The European Parliament,

–  having regard to the final report of the UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction held on 18-22 January 2005 in Kobe, Hyogo (CA/CONF 206/6) and in particular to the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015,

–  having regard to the Declaration issued at the Euro-Mediterranean Forum on Disaster Reduction held in Madrid, Spain on 6-8 October 2003,

–  having regard to the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP) instituted by the Commission in June 2000,

–  having regard to the Report of the Commission on working to combat fire and drought in the EU of 10 August 2005,

–  having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas, in the summer of 2005, Europe has been seriously affected by natural disasters of hydrometeorological origin which have led to serious consequences in terms of loss of human life as well as huge damage to personal property, agriculture, agricultural land and the environment,

B.  whereas, after the worst drought in years, Portugal, Spain and parts of France were ravaged by wildfires which destroyed around 215 000 hectares of forest and claimed the lives of 14 people in Portugal as well as 11 fire-fighters in Guadalajara (Spain),

C.  whereas, on the other hand, violent storms and torrential rains have caused a wave of severe flooding in Germany, Austria, Lithuania and Switzerland as well as in Bulgaria and Romania; whereas, throughout these countries, people have been forced to evacuate their homes, miles of road have been flooded and thousands of cases of damage to property have been reported, while other properties have been completely destroyed; whereas several people were killed by the floods, the highest loss of human life being registered in Romania (31 persons) and Bulgaria (26 persons),

D.   whereas these kinds of natural disasters are closely related to climate change and in particular to the greenhouse effect which, as outlined at the last G-8 meeting in Gleneagles (UK), depends on human activities,

E.   whereas every summer problems of extreme drought, flooding and wildfires are registered in Europe and they can be expected to recur in a more acute way in the years ahead,

1.  Welcomes the performance of all the persons who were involved in limiting the damage caused by natural disasters in the summer of 2005 and in particular the work of fire-fighters, civil protection authorities and the military forces of every country which provided important support in limiting the damage;

2.  Welcomes the rapid intervention of the civil protection authorities of all European Member States in the zones affected, thanks to the rapid alert given by the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) of the Commission;

3.  Welcomes the intention of the Commission to negotiate by 2012 an agreement as a follow-up to the Kyoto Protocol, which will include some improvements;

4.   Expresses its condolences to the victims of natural disasters in the summer of 2005 in Europe; deeply regrets the suffering which the damage to personal property has caused;

5.   Sends a message of condolence and deepest sympathy to the USA, which is currently seeking to cope with the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina;

6.   Notes with grave concern that there is still a certain lack of capacity to limit the impact of natural hazards and calls for a renewed effort to improve prevention;

7.   Outlines the importance of the adoption of a more proactive approach to reduce the number of lives lost in disasters and the loss of social, economic and environmental assets which communities and countries are reliant upon;

8.   Recalls that for the second successive year greenhouse gas emissions are increasing at European level; calls on Member States, therefore, to strictly adhere to their fixed commitment of an 8% reduction in emissions under the Kyoto Protocol;

9.   Encourages Member States to pursue the cooperation to build up an effective European Civil Protection System and hopes that the MIC of the Commission will be able to support Member States in the field of disaster prevention;

10.  Is of the view that correct land management, accompanied by periodic monitoring of the state of woods, respect for the role of river beds, floodplains and wetlands and also individual contributions to the rational use of water, is a fundamental way of reducing natural disasters;

11.  Welcomes the intention of the Commission to prepare a new EU Directive on flood management;

12.  Outlines the importance of the intervention of the Solidarity Fund in the areas affected by the summer disasters not only in the European Union but also in the countries negotiating accession which were similarly affected by the natural disasters of 2005;

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