Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-06-12-Speech-1-158"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20060612.20.1-158"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, flooding is a disaster scenario that threatens many areas of Europe year after year. In the last few years alone, floods in Europe have cost hundreds of human lives, made hundreds of thousands of people homeless and caused billions’ worth of damage. Experts say that the likelihood of recurring floods is set to increase still further in future years.
In the summer of 2002, many riverside areas in Central Europe were flooded. I myself come from Saxony, a region that was particularly hard hit by those floods, and many of you will no doubt recall the pictures of our flooded capital, Dresden. In the aftermath, my region, like many of the flood-stricken countries, was engaged not only in reconstructing and restoring the destroyed infrastructure but also in devising sound strategies for the long-term avoidance and management of floods in the affected areas. There were loud calls for European assistance at that time. The solidarity fund was set up even before a specific European directive was drafted.
I would not question in principle the need for Community legal provisions and action plans, since most of Europe’s river basins are divided between two or more countries, and purely national strategies are sometimes inappropriate. In its proposal for a directive on the assessment and management of floods, the Commission has produced a great deal of unnecessary red tape. I should like to focus on two specific points.
Firstly, the draft directive clearly infringes the subsidiarity principle, particularly in Articles 7 and 9. The idea that the Member States should have to compile flood-risk maps and management plans for parts of river basins is unacceptable. We should only make European rules for matters that need to be regulated on a European scale. The directive should concentrate on river basins straddling national borders.
Secondly, little or no consideration is given to existing plans and measures. In many Member States there are already adequate arrangements for national water bodies and watercourses. The very countries that have suffered from flooding in the past now possess very good strategies and plans which take account of both the European flood-protection objectives and specific local conditions. I therefore wholeheartedly support the amendment establishing a new Article 16a, which would recognise the Member States’ previous work inasmuch as it coincides with the aims of the directive. Countries must be given the necessary leeway in this respect, for our failure to introduce a healthy dose of flexibility would make transposition a hugely expensive business for those very countries that have already done a great deal of work in developing efficient strategies. The draft must be adjusted accordingly. We say yes to European flood prevention but no to infringement of the subsidiarity principle and to unnecessary red tape."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples