Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-10-25-Speech-3-282"
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"en.20001025.11.3-282"2
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"The natural catastrophes which have struck the European Union and its citizens have had tragic consequences. They have confronted us with severe physical damage and in some cases loss of human life, recently in Italy and now in Spain. The Commission is acutely aware of the weight of these catastrophes. This is why the Commission, in the area of Community action for civil protection in the period 2000-2004, is developing initiatives in close collaboration with Member States to prevent catastrophes and educate the public.
On 27 September the Commission therefore adopted a proposal based on a Council decision which instituted a Community mechanism to coordinate measures for civil protection during emergencies. The key actions included in this decision are: identification of and improved coordination among the key actors to intervene in the case of emergencies; special training programmes to promote better cooperation and complementarity between the actors concerned; establishment of efficient communication systems to allow for better and more rapid communications. The proposal also permits faster and more effective steps to be taken on behalf of victims. In the area of research I would like to point out that there are currently several projects under way related to flooding as well as the concerted action to reduce the risks associated with climate.
Finally, although the structural funds are not designed to address the consequences of natural disasters, they can be used for reconstruction projects if the beneficiary Member States allocate the funds for such uses and the region hit by the disaster is eligible. The possibility of structural fund involvement in cases of natural disaster must fit within the requirements of the funds and the following conditions must be met: the area in question must be eligible for funding under the territorial objectives, namely Objective 1 or Objective 2. Co-finance projects must involve expenses that are normally eligible for structural funds. Eligible reconstruction projects may not represent the majority of expenditure in the programme concerned. The actions must have a transitional nature, one or two years maximum, and they may not continue throughout the programming period. And the Structural Funds may not be substituted for insurance. In order to call upon the structural funds for this type of action it must be shown that the programme has room to manoeuvre internally. It goes without saying that the Member States concerned are in charge and that it is up to them to envisage what type of measure they would like to see eventually financed by the Structural Funds when the conditions for intervention are fulfilled.
With regard to cooperation on spatial planning solutions to flooding problems, the Commission knows that the Interreg III guidelines make specific reference to the possibility of formulating joint strategies for risk management in areas prone to natural disasters and drawing up and implementing integrated strategies and actions for the prevention of flooding in transnational river catchment areas. The Commission would also expect that flood prevention actions would form part of a transnational strategy which covers areas where flooding is a particular risk under Interreg III. For its part, the Commission will continue to give prompt and constructive consideration to this type of request.
Let me just finish by underlying the support of victims. The European Parliament regularly asks the Commission to intervene on behalf of the victims of these disasters. The Commission is obliged to respond that there is no longer a budget line which permits such measures. Last September, on the occasion of a resolution regarding forest fires which was passed by your assembly, Mr Nielson announced that the Commission was considering whether or not to propose a legal basis for a budgetary line which would permit the Commission to respond to emergency needs in the Union. However, the Commission has not yet taken a final position on whether to propose a legal basis for measures in this area.
In any case, our deliberations will need to consider past experience which would suggest that there are two possible courses of action. The first would be a budget line where appropriations are allocated on a semi-automatic basis but with sums which, at best, can only be of symbolic value. The second option would be for the Commission to propose a legal basis but this would mean tying up significant sums within heading 3 of the financial perspective. The Commission would also need to take into account the resource implications of managing any new activities in this area."@en1
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