Flooding in Italy
23.11.2011
Question for written answer E-011214/2011
to the Commission
Rule 117
Barbara Matera (PPE) , Mario Mauro (PPE) , Roberta Angelilli (PPE) , Guido Milana (S&D) , Debora Serracchiani (S&D) , Vincenzo Iovine (ALDE) , Silvia Costa (S&D) , Licia Ronzulli (PPE) , Gabriele Albertini (PPE) , Lorenzo Fontana (EFD) , Potito Salatto (PPE) , Salvatore Tatarella (PPE) , Sergio Paolo Frances Silvestris (PPE) , Magdi Cristiano Allam (PPE) , Fiorello Provera (EFD) , Giancarlo Scottà (EFD) , Mario Pirillo (S&D) , Vittorio Prodi (S&D) , Oreste Rossi (EFD) , Pier Antonio Panzeri (S&D) , Francesca Balzani (S&D) , Crescenzio Rivellini (PPE) , Giovanni La Via (PPE) , Salvatore Iacolino (PPE) , Aldo Patriciello (PPE) , Andrea Cozzolino (S&D) , Andrea Zanoni (ALDE) , Sergio Gaetano Cofferati (S&D) , Clemente Mastella (PPE) , Elisabetta Gardini (PPE) , Giommaria Uggias (ALDE) , Niccolò Rinaldi (ALDE) , Gianni Vattimo (ALDE) , Amalia Sartori (PPE) , Lara Comi (PPE) , Roberto Gualtieri (S&D) , Marco Scurria (PPE) , Gianluca Susta (S&D) , Erminia Mazzoni (PPE) , Claudio Morganti (EFD) , Carlo Casini (PPE) , Francesco Enrico Speroni (EFD) , Antonello Antinoro (PPE) , Rosario Crocetta (S&D) , Alfredo Antoniozzi (PPE) , Mara Bizzotto (EFD) , Alfredo Pallone (PPE) , Paolo De Castro (S&D) and Paolo Bartolozzi (PPE)
The whole of Italy has been hit by severe weather in recent weeks. The Liguria, Piedmont, Tuscany, Veneto, Calabria, Sicily, Puglia and Basilicata regions were hit by severe flooding, with rivers bursting their banks. In addition to causing extensive damage, the flooding has brought with it serious social and economic problems.
A large number of people have been left homeless, entire villages have been evacuated and landslides and mudslides have closed road and rail links.
Areas which rely on farming and tourism as their main sources of income are counting the social and economic costs of the flooding. Outstanding natural features and landscapes that have received international recognition have been totally destroyed.
1. Does the Commission intend to mobilise the European Union Solidarity Fund with a view to enabling the affected areas to return to normal as soon as possible. If so, how?
2. In the light of its communication entitled ‘Towards a stronger European disaster response’, how does it intend to improve prevention and preparedness policies and promote training and exchange schemes for experts, as well as cooperation projects to try out new disaster risk reduction approaches?
OJ C 180 E, 21/06/2012