Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-09-05-Speech-1-086"
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"en.20050905.18.1-086"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we have witnessed a great many natural disasters in Europe over the past few years. As mayor of Hradec Králové, I had first-hand experience of the floods which hit the Czech Republic, and which led to a number of our towns being inundated and many people being left homeless. Floods result all too often in the loss of life and property throughout Central Europe, for example in Austria, Germany, Hungary and Romania. Southern Europe, on the other hand, suffers from oppressive heat waves and ferocious fires. As we heard a short time ago, forest fires are still raging in Spain and Portugal, and I saw for myself the devastation they wreak during a trip to observe this summer’s regional elections in the Algarve region of Portugal. We should also not forget the windstorms that left a trail of destruction in the Baltic States and Sweden in January of this year.
Ladies and gentlemen, at a time when the European Union is engaged in discussions on its future, there is no better way for its institutions to win over the hearts and minds of the citizens of its Member States than by placing an emphasis on prevention and on the mobilisation of genuine aid, while also reducing the impact of natural disasters of this kind. I vividly remember the positive response of Czech citizens to the practical financial assistance provided by the EU following the floods that hit our country.
The motion for a resolution due to be debated tomorrow, concerning the release of just under EUR 6 million from the Solidarity Fund to deal with the aftermath of the devastating hurricane that hit Slovakia last November, will also be a practical contribution. Back in January, I held in-depth discussions in Brussels with representatives of Slovak local authorities on the possibility of EU aid for the highest-lying regions of Slovakia, having organised the meeting in my capacity as an MEP and as President of the Union of Towns and Municipalities of the Czech Republic, in order to provide the representatives with information on the opportunities available and the way in which the European institutions work. At this time, Slovakia also asked the European Union for help in covering the costs of hurricane-related damage. Over seven months have now passed since this request was made, and yet the areas affected are still waiting for money. We are far from happy at these delays, and Members of this House should not be either. We therefore hope that an appropriate decision will be adopted and implemented as soon as possible, hopefully before the first anniversary of the hurricane that raged through the Tatra Mountains. We should not shirk our responsibilities, and we should lend our support to practical measures."@en1
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