Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-01-18-Speech-2-162"
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"en.20000118.6.2-162"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, Europe has undergone a tough ordeal at the start of this millennium. I would first like to express my heartfelt condolences to the families in mourning as a result of the appalling weather conditions that devastated Europe in December.
These storms were an unprecedented ecological disaster for our forests. I hope you do not mind if I make particular mention of the forests in my region, Lorraine, which have suffered enormous destruction. I would like to congratulate the regional authorities, the volunteers and the public services on the fantastic way in which they rallied round but, unfortunately, their troubles are not yet over. It is Europe's duty to support them and thereby complement the efforts of the governments of Member States affected by the disaster.
I welcome Mr Barnier’s statement and I also welcome the measures which the Commission has announced. I am certainly not forgetting the economic dimension of this matter, as the timber industry has been devastated and a whole population is suffering the tragic effects of this. The Community action programme for civil protection, established by a Council decision on 9 December, was launched on 1 January 2000. I ask Member States to grasp this opportunity. This programme must work at full capacity. Although it may have been effective in certain areas – and I do not doubt the sincerity of Commissioner Barnier’s words – unfortunately it is still in its infancy when it comes to forestry. Our priority, as we wait for Community-level funds to be freed up, is for material aid in terms of partnership exchanges between Member States.
It is therefore a matter of urgency to improve forest roads, and to repair them as quickly as possible. Lending forestry equipment and making personnel qualified in forestry management available are also covered by this measure. Our next challenge will be to prevent the occurrence of phytosanitary problems which could result from having to abandon large amounts of wood in the forest, and from the pollution of ground water through having to store such large quantities of wood. Finally, it is essential that we slow down the logging of standing wood, in order to give priority to the purchase of windfalls. These timber sales should be supported by strong media coverage in Member States. This aid for gathering timber is, of course, only the first stage of an aid package, which will take the form of aid for reforestation and aid for the development of rural areas. I ask the Commission to incorporate this into a study of how the situation should be managed now that the emergency is over.
This is a very sad opportunity for Europe to renew its forestry heritage in line with the role that this plays in wildlife and nature conservation and in our economies. It is therefore a time for solidarity and cooperation between Member States in the face of an ecological and economic calamity. If this solidarity is to have been worthwhile, it is up to Europe to propose priority actions for safeguarding the timber industry."@en1
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