Joint motion for a resolution - RC-B6-0323/2007Joint motion for a resolution
RC-B6-0323/2007

JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

3.9.2007

pursuant to Rule 103(4) of the Rules of Procedure, by
replacing the motions by the following groups: on natural disasters

Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
RC-B6-0323/2007

European Parliament resolution on natural disasters

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to Articles 2, 6 and 174 of the EC Treaty,

–  having regard to its resolutions of 7 September 2006 on forest fires and floods[1], 5 September 2002 on floods in Europe[2], 14 April 2005 on the drought in Portugal[3], 12 May 2005 on the drought in Spain[4], and 8 September 2005 on natural disasters (fires and floods) in Europe[5], and its resolutions of 18 May 2006 on natural disasters (forest fires, droughts and floods) – agricultural aspects[6], regional development aspects[7] and environmental aspects[8],

–  having regard to the two joint public hearings organised by its Committee on Regional Development, its Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and its Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development on a 'European Strategy for Natural Disasters' (20 March 2006), and on the 'European civil protection force: Europe aid' (5 October 2006),

–  having regard to the Council Decision of 23 October 2001 establishing a Community mechanism to facilitate reinforced cooperation in civil protection assistance interventions (2001/792/EC, Euratom)[9], to the forthcoming adoption of the recast Council Decision establishing a Community civil protection mechanism and the Parliament’s position of 24 October 2006[10],

–  having regard to the Commission proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and the Council establishing a European Union Solidarity Fund (COM(2005)0108), and to Parliament's position of 18 May 2006[11],

–  having regard to Michel Barnier's report of 9 May 2006, entitled 'For a European civil protection force: Europe aid',

–  having regard to its legislative resolution of 25 April 2007 on the Council common position with a view to the adoption of a directive on the assessment and management of floods[12],

–  having regard to the Council Decision of 5 March 2007 establishing a Civil Protection Financial Instrument (2007/162/EC, Euratom)[13],

–  having regard to the conclusions of the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting of 12 and 13 June 2007 on enhancing the coordination capacity of the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) within the Community civil protection mechanism,

–  having regard to the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) of December 1997 and the Community's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on 4 March 2002,

–  having regard to the 'Forest Focus' regulation (Regulation (EC) No 2152/2003 of 17 November 2003),

–  having regard to point 12 of the Presidency Conclusions of the Brussels European Council of 15 and 16 June 2006 concerning the Union's responsiveness to emergencies, crises and disasters,

–  having regard to the Commission Communication on droughts[14],

–  having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  having regard to the devastating fires and the violent floods which have caused death and destruction throughout the European continent, in particular in Greece and the United Kingdom, during the summer of 2007, affecting EU Member States, outermost regions, in particular Martinique and Guadeloupe, which were hit by Hurricane Dean, applicant countries and the EU's immediate neighbours; whereas the area burned in July alone was as large as the total area burned during the whole of last year; whereas in the month of August, Greece has experienced a severe national tragedy as a result of one of the most lethal fire disasters to have occurred in the world since 1871,

B.   whereas the total area of vegetation and woodland, including Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) forming part of the Natura 2000 network and other areas of major ecological value, with ecological connectivity between the whole region, that was affected by the fires in Europe this summer is more than 700 000 hectares, and the most severely affected countries are Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, FYROM, Spain (and in particular the Canary Islands and the province of Castillón), Ukraine, Turkey and Albania,

C.   whereas the recent devastating forest fires in Greece resulted in the loss of more than 60 human lives and injuries to many people, the burning of more than 250 000 hectares, the burning of thousands of hectares of forest and brush land, the loss of animals, the destruction of many houses and properties and the obliteration of villages,

D.   whereas, at the same time, other parts of Europe experienced severe floods, in particular the UK, resulting in the loss of at least 10 lives and causing an estimated EUR 5 billion worth of damage to homes, schools, infrastructure and agriculture and the failure of supplies of clean water to over 420 000 people, leading to the displacement of large numbers of people and significant losses for businesses, agriculture and the tourism industry; whereas Italy has experienced the critical situation of floods in the Centre-North and droughts and fires in the South while extreme droughts occurred in eastern Europe, particularly in Romania,

E.   whereas the Community Civil Protection Mechanism was activated twelve times for the same kind of emergency in a two-month time period, and seven of the emergencies were simultaneous; whereas Member States' assistance was not sufficient to ensure a rapid and adequate civil protection response to all of the emergencies,

F.   whereas, with increasingly hot and dry summer seasons in Southern Europe, forest fires and other wild fires are a recurrent phenomenon, but still vary dramatically from year to year in intensity and in geographical location; whereas the trend of these disastrous events is also influenced by climate change and linked to the increasing occurrence of heat waves and droughts, as noted in the Commission Communication on droughts; whereas investment in combating climate change is therefore an investment in preventing drought and forest fire disasters; whereas, in periods of drought, which are becoming increasingly long, it will always be more difficult to restore forests after a fire, with the attendant risk of desertification,

G.   having regard to the damaging economic and social consequences of the natural disasters for regional economies, productive activity and tourism,

H.  whereas the high number of fires in southern Europe in 2007, as well as their extent, is the result of a number of factors, including climate change, an insufficient definition and care of forests and a combination of natural causes and human negligence, but also of human criminal activities, together with the inadequate implementation of laws prohibiting illegal building on burnt lands,

I.  whereas the European Union needs to acknowledge the specific nature of natural disasters occurring in the form of Mediterranean droughts and fires and to adapt its prevention, research, risk management, civil defence and solidarity tools accordingly,

1.  Expresses its condolences to and strong solidarity with the relatives of those who lost their lives and with residents in the affected areas;

2.  Pays tribute to the fire-fighters, professionals and volunteers who have worked tirelessly and risked their lives to extinguish fires, rescue people and limit damage from this summer’s natural disasters, as well as to the many individual citizens who fought to save their livelihoods and their surrounding environment;

3.  Asks the Commission to mobilise the current EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) in the most flexible manner possible and without delay, avoiding time-consuming procedures or administrative obstacles; considers, in this respect, that the necessary resources need to be made available immediately for the purpose of relieving the suffering and satisfying the needs of victims and their immediate families by means of the EUSF, any other Community Instrument (e.g. Structural Funds or EARDF), or any other possible financial means;

4.  Urges the Commission to introduce extraordinary Community aid arrangements, especially of a financial nature, so as to support the rehabilitation of the regions which have suffered heavy damages, restore the productive potential in the affected areas, seek to re-launch job creation and take the appropriate measures to compensate the social costs inherent in the loss of jobs and other income sources;

5.  Emphasises the need to speed up the procedure to access EU funds for the recovery of agricultural land following floods and fires and for more financial aid to be made available in the development of flood defences; calls on the Commission and Member States to review and share best practices in the light of the latest research on the increased risks of flooding and forest fires caused by the way in which land, habitat and drainage are managed; urges the Member States to facilitate natural drainage and water retention in the environment as far as possible, while also increasing the capacity of flood control and drainage infrastructure to limit the damage from extreme rainfall;

6.  Acknowledges the solidarity of the European Union, its Member States and other countries in assisting the affected regions during forest fire emergencies with the supply of aircraft, fire-fighting equipment and expertise, as well as the commendable help provided to the relevant authorities and rescue;

7.  Recognises the contribution of the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) in supporting and facilitating the mobilisation and coordination of civil protection assistance during emergencies; notes, however, that Member States' resources to combat forest fires, especially by aerial means, are limited and that it is not always possible for Member States to offer support when the resources are needed nationally; notes, as a result, that some Member States received less assistance than others and had to rely on bilateral agreements with non-EU states for assistance; regrets, therefore, that in some cases the EU as a whole failed to display sufficient solidarity;

8.  Strongly urges the Council to reach a decision, without further delay, on the new EU Solidarity Fund regulation, bearing in mind that the European Parliament adopted its position in May 2006; considers the Council's delay in this respect to be unacceptable; believes that the new regulation, which - among other measures - lowers the thresholds for the mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund, will be able to address damage in a more effective, flexible and timely manner; calls on the Portuguese Presidency-in-Office, as well as the EU Ministers for Finance, the Environment, Agriculture and Regional Development, to take swift and firm action immediately; suggests to this end that an extraordinary joint Council meeting of these responsible EU Ministers be called, at which Parliament and the Commission would be present as observers;

9.  Requests the creation of a European force that could immediately react in emergencies, as proposed in Commissioner Barnier's report, and regrets the lack of response and follow-up in this respect; also emphasises, in this context, the need to continue the development of a rapid reaction capability based on the civil protection modules of the Member States, as called for by the Brussels European Council of 16 and 17 June 2006; asks the Commission to draw up a concrete proposal to this end; underlines the role of Member States and their local authorities in effectively preventing and combating fires;

10  Urges the Commission to request from the Member States the operational programmes that are in place to deal with natural disasters and experiences in the application thereof and to examine the adequacy of the prevention, preparedness and response measures utilised, with a view to exchanging experiences and drawing conclusions on immediate measures, coordination of administrative and operational bodies and availability of necessary human resources and material; invites the Commission to explore the potential for cooperation with the EU's neighbouring countries and other third countries in fighting disastrous fires, exchanging best practices and/or capacities during the hazardous summer months in order to be better prepared for the forest fires season in 2008;

11.  Considers that the previous years' and recent experience emphasises the need to strengthen the Community civil protection prevention preparedness and response capability in connection with forest and other wild fires, and strongly urges the Commission to take action towards this end;

12.  Invites the Commission to look into the possibility of having prearranged access to a complementary capacity to ensure a rapid response to major emergencies, which may be available from other sources, including the commercial market; suggests that the cost of the stand-by force could be covered through the Civil Protection Financial Instrument;

13.  Welcomes the recent Council Decision of 5 March 2007 establishing a Civil Protection Financial Instrument and believes that the actions receiving financial assistance under this instrument should ensure the visible expression of European solidarity and provide further European added value to the effective management of natural disasters; is concerned, however, that the amount allocated to this new instrument will not be sufficient to carry out its ambitious tasks effectively;

14.  Emphasises the need for stronger measures aimed at the prevention of natural disasters and, in this connection, eagerly awaits the publication in 2008 of two Commission studies aimed at the creation of an integrated strategy for the prevention of natural disasters; suggests furthermore that the Commission look into potential uses of open coordination for the purpose of preventing natural disasters, through comprehensive care for the territory in order to increase retention time for water bodies and comprehensive forest care to reduce as far as possible the fire load of forests and the spread and velocity of fires; points out that the recovered biomass could contribute to the economic feasibility of the operation;

15.  Calls on the Commission to carry out more research geared to improving forest fire prevention and forest fire-fighting methods and materials and to review planning and land use; urges the Member States, therefore, to take strong action to improve and implement their forest protection legislative framework and to abstain from commercialisation, reclassification and privatisation activities, thus limiting intrusion and speculation; considers that all available EU know-how, including satellite systems, should be used to this end;

16  Deplores the fact that so many of these forest fires appear to have been started by acts of arson, and is particularly concerned that criminal acts of arson are increasingly to blame for forest fires in Europe; calls on the Member States, therefore, to strengthen penal sanctions for criminal acts that damage the environment and, in particular, for those causing forest fires, and believes that prompt and effective investigation to determine responsibilities, followed by a proportionate punishment, would discourage negligent and deliberate behaviours;

17.  Voices its concern at the growing number of disasters caused by extreme climate events which, according to the experts, may be attributed largely to climate change due to global warming; calls, accordingly, on the Member States to take the necessary steps to comply with the Kyoto goals, and calls on the Commission to take action to ensure respect for the Kyoto commitments and secure their follow-up; calls on the Commission and all relevant public authorities to take into account climate change and increased likelihood of disasters such as flooding and forest fires when it comes to setting budgets and contingency reserves for the emergency services;

18.  Calls on the Commission to continue collaboration with national authorities in order to develop policies that minimise the environmental impact of fires; calls for a reforestation policy based on respect for bio-climatic and environmental characteristics; emphasises the need to collect and register data relating to the natural resources of each Member State, through the creation of 'Green National Accounts' in the form of a database open to all citizens;

19.  Considers that Volunteer Civil Protection Action should be promoted and supported without delay, with basic training activities and equipment that might harness advanced technologies, since this is one of the major resources available to the Member States when dealing with states of emergency arising from natural disasters; calls on the European Union and its Member States to make society aware of the value of our forests and its resources and the benefits of its conservation, promoting the involvement of civil society through organised volunteering or by other methods;

20.  Believes that a precondition for the long-term protection and territorial care of forests is sustainable programming and implementation of regional and rural development plans that aim to reduce the depopulation of rural areas, create new diversified rural income, especially for the younger generation, and establish the necessary modernised infrastructure to attract sustainable tourism and services to rural areas;

21.  Stresses that natural disasters, and in particular forest fires, have this year placed in considerable danger monuments and archaeological sites that are of major importance to the European cultural heritage; draws attention, in this connection, to the threat to Ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games and, in particular, its museum, as a World Heritage Site; asks that resources be made available immediately for the purposes of restoration should sites of European cultural heritage be damaged by the continuing forest fires;

22.  Urges the Member States to ensure that all burned forest areas will remain forests and are covered by reforestation programmes, and that no land use change should be allowed, to implement adequate legislation on conservation and appropriate land use including sustainable farm and forestry practices, water management and efficient risk management and to immediately plan extended reconstruction policies for tourism and the affected local economy;

23.  Calls on the Commission to monitor the proper, efficient and effective use of all emergency funds made available to Member States to tackle the consequences of natural disasters;

24.  Suggests that a delegation from the European Parliament be sent to the countries most affected by recent natural disasters in order to express its solidarity with the population, to monitor the level of destruction to lives, properties, social networks, the environment and the economy, and to draw useful conclusions with a view to improving prevention and responses in the future to similar extreme situations in the EU;

25.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, and the parliaments and governments of the Member States.