Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-03-11-Speech-4-058"
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"en.20100311.3.4-058"2
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"Mr President, on behalf of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, I would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of the natural disasters that have hit Portugal, Madeira, France and Spain.
Last week, a delegation from my Group went to Madeira, visited the areas most affected by the catastrophe and met with the regional and local authorities and business, industrial, trade and farmers’ associations.
We retain striking images and messages from what we saw and heard. We learnt of entire families who died in their own homes; we heard dramatic testimonies about people being pulled under the water, never to be seen again. Entire houses moved from one side of the street to the other, and cars still containing their passengers were swept away from the streets into the sea.
However, the courage of Madeira’s people in overcoming adversity was equally striking. I will never forget the pictures of determination of those who,despite losing their businesses, their homes and their possessions, refused to give up. On the contrary, they got straight to work, ready to start again from scratch. In just a few days, tonnes and tonnes of stone, earth and other debris were removed from the centre of the city of Funchal.
The national, regional and local authorities joined efforts so that life on the island could go back to normal. Therefore, it is important to announce that tourists can return to Madeira. Its natural beauty and the warmth of its people await us.
The people of Madeira are now also awaiting the solidarity of the European institutions to be able to rebuild the roads, bridges and public buildings that were destroyed. The tradesmen, industrialists and farmers also need our support in rebuilding their lives and contributing to the economic development of the region.
I am greatly pleased, Commissioner, to hear that the Commission, as well as Parliament and the Council, is determined to unblock the Cohesion Fund – the new proposal that has already been adopted by Parliament – so that new rules that are better adapted to the real needs of the public can be implemented.
As you know, Commissioner, it is also necessary that the other structural funds are restructured and redeployed to the most affected areas, because special situations require special solutions."@en1
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