Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-11-23-Speech-2-007"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20101123.3.2-007"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, over recent weeks, severe floods have struck several European countries, bringing the populations of the affected regions to their knees.
Last week, four Belgian citizens lost their lives in the provinces of Waals-Brabant, Oost-Vlanderen and Henegouwen, on the border between the capital and the northern part of the country. As far as the authorities are concerned, it was the worst flood of the past 50 years. In two days, as much rain fell as normally falls in one month. It was so bad that the army had to intervene to evacuate the hardest hit areas.
Similar situations arose in the western part of France, where many roads were impassable to traffic and caused gridlock to the transport system. Seed could not be sown in autumn due to the continual rain that prevented access to the land.
Twenty days ago, my own country, Italy, was also hard hit in the regions of Veneto, where two deaths occurred, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Liguria and Calabria, with one fatality in each, and the province of Salerno in Campania and Tuscany, where three people died, with dozens of injured people having to be extricated from the mud and rubble and one person who is still missing in Rovigo.
The damage amounts to more than EUR 1 billion for the most immediate work alone, to which must be added the funds necessary for structural works. More than 4 500 homeless, 280 municipalities and more than 500 000 people affected, farming areas devastated and 150 000 dead livestock.
I would like to highlight two aspects. The first is the exceptional mobilisation of the aid machinery and the world of solidarity that sent thousands of volunteers to support the people struck by the first stage of the emergency. They deserve the thanks and appreciation of our institution.
The second aspect is linked to the long-term effects that this catastrophe will trigger. The fabric of the European manufacturing industry is made up of small and medium-sized enterprises that have lost everything: machinery, vehicles and materials. The same applies to the thousands of farms that have seen their crops destroyed but also the tractors, machinery and seeds rendered useless by the mud, with stables and stock farms flooded and thousands of cattle and poultry drowned.
These farms, which were already struggling with the economic crisis, are now destined for bankruptcy. Over time, the floods will lead to the destruction of the productive system, with unemployment and depletion of the affected lands. Europe must therefore play its part as a matter of urgency by assuring the governments of those countries affected of its willingness to mobilise the Solidarity Fund.
Even if it means overriding the strict criteria for fund activation and even without the approval of the 2011 budget, we must respond immediately to our fellow citizens who are still experiencing, even now, the effects of such a great crisis, and who are entitled to feel that Parliament is behind them and the European Union is providing substantial support."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples