responsible, and secondly, the Agricultural Fund, in which regard we could make better use of the funds that are already available. Prevention is key. That is to say, very many disasters, flooding in particular, could be prevented by means of proper spatial planning. We already have a Floods Directive, in connection with which it was clear that we could actually achieve a great deal with our existing resources if we took the right measures – such as mapping, risk assessment and, as a third measure, the creation of preventative action plans.
I would like the Commission, in addition to the prevention measures that it has drawn up, to look, in particular, at the areas of droughts and water shortages. In these areas, we still lack an instrument like the Floods Directive, and we could do a great deal here.
With regard to the catalogue of prevention measures itself, I have to say that mainstreaming is surely crucial in this regard; in other words, that we try to take these aspects into account in other policy areas. Under the supervision of the Commission, the Member States must also draw up risk maps for all areas."@en1
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