Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-02-24-Speech-4-039"
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"en.20050224.4.4-039"2
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".
Mr President, Boxing Day saw one of the worst natural disasters of modern times. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives, millions lost close relatives or their livelihoods. The historically unparalleled demonstration of solidarity and generosity with which the rest of the world responded constituted a ray of hope in the middle of this tragedy.
The fishing industry was hit particularly hard by the tsunami. In many cases, the survivors lost their boats, which are the tools upon which their livelihood depends. The proposal to help countries hit by the tsunami by giving them vessels from the EU is therefore morally commendable, but the measure would be a drop in the ocean, making the proposal almost absurd. A far better alternative would be to buy boats, suited to local purposes and needs, in the countries affected and in other neighbouring countries. This would also give the local economies a very badly needed boost.
Nor is it obvious what constitutes the EU’s role as an international player in such contexts. There is a tendency for forces within the EU to use disasters to advance their own positions. New EU authorities, programmes and measures are proposed, and anyone questioning this development appears disloyal at this particular moment in history. Often, the truth is, however, that, in such situations, the EU Member States should coordinate financial and material resources through other international bodies, principally within the framework of cooperation with the UN. One example of this would be the urgent development of an early warning system, of the kind already in place in the Pacific, for tsunami disasters in the Indian Ocean.
I object to the use of international tragedies for the purpose of giving the EU new powers. The EU’s powers must be discussed under normal conditions and in the context of the principle of subsidiarity, and not determined by quick decisions in disaster situations. The European peoples’ support for global solidarity should not be abused with a view to undermining the principle of subsidiarity."@en1
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