Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-04-14-Speech-4-140"
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"en.20050414.23.4-140"2
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"Mr President, I would like to welcome the initiative which has led to this urgent debate in Parliament on the drought in Portugal and begin by expressing all the sympathy and solidarity I feel with regard to this problem as someone who also comes from the Iberian Peninsula.
It is clearly not necessary to be an expert in meteorology nor a weatherman to know that, if it does not rain in Portugal, it does not rain in certain areas of Spain either. I believe that is pretty obvious and that, therefore, with regard to the climatological dimension of what we are discussing here, the problem faced by Portugal is practically identical to that faced by a large part of Spain.
There is no question that the specific economic effects in the country are different depending on the particular geography or territory in question, however. But the problem of drought, the problem of lack of water, is a shared problem. That is why we have introduced certain amendments into this motion for resolution, some paragraphs of which extend its scope somewhat so that it does not just effect Portugal, but also, in part, the whole of the Iberian Peninsula. And I believe that that is what we must do.
Of course, my group is absolutely delighted that specific effects are highlighted, in some cases with very specific references to problems that affect Portugal in particular, and, specifically, the south of Portugal. But, as the previous speaker said, we should all begin to consider this issue in more depth, because this is not an isolated situation. The European Commission, therefore, has a responsibility for studying, anticipating and planning in relation to the consequences of climate change, which is not just an issue for great political speeches during great debates, but which has immediate and at times dramatic consequences for the economy of the countries, as we can see in this case. So that is the first thing I wished to stress: this is not an isolated situation, it is not a crisis that will pass, but it is something that warrants in-depth consideration and therefore requires medium- and long-term political measures.
With regard to the resolution itself, which discusses very specific issues, I would like to stress two or three. The first is essentially the insistence that the economic impact is a general impact, which goes beyond agriculture; the impact of the drought, for example, directly affects tourism and its entire rural dimension, and that is something that must always be taken into account, especially when we are discussing this issue.
Secondly, the reference to the drama that brings Spain and Portugal very close together, and I would go as far as to say Catalonia and Portugal as well: the issue of fires, of forest fires. That is an amendment that has been introduced and that does not just affect Portugal and, therefore, I would like to link the consequences of the drought with the extremely serious risk of fires and at the same time appeal for the possible application of the Solidarity Fund to deal with these issues. I believe this to be very important and that at the appropriate time it will probably require a resolution and debate directly dedicated to this issue."@en1
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