WRITTEN QUESTION P-3371/00 by Francesco Musotto (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Floods in north-west Italy.
Date: 2000-10-25
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, Structural Funds, civil defence, emergency aid, flood

6.6.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 163 E/103

Can the Commission therefore say;

1. what the reason for the delays is;

2. what it intends to do to ensure that the procedure for submitting applications remains accessible to as

many towns as possible, in particular to the smallest ones;

3. whether there is a report assessing the results of the programme?

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(7 December 2000)

The Commission continues to be very much aware that the town-twinning assistance programme needs to
be managed effectively if it is to be a complete success.

In view of past difficulties and the needs arising from them, and given the very large number and variety
of proposals received, the Commission is introducing a new procedure which should help to improve
effectiveness.

An information meeting on this new call for proposals procedure was held on 23 October 2000, to which
representatives of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), the national associations of
the Member States, the central and eastern European countries, Malta, Cyprus and Turkey, the United
Towns Organisation (UTO) and the Assembly of European Regions were invited.

The questions raised by the Honourable Member have already been dealt with in the new call for
proposals.

The Commission notes the concerns voiced by the Honourable Member and will keep Parliament informed
of developments relating to the new procedures.

An assessment of ten years of Community assistance activities for twinning was presented at the Bilbao
conference in December 1999. The booklet containing this assessment will be sent directly to the
Honourable Member and to Parliament(cid:146)s Secretariat.

(2001/C 163 E/111)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3371/00

by Francesco Musotto (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(25 October 2000)

Subject: Floods in north-west Italy

Tragic floods have been affecting parts of north-west Italy for the last few days, causing a state of
emergency and killing an unspecified number of people. Dozens of villages and hamlets have been cut off,
not least because telephone and electricity lines have been hit. Dams and rivers are out of control,
including the Po and the Tanaro, which have risen far above safety levels and are threatening inhabited
areas.

In view of the fact that Italy has been the victim of various environmental disasters, does the Commission
intend:

(cid:129) to set up a fund for emergencies caused by natural disasters;

(cid:129) to send immediate aid to the communities affected;

(cid:129) to ascertain compliance with environmental legislation?

C 163 E/104

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.6.2001

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(4 December 2000)

The Commission deeply regrets the serious damage and tragic loss of human life which affected the north-
western territories of Italy.

The major floods which hit the region were the subject of a debate on 25 October 2000 at the October II
plenary session in Strasbourg. The Commission set out its position by recalling Community efforts as
regards improving and coordinating civil protection, efforts in research and the conditions determining the
intervention of the Structural Funds for rebuilding projects in regions affected by natural disasters.

With regard to financial assistance for affected areas and reinstating the budget line for emergency aid in
the event of natural disasters, as the Commission explained to the Parliament (1) on 25 October 2000, it
considers that since other possibilities for Community support exist and in view of the financial and
human resources available, other actions take higher priority at this stage.

Moreover, the Honourable Member is kindly requested to refer to the proposal for a Council Decision of
27 September 2000 instituting a Community mechanism for coordinating the intervention of civil
protection in an emergency (2).

Council Directive 85/337/EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and
private projects on the environment (3) amended by Council Directive 97/11/EC of 3 March 1997 (4), the
environmental impact assessment (EIA) Directive, does not cover cases of natural disasters.

(1) Debates of the European Parliament (October II 2000).
(2) COM(2000) 593 final.
(3) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985.
(4) OJ L 73, 14.3.1997.

(2001/C 163 E/112)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3380/00

by Isidoro SÆnchez Garc(cid:237)a (ELDR) to the Commission

(3 November 2000)

Subject: Aid for forest fires

During the summer of 2000 there was a large forest fire on La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain), which
affected over 3 000 hectares of canary pine forest, as well as farms and farming buildings and
infrastructure, and caused damage totalling € 10 million. This represents a significant proportion of the
final agricultural product of the island, which is in one of the Union(cid:146)s outermost regions.

What possibilities exist within the Community budget to help the local authorities deal with this disaster,
in the form of grants, compensation or special loans?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(20 December 2000)

The Commission is gravely concerned by the forest fires which broke out last summer in the Canary Islands
and elsewhere in the Community. The Commission would point out to the Honourable Member that on
17 July 2000 (under Council Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92 of 23 July 1992 on protection of the
Community(cid:146)s forests against fire (1)) it approved an € 3,35 million programme for forest-fire prevention
in Spain during 2000, the Community(cid:146)s financial contribution being 50 %. The programme includes
specific provision for awareness campaigns and for identifying the causes of fires, but the Regulation does
not cover repairing farms, farm buildings and infrastructure, or restoring the natural environment.