Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-09-20-Speech-1-255"
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"en.20100920.24.1-255"2
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"Mr President, on behalf of my colleague and friend, Kristalina Georgieva, who is unable to be here this evening, I should like to thank Mr Ferreira for the quality and the very comprehensive and very balanced nature of this timely report.
Finally, numerous initiatives are under way to increase our knowledge of disasters and their impact. We will therefore be able to better debate these issues in the future.
As you know, the Commission – and its President who, in 2004, in the wake of and as part of the analysis of the consequences of the tsunami and other disasters, asked me to work on this idea of a European Civil Protection Force – will soon be presenting proposals, under the authority of Mrs Georgieva, to strengthen the EU’s ability to react in the event of a disaster.
We are also going to continue to work on proposals to improve prevention. This is why I think that what the Commission is going to do, what it is going to propose to you, and what it will propose to the Member States, will alleviate the concerns which your report, Mr Ferreira, very usefully and very effectively highlights, in the wake of all these disasters.
As you have all said, and as Mr Mikolášik, in particular, said a moment ago, we have seen an increase in the number of disasters outside Europe – in Pakistan in particular, but also in Haiti – and at home as well, on European territory, in particular, in Central Europe. In your speeches, you mentioned Madeira, Ireland, Portugal and, Mr Jahr, the floods in Saxony. However, I have not forgotten the 2002 floods, which prompted me, when I was Commissioner in charge of regional policy, to conceive and ultimately propose, with the support of Mr Prodi, the creation of the Solidarity Fund, which has been frequently used since its establishment.
These events are a reminder that we must not become complacent but must constantly improve our procedures, strengthen our capacity to respond to disasters, and foster a prevention policy – prevention is always better than cure – in order to minimise the tragic consequences of these disasters.
The Commission is committed to maintaining this balanced approach in order to cover the three elements of prevention, preparation and response. Mr Ferreira, you stress the importance of EU financial instruments to support the actions of Member States in the area of prevention.
Mr Luhan mentioned the regional funds, which can also support national prevention measures. There is the Solidarity Fund, the importance of which Mr Kelly mentioned, and which I think I can say, Mrs Papadopoulou, is managed objectively, although one can always assess the rules on its use. This Solidarity Fund, with which I am quite familiar, also supports emergency actions to compensate the public for damage.
The Commission is currently assessing the effectiveness of all these existing instruments. We are working on a range of preventive measures which Member States could adopt if EU funding is sought. Our aim is also to increase the level of take-up of funds, which is what I think Mrs Patrão Neves called for.
Investing in prevention is necessary because it is another means of minimising repair and reconstruction costs. As you have pointed out, Mr Ferreira, we must develop a methodology for risk mapping.
We are working on establishing guidelines based on existing national initiatives and the adoption of best practice so that a common EU approach to specific risks can be established. I am thinking about forest fires, which have affected Greece, Portugal and Spain in recent years, and about extreme climatic disasters. Between now and the end of 2012, we will be encouraging Member States to adopt prevention measures based on good practice.
This year, we have also adopted a Green Paper on the protection of forests, and we are establishing an observatory to analyse the droughts that affect the EU."@en1
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