# CE2004084EN.01011901.xml

| 3.4.2004 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CE 84/119 |
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3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 84/119

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(2004/C 84 E/0155)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3931/03

by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Commission

(16 December 2003)

Subject:   Rehabilitation of areas devastated by the summer 2003 forest fires in Portugal

Subject:

The summer 2003 forest fires in Portugal devastated 410 000 hectares, i.e. 5 % of Portugal's landmass and 12 % of its woodlands, destroying numerous Natura 2000 Network areas, various cork oak, holm oak and oak forests, causing numerous deaths, destroying homes, killing animals and destroying crops in some of the country's most fragile and deprived rural regions.

Support provided under the aegis of the Solidarity Fund, although extremely useful, is nowhere like equal to the enormous task of rehabilitating incalculably valuable natural heritage on this scale, and a rural economy which is under threat of total disappearance.

At the Budgetary Committee meeting which discussed the Solidarity Fund contribution to Portugal, it was claimed that a total of EUR 180 million was going to be reprogrammed from Portuguese Structural Funds to cope with the challenge.

Could the Commission explain:

| 1. | Why amounts programmed for the 2000-2003 Structural Funds, and not yet taken up, cannot be reprogrammed to this end? |
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1.

Why amounts programmed for the 2000-2003 Structural Funds, and not yet taken up, cannot be reprogrammed to this end?

| 2. | Whether the Portuguese authorities have already submitted specific proposals for reprogramming the EUR 180 million, and whether this amount is earmarked for rehabilitating the natural heritage and the rural economy of the areas devastated? |
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2.

Whether the Portuguese authorities have already submitted specific proposals for reprogramming the EUR 180 million, and whether this amount is earmarked for rehabilitating the natural heritage and the rural economy of the areas devastated?

| 3. | What other means it thinks could be used to support this rehabilitation which, while of direct concern to Portugal, is of no less concern to Europe? |
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3.

What other means it thinks could be used to support this rehabilitation which, while of direct concern to Portugal, is of no less concern to Europe?

Supplementary answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(25 February 2004)

(25 February 2004)

The Solidarity Fund provided EUR 48,5 million of funding for urgent infrastructure restoration work following the summer 2003 fires in Portugal. Both further infrastructure restoration work and restoration of production potential in forestry and agriculture can be assisted using reprogrammed Structural Fund appropriations or from the Cohesion Fund. It falls to the programme management authorities in the affected zones to make proposals to this end. In addition, following mid-term evaluation of the national Community support framework the Portuguese authorities have confirmed their intention of using approximately EUR 180 million of the performance reserve to make good damage caused by the fires and reinforce preventive measures.

Negotiations with the Portuguese authorities are in progress. We cannot at present provide complete information on the programmes and measures concerned.

We attach great importance to action to help avert natural disasters. In the case of fire prevention various types of measure can be supported: increasing fire-fighting capacity, deployment of means of detecting and preventing fires, anti-erosion work, afforestation observing fire prevention standards etc.

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