Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-01-12-Speech-3-176"
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"en.20050112.9.3-176"2
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".
Mr President, your debate today on the issue of the earthquake and tsunami in South-East Asia shows the commitment of the European Parliament to see action by the European Union to help the countries and populations in need. I can assure you that the Commission will deliver the help that is needed and will do this in close cooperation with you. I thank you for a number of useful comments and suggestions in this respect.
Allow me to underline once again that the Commission counts on the support of the European Parliament in order to help the countries and populations in need.
As regards the reaction of the Commission's Civil Protection Unit, it immediately organised the sending of Member State experts to the affected countries – the first experts arrived the day after the disaster.
What are the concrete measures to be taken? As the President of the Commission underlined, there are a number of proposals to be implemented, some of them in the short term, others in the mid- and long-term.
On the humanitarian side, in addition to the support package already adopted, it is proposed that EUR 100 million from the Commission's Jakarta pledge be allocated from the emergency reserve. I understand that the budgetary authority has already agreed to this politically.
On the reconstruction side, some EUR 350 million of partially new funds should be made available, and funds already programmed streamlined. I have noted your concerns about the reprogramming, but I should like to assure you that this improved streamlining of all the available funds is the quickest way to deliver aid and, in many cases, will be necessary, as some projects cannot be carried out in some of the affected areas. There is a proverb in my country: one who gives fast gives twice. It is important that we bear that in mind.
Not only are the amounts of aid important; the quality and mechanisms for aid delivery are too. In this respect, the Commission should obtain the support of the Council and the European Parliament to use the derogations and accelerated procedures in full. Moreover, the coordination should be organised by the countries and the financing programmes approved by the governments themselves.
Of course, budget support needs to be properly supervised to ensure sound financial management. Trust funds with the countries concerned, based either on UN and/or World Bank trust fund formulae, may be a good answer to this concern. My colleague, Mrs Ferrero-Waldner, is currently visiting the US, meeting Mr Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank, to discuss these issues.
Besides humanitarian and reconstruction support, there are a number of flanking measures that need to be taken. The Commission has taken action in various fields: reinforcing EU coordination capabilities to respond to crises; debt relief for the countries in question; trade measures – one of the questions raised – such as the possibility of accelerating the entry into force of the new scheme for a generalised system of preferences; early warning systems; satellite monitoring and research and development; preparation for disaster management; fisheries; justice and home affairs; health and so on. We are looking at a wide range of actions. Of particular importance here are the measures for early warning of disasters and preparation for crisis response. I also believe that prevention is crucial. The best help is to save lives.
This tragic event needs to be seen by all of us as a kind of opportunity and commitment to organise ourselves better and coordinate action in the event of a disaster. We can agree that the European Union has a global responsibility. Such events can be addressed only in a global way, at a global level."@en1
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