B4-1134/95

Resolution on the wave of forest fires in Portugal

The European Parliament,

A. having regard to its previous resolutions on forest fires in the south of the EU,

B. whereas no reply has been received to Parliament's successive requests for the Commission to submit a report on the situation created by the fires which occurred in 1992, 1993 and 1994,

C. whereas the lack of such information and of a list of measures adopted in each Member State and at Community level, including technical, administrative and educational measures and measures under civil and criminal law, has impeded the introduction of a global strategy to safeguard and support Community forests,

D. whereas the areas devastated by the fires are far larger than the area replanted each year,

E. whereas Community policy has been limited to occasional extraordinary emergency aid to mitigate the damage in the worst-affected areas, which is essential but also reveals the lack of a general prevention policy and of effective means and instruments for taking action,

F. whereas the CAP has responsibilities in the present situation, since it encourages the afforestation of set-aside farmland and consequently the increasing human desertification of various areas and regions,

G. having regard to the importance of forestry in the economy of certain regions and in the activity of hundreds of thousands of small forest proprietors,

H. whereas the more than 32 000 fires recorded this summer in all regions of Portugal (many of criminal origin), have resulted in the loss of 82 000 ha of forest, including nature reserves and protected areas, death and destruction in residential areas and other damage which has yet to be assessed, such as economic and financial damage, environmental damage, soil erosion and the process of desertification which is linked to the present drought,

I. whereas, of the 226 000 ha destroyed by fire in Portugal between 1991 and 1993, only 67 000 ha have been replanted,

J. whereas the Government's shortcomings in the areas of prevention (inadequate resources, a deterioration in existing resources, only 900 forest rangers for 3 million ha of forest, etc.), forestry planning and organization, together with the lack of a basic law on forestry, is partly responsible for the approximately 85 000 forest fires recorded since 1992,

K. having regard to the pressures caused by building speculation and the plan to replant the affected areas with eucalyptus trees,

The European Parliament,

1. Regrets the loss of human life, offers its condolences to the relatives and expresses its solidarity with the victims and with the firemen for their untiring efforts;

2. Calls on the Commission to provide urgent financial assistance to the areas in Portugal worst affected by the fires, some of which are facing veritable disasters, with priority to be given to the replanting of the affected areas with native species;

3. Reiterates its previous statements on forest fires, their causes and the measures it considers essential to combat this economic, social and environmental scourge;

4. Insists that the Commission submit to Parliament, by the end of this year, a survey of the situation caused by forest fires in recent years, the measures taken at national and Community level and a proposal for a global prevention strategy to protect Community forests;

5. Calls on the Commission to include among the measures to be taken the creation of a Community forest fund;

6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and Council, the Portuguese Government and Assembly of the Republic, the National Fire Service and the National Association of Portuguese Local Authorities.