MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the floods in Central European countries
26.6.2013 - (2013/2683(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Jaromír Kohlíček, Jiří Maštálka, Miloslav Ransdorf, Vladimír Remek, Patrick Le Hyaric, Lothar Bisky, Helmut Scholz, Sabine Wils, Jürgen Klute, Alfreds Rubiks, Gabriele Zimmer on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0319/2013
B7‑0322/2013
European Parliament resolution on the floods in Central European countries
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Article 3 of the Treaty of the EU and Articles 191 and 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU,
– having regard to the Commission proposal for a Regulation establishing a European Union Solidarity Fund (COM (2005)0108) and to Parliament’s position of 18 May 2006[1],
– having regard to its resolutions of 5 September 2002 on floods in Europe[2], of 8 September 2005 on natural disasters (fires and floods) in Europe this summer[3], of 18 May 2006 on natural disasters (forest fires, droughts and floods) – agricultural aspects, regional development aspects and environmental aspects[4], of 7 September 2006 on forest fires and floods[5], and of 17 June 2010 on the floods in central European countries, in particular Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, and in France[6],
– having regard to the White Paper entitled ‘Adapting to climate change: Towards a European framework for action’ (COM(2009)0147) and to the Communication from the Commission on a Community approach on the prevention of natural and man-made disasters (COM(2009)0082),
– having regard to the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change of 11 December 1997 and to the Community’s ratification of the Protocol on 4 March 2002,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas a major natural disaster has occurred, in the form of floods taking place in various European Union Member States, particularly in Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and France, resulting in human casualties and the necessity to evacuate thousands of people;
B. whereas the said disaster has caused serious damage, including to infrastructure, enterprises and arable land, also destroying elements of natural and cultural heritage, and possibly creating public health risks;
C. whereas it is necessary to undertake reconstruction of the areas destroyed or damaged by the disaster in order to make up for the economic and social losses;
1. Expresses its strong solidarity with the inhabitants of the regions affected by the disaster; takes into consideration their possible serious economic effects and pays its respects and condolences to the families of the victims;
2. We express disappointment that some politicians present this disaster as an entrepreneurial opportunity like in case of Hurricane Katrina in the south of the USA in 2005, when Milton Friedman presented the flooding as a pretext to destroy the rest of the public sector;
3. Acknowledges the relentless efforts of search and rescue units, both professional and voluntary, who save lives and reduce the damage in affected areas, as well as the many individual citizens who fought to save their livelihoods and their surrounding environment;
4. Believes that these disasters will have consequences not only at national level, and therefore calls for a real commitment to the countryside at EU level;
5. Asks the national and regional governments of the countries concerned to provide all necessary help and support in addition to and in close connection with EU emergency aid;
6. Urges the Commission to mobilise urgent EU aid programmes and the current EU Solidarity Fund in the most flexible manner possible and without delay, and to make available the resources needed for the purpose of relieving suffering and supporting rehabilitation plans for the affected areas, as well as the restoration of their productive potential;
7. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to support the areas affected by the economic and social effects of the disaster in the swiftest manner possible;
8. Calls on the Commission to be flexible as regards negotiating with the relevant authorities if a revision of the relevant operational programmes under planning or implementation becomes necessary in the regions affected by the disaster;
9. Calls upon the Commission to take into consideration the differences between the regions affected, which include mountain and riverside areas, so as to assist victims in the best manner possible;
10. Urges the Commission to promote measures so that public works financed by EU funds include an amount of public investment for the improvement, care, maintenance and increase of public environmental infrastructures;
11. Asks the Commission and the Member States not only to invest more in dams and other flood prevention measures, but also to ensure that flood risk management measures focus on the prevention of damage through changes in land use and through giving rivers more space where possible; considers that such measures, which work with nature and not against it, would protect people, property and the environment and help achieve environmentally sustainable water management and land use planning, as well as the EU objective for biodiversity and the EU climate change adaptation strategy;
12. Asks the national governments of all Member States to increase their European and international efforts to fight the causes and consequences of climate change and to reduce vigorously all kinds of emissions to the atmosphere, in order to meet and surpass their environmental targets for 2020;
13. Is concerned at the increasing number of natural disasters which, in the opinion of the experts, can be partly attributed to climate change and the intensification of extreme weather conditions, and to farming and forestry practices that are inefficient, environmentally unsound, economically unsustainable and socially outdated and discriminatory, since they entail the depopulation of large natural areas whose conservation requires a human presence;
14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States and the regional and local authorities responsible for the affected areas.