WRITTEN QUESTION E-1099/01

by Olle Schmidt (ELDR) to the Council

(9 April 2001)

Subject: Aid for the victims of hurricane Mitch

In response to the devastation of large areas of Honduras and the death of tens of thousands of people caused by hurricane Mitch, the EU promised aid of SEK 2,2 billion towards reconstruction.

More than two years after the disaster, however, it appears that only a tenth of that amount has reached the victims of the hurricane.

While other countries have completed their projects, not even one tenth of the EU's billions has arrived. The remaining funds appear to be held up in Brussels.

What initiatives will the Council take to change procedures in order to avoid such mistakes in the event of future disasters?

Reply

(27 September 2001)

As the Honourable member is aware the EU co-operation policy is run by the Commission who is at present undergoing a process of reform in order to prevent some of the deficiencies for which it has been criticised in the past.

In relation to the Regional Program for the Reconstruction of Central America (RPRCA), the European Commission has set up a special administrative entity for the implementation of the programme accompanied by devolution of its management to a special unit set up at the Commission Delegation in Managua. The Commission has presented its First Annual report on implementation and monitoring of the RPRAC regarding year 2000 to the Council and, indeed, to the European Parliament.

The Council has been following very closely the situation and has called upon the Commission, through the appropriate means, to implement the EU Action Plan on Reconstruction efforts in Central America (RPRCA) without delay.

The Council also maintains an open exchange of views on the matter with its partners in Central America through the San Jose Dialogue. At the XV EU-San Jose Ministerial Conference held in Bonn on 20 May 1999, ministers discussed the contributions of the EU and of Central America to coping with the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch. The Central American countries acknowledged the rapid and generous response of the EU that amounted to more than 1 billion Euros, and welcomed the EU Action Plan on Reconstruction efforts in Central America, amounting to 250 million Euros. Ministers agreed that the reconstruction programme should tackle the structural problems in Central America beyond mere reconstruction, by transforming societies.

On this occasion the Central American part appreciated debt service moratorium and debt reduction decisions in the Paris Club, bilateral debt cancellations and contributions to the multilateral debt service facility as well as new European initiatives for debt reduction.

On the occasion of the XVI EU-San Jose Ministerial Conference held in Vilamoura on 20 February 2000 both parties stressed the importance of the RPRCA being implemented without delay and noted the existence of other long-term programmes financed by the Member States. Both parties recalled that the execution of those reconstruction programmes was to be carried out against the background of the Stockholm Declaration, with a view to contributing to the transformation of the societies of Central America, acting in a transparent and decentralised framework and guaranteeing active participation on the part of civil society, the NGOs and the private sector in the reconstruction process.

On the occasion of the VII San Jose Dialogue held in Guatemala on 26 May 2001 the Ministers welcomed with interest the progress report on aid granted by the European Commission up to the end of 2000 and, in particular, on the achievements of RPRCA.

Finally, in the field of disaster prevention and preparedness, reference should also be made to the allocation by the Commission, since July 1998, of 5,6 million to the Central American scheme of the Dipecho programme. The aim of the scheme is to reduce the vulnerability of the people of the region most exposed to such disasters. The programme focuses on two aspects: building the capacity of both national and regional institutions to react to natural disasters and, promoting exchanges of information and coordination between communities, civil protection agencies and local administration.