Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-02-24-Speech-4-044"
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"en.20050224.4.4-044"2
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"Mr President, every once in a while the world is hit by a major natural disaster. We are incapable of either predicting or preventing such disasters, and they act as a reminder of how insignificant we are in the face of nature. They also remind us that animals are sometimes better at sensing danger and preparing to face it than we are. This should act as a warning to us all against feeling too clever, too overconfident and too sure of our own omnipotence. There is a force more powerful than we are, and from time to time it humbles us and reminds us of our insignificance.
The rest of the world responded to the tsunami disaster by making extremely generous donations, whether on an individual, governmental or institutional basis. The question that must be asked, however, is whether we will succeed in putting these donations to appropriate use, and whether we will succeed in getting them to where they are most needed. Immediately after the disaster, there was a lack of everything, including water, food, tents and blankets. The world already has a certain amount of experience in the rapid provision of such items, and aid reached the victims quickly. The provision of long-term aid is a different story, though, and another opportunity for us to be reminded of our own small-mindedness. Jackals tend to appear wherever money is involved, with the sole aim of snatching something for themselves. This gives rise to a number of problems, such as the way in which the money should be shared out, what should be rebuilt first, which institutions or parties should be used to transfer the money and who can be trusted.
The tsunami destroyed the coastal and seaside economy. The tourist industry was hit hardest, including the sex tourism industry, for which many of the regions devastated were renowned, but the fishing industry was also hit. The question is whether, and to what extent, money that people have been generous enough to donate should be used to rebuild the sex tourism industry, with its escort agencies, massage parlours and brothels. We must also ask ourselves whether we will succeed in reassuring those who have donated money that their money will not be used for such purposes.
Today we are debating a proposal to transfer fishing boats to fishermen whose livelihoods were destroyed by the tsunami. This is the best possible form of assistance that could be provided. In the European Union we pay fishermen to scrap their boats. Surely, if the boats are still seaworthy we should instead give them to fishermen in the areas hit by the tsunami disaster who have lost their own boats? Provided the costs of transferring fittings for these boats and other related costs are not too high, aid should be targeted at such measures. We can be confident that donors will be happy with such an arrangement.
The proposal deserves our support, but it is only a drop in an ocean of needs. We should do more, by allowing aid to be used to build fishing boats that meet the specific needs of the tsunami victims. We would then be confronted with the familiar problem of who should benefit from these orders and from being paid to build the boats. The countries hit by the tsunami should be the ones to benefit wherever possible, with donor countries taking second place. At the same time, those who build the boats must agree to forsake their profit, and to earn only a minimal amount of money. We should also rebuild other branches of the coastal industry destroyed by the tsunami, such as the shellfish farming industry, but we should take care to ensure that aid is not granted to the tourist industry, in particular the part of it that preys on human weakness. I thank you."@en1
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