Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-04-12-Speech-3-161"
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"en.20000412.5.3-161"2
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"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, we can all remember the pictures of the famine in Ethiopia in the 1980s. We can also remember the drought in Africa in the 1990s, which affected around ten countries. Yet we must also remember that we managed to get nearly four million tonnes of food to sub-Saharan Africa thanks to action by the international community. This was partly in response to media coverage, which is playing an increasingly important role. We must realise that, notwithstanding the crisis situations which now exist, the international community has taken objective action in response. This has probably not been adequate and not what we would have liked it to be, but at least the international community has adopted an objective attitude. Within the international community, either individually or through the European Union as a whole, the European countries have made an important contribution. We must remember this, now that the crisis in Ethiopia is occurring again due to drought.
The European Union is keen to ensure that this situation does not worsen and is trying to mobilise all possible means to lessen its effects. Certain instruments are currently working effectively at both EU level and in the role played by the EU within international organisations. This intervention is very important in tackling the problem of nearly 16 million people currently at risk throughout this area. Commissioner Patten will explain, at the appropriate moment in this debate, the actions which the Commission has planned or has been developing. These actions are very important and have been implemented in time. The decisions were also taken at the right time. Both the Directorate-General for Development and ECHO have already sent enough food to satisfy the most urgent needs. At this precise moment, the Executive Director of the World Food Programme is in Addis Ababa for discussions with the Ethiopian Government on this issue, which involves technical and practical problems in transporting the food. We cannot separate from this issue the current political and military position in Ethiopia. We must be aware that this situation, which is in itself extremely serious due to the drought, is currently being made worse precisely because of political and military circumstances which are hindering the distribution of aid. In particular, means of transport may be lacking because they are being used for purposes other than those for which they are intended.
As I said, the European Union has been monitoring this situation. In the General Affairs Council the day before yesterday the Commission presented a report on the current situation in the Horn of Africa and specifically tackled one point of the humanitarian situation. However, these concerns are the centre of attention not only for the Commission but also for the Council. A meeting was held yesterday in Brussels of a group of experts specifically to analyse the best ways of tackling this situation. There were representatives from ECHO, the Directorate-General for Development and the Member States of the European Union. This meeting was preceded by one with the Ethiopian Ambassador to ensure the most effective coordination of the aid and support which the European Union can mobilise, both overall and in terms of that from individual Member States.
To conclude, the situation in the Horn of Africa, in both political and humanitarian terms, is at the centre of our concerns. On Monday in the General Affairs Council we had a debate on this subject at which the Council’s Special Envoy was present. He gave a presentation on the situation and its gravity. The European Union approved in this same Council a set of recommendations which are to be added to all the political actions which the Union has been developing, particularly since last year, following the severest onslaught in the conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia. We are monitoring this issue. Unfortunately, sometimes we cannot react as rapidly as we would like to the various situations of humanitarian need and shortage. However, we are watching this issue and we hope that the attention raised by this debate may itself also help to mobilise public opinion on such a serious problem."@en1
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