Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-07-11-Speech-3-452"
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"en.20070711.36.3-452"2
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"Madam President, it is terrible that we once again have to talk about natural disasters, this time the fires that have taken place in some of the Member States.
I wish to point out that three years ago there was a disastrous fire in the Huelva area of my region, Andalusia. The following year we had another disastrous fire in Guadalajara province, which claimed 11 lives, and last year, there was another fire, on a similarly huge scale, in Galicia.
Let me tell you, Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, that Parliament took action in response. It sent delegations not only to my country but also to all the Member States concerned. These delegations had a major social impact and we were left with the hope that the EU, with its expressions of solidarity, would be capable of responding effectively.
In the committee that I have the honour of chairing, we have worked hard, in conjunction with the Commission, to reform the Solidarity Fund in such a way that it can be adapted to current circumstances, because, ladies and gentlemen, it is virtually impossible to mobilise the Solidarity Fund in the event of fires.
The Council gave Mr Barnier – former Commissioner for Regional Policy and now Minister in the French Government – the task of drawing up a report to create a European civil protection force. The report was very well received and was presented to a specially convened public hearing here in this Chamber.
The reality is that the German Presidency refused to address this issue and we now hope that the Portuguese Presidency will succeed in persuading their colleagues in the Council to take into account the proposal they have on the table, which was drawn up by the Commission and amended by Parliament.
I feel, Madam President, that we must initiate proactive joint action on the part of both the Commission and Parliament, because this is what the European citizens demand, and because it is our responsibility and our obligation.
I can assure you that my group will try to ensure that this will tie in perfectly with the resolution that we will adopt in September."@en1
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