Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-06-12-Speech-1-153"
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"Mr President, I should like to start by thanking the European Parliament and especially the rapporteur, Mr Seeber, and the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety for the excellent report which they have drafted at first reading.
It should further be emphasised that floods can indirectly cause damage and pollution from dangerous substances, with catastrophic repercussions on ecosystems and drinking water. Similarly, the construction of major flood defence works may prove to be harmful to water resources, reserves of water resources and sensitive ecosystems. Consequently, the link with the framework directive on water resources is very important.
Finally, the proposal for a directive sets great store by subsidiarity and flexibility, so that the Member States will have the facility to find the most suitable solution for each area.
Floods are natural disasters and, as such, cannot be completely prevented. However, much can be done to limit the disastrous consequences which floods often have for the health and life of man, economic activity and property and the environment in Europe. In short, an ambitious and cohesive approach to flood risk management is needed throughout the territory of the European Union. This will safeguard for the citizens and for businesses a feasible and commonly acceptable level of protection.
In addition, as the repercussions of climate change are becoming more and more apparent, floods throughout Europe are expected to become more extreme and unpredictable. This is another reason for taking action which will safeguard adequate and suitable flood risk management measures which will be reviewed on a regular basis so that they can be adapted to climate change.
Fortunately, we did not start from zero. Following a series of extreme floods in the past, numerous Member States and regions have already made significant progress in flood management. The Commission obviously intends to ensure that the application of the directive is based on efforts already made and not to repeat or overlap with them.
On this basis and following extensive consultations with the interested parties, the Commission tabled its proposal, which contains the following main points: preliminary evaluation of the flood risk, in order to identify the areas at high risk (with the possible repercussions of climate change on future floods being taken into account), flood risk maps, on which citizens and planning authorities can see the possible extent of floods and the damage which they may cause to man, businesses and the environment and cross-border coordination for catchment basins and coastlines which cross more than one country.
The proposal requires flood maps to be prepared by 2013 and flood risk management plans to be prepared by 2015 for all catchment basins and coastlines found to be exposed to a high risk of flood.
Finally, it should be noted that the proposal for a directive on flood risk management is closely linked to the framework directive on water resources approved by the European Parliament and the Council in 2000. This directive established a new policy for water resources, a policy that introduces the principle of integrated management of river catchment basins.
This approach does not simply incorporate in a single framework all the policies relating to the quality and quantity of water resources, it also safeguards cross-border coordination of catchment basins and coastlines which cross more than one Member State or even third countries.
The principle of integrated management of catchment basins also constitutes an important element for flood risk management policies. Indeed, floods must be managed by regional and central governments in such a way as to reduce the risk of floods both at river estuaries and sources. That is why, as I said earlier, the principle of integrated management of catchment basins links this directive with the framework directive on water resources."@en1
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