WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3367/97 by José GARCÍA-MARGALLO Y MARFIL to the Commission. Floods in the EU: new Community initiative
Date: 1997-10-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: action programme, damage, degradation of the environment, disaster area, environmental policy, environmental risk prevention, erosion, flood, natural disaster, natural hazard

C 134/150

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

30. 4. 98

These natural disasters are not sporadic occurrences, but recur periodically, because of the geomorphological and
climatic characteristics of the area, and they affect other Member States such as Italy and France. Furthermore,
they have serious environmental consequences, since they accelerate the rate of soil erosion and deforestation, in
areas already suffering from very advanced ecological deterioration.

Has the Commission considered funding an in-depth study on the environmental, social and economic damage
caused by torrential rain in the EU?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-3363/97, E-3364/97 and E-3365/97
given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission

(25 November 1997)

The Commission wishes to extend its full sympathy to the European citizens hit by the floods in the Communities
of Valencia, Murcia and Andalusia in September 1997.

The Commission feels that prevention, which is so important, must be › and can be › improved through existing
cofinancing  resources,  in  particular  under  Objective  1,  which  extends  to  the  three  autonomous  communities.
Accordingly,  the  Commission  is  prepared  to  help  the  Spanish  authorities  to  solve  this  problem  through  the
European  Agricultural  Guidance  and  Guarantee  Fund,  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund  and  the
Cohesion  Fund.  It  will  receive  and  examine  any  request  to  reprogramme  current  measures  or  unallocated
appropriations for the purpose of protecting the sensitive area in question against such disasters in the context of
the financial allocations available under the Community support frameworks for the regions concerned.

In addition, in the course of its civil protection activities, the Commission encourages the exchange of experience
between experts in the Member States as well as research and consolidation of new knowledge by means of pilot
projects. The Council is currently discussing a proposal for an action programme.

With regard to the setting up of a task force to study the occurrence of floods on Community territory and to
coordinate  practical  solutions,  a  working  party  was  set  up  on  1  February  1995  to  examine  measures  to  be
undertaken to help minimise the effects of floods. This working party incorporated its conclusions in a report
which  was  studied  by  the  Commission  at  the  end  of  March  1995.  The  Commission  approved  the  report’s
suggestions to make adequate use of the available instruments.

The specific programme of research in the field of the environment and climate (1) contains a section on flooding,
which  made  provision  for  ten  or  so  research  projects  designed  to  forecast  flooding  and  reduce  damage.  The
results of this research work were presented at seminars and conferences and were published in proceedings
available on request.

(1)  OJ L 361, 31.12.1994.

(98/C 134/203)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3367/97

by Jose· Garc(cid:14)·a-Margallo y Marfil (PPE) to the Commission

(22 October 1997)

Subject: Floods in the EU: new Community initiative

The recent floods in the Spanish Mediterranean region in the last week of September have caused major personal
and  material  damage.  In  the  Valencian  community,  Murcia  and  Andalucia,  material  damage  is  estimated  at
PTA 20 000 million, according to preliminary provisional figures issued by the Union of Small Farmers.

These natural disasters are not sporadic occurrences, but recur periodically, because of the geomorphological and
climatic characteristics of the area, and they affect other Member States such as Italy and France. Furthermore,
they have serious environmental consequences, since they accelerate the rate of soil erosion and deforestation, in
areas already suffering from very advanced ecological deterioration.