WRITTEN QUESTION P-0024/00 by Béatrice Patrie (PSE) to the Commission. Aid to French departments hit by storms.
Date: 2000-01-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: France, Structural Funds, aid to disaster victims, bad weather, eligibility criteria

C 303 E/126

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

24.10.2000

be associated with the operation of the Eurodac system, whilst respecting the Protocol on the position of
Denmark. The Commission is considering whether a mechanism for Danish participation based on an
agreement between the Community and Denmark would be fully consistent with the provisions of the
Treaties, including the Protocol on the position of Denmark. This requires intensive legal scrutiny and is
certainly an unprecedented situation. Any approach which placed Denmark in a position not equivalent to
that of the other Member States, for instance in relation to the jurisdiction of the Court of justice, would
however be unacceptable. The Commission is continuing to reflect on this matter.

(1) Proposal for a Council Regulation concerning the establishment of (cid:145)Eurodac(cid:146) for the comparison of the fingerprints

of applicants for asylum and certain other aliens, COM(1999) 260 final, Brussels, 26.05.1999.

(2) Protocol on the position on Denmark annexed to the Treaty establishing the European Community and the Treaty

on European Union.

(3) The states referred to in Article 1 of the Protocol integrating the Schengen acquis into the framework of the

European Union.

(2000/C 303 E/127)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0024/00

by BØatrice Patrie (PSE) to the Commission

(13 January 2000)

Subject: Aid to French departments hit by storms

Two violent storms hit France between 25 and 27 December 1999, killing more than 80 people and
depriving thousands of households of electricity, heating, running water and telephone lines for several
days.

Stock is now being taken of the situation in the most seriously affected departments (Charente-Maritime,
Charente, Haute-Vienne, Creuse, Gironde, Dordogne, CorrŁze, Landes and Seine-et-Marne), and the damage
is estimated at over FF 40 bn. It will take weeks for normal services to be fully restored.

Although a large proportion of
the worst-hit
departments will still need to pay out huge sums to help with the reconstruction of devastated areas and
repair the extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure.

the costs will be covered by insurance companies,

Is the European Union prepared, on an exceptional basis, to establish an emergency fund to provide the
affected French departments with financial aid?

Will the Commission give priority to the worst-hit departments and areas when it next determines which
parts of France should be eligible for Structural Fund aid?

In a longer-term perspective, does the Commission intend to reintroduce the budget line for (cid:145)aid in the
event of natural disasters(cid:146), which was removed a few years ago?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(10 February 2000)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to her oral question H-8/00
during Question Time in the January 2000 part-session, and to Parliament(cid:146)s debate on the storms in
Europe and the Resolution adopted on 20 January 2000 (1).

Moreover, under the new Structural Funds Regulation (2), the Commission and the Member State are jointly
responsible for defining which areas are eligible under Objective 2. Each Member State must propose to
the Commission a list of areas it considers to be priorities. Acting on the proposal submitted by the French
authorities, the Commission therefore took a decision of principle on the list of areas eligible under
Objective 2 on 18 January 2000.

(1) Debates of the European Parliament (January 2000).
(2) OJ L 161, 26.6.1999.