European Parliament resolution on the floods in Europe
Date: 2000-11-16
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: aid to disaster victims, civil defence, climate change, emergency aid, financing, flood, natural disaster, quality of the environment, water management

C 223/338

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

8.8.2001

Thursday 16 November 2000

1975 in the South, in particular the land requisitioned from the Thien An Catholic monastery, and for an
end to the persecution against Protestant ethnic minorities;

Strongly urges the Vietnamese government, in the interests of the victims of the current flooding in
6.
the Mekong delta, to allow the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam and other religious and non-denomi-
national organisations to help provide them with aid;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the government

7.
of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

11. Floods in Europe

B5-0851, 0852, 0866 and 0867/2000

European Parliament resolution on the floods in Europe

The European Parliament,

A. having regard to the abnormal meteorological conditions and the exceptionally violent storms which

recently assailed various parts of Europe, resulting in many tragedies,

B. having regard to the widespread destruction caused by violent storms in the United Kingdom and
Ireland, especially in Yorkshire, south-east England, East Anglia, Wales, south-west England and in
particular Gloucestershire, and the West Midlands, and along the south-east coast of Ireland and
parts of Leinster and Munster,

C. whereas in Italy, not only the Alpine valleys but also Liguria, Lombardy and Emilia have been hit by

flooding, and Spain and France have suffered from violent storms,

D. having regard to the destruction of homes, energy, communication and transport networks and many
means of production, the damage caused to the environment, to the agricultural and industrial pro-
duction process and to SMEs, the loss of jobs and the resulting social and economic implications,

E. whereas an increase in the levels of greenhouse gas emissions in most of the Member States runs
counter to the commitments made by the European Union at Kyoto and whereas, according to a
report by the European Environment Agency, it is likely that EU emissions of such gases will increase
by 6 % by 2010,

F. whereas the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently reviewed its forecasts of an average
temperature increase of 1,5 to 6° C by 2100 (instead of 1,5 to 3,5° C) and confirmed that human-
induced climate change is actually occurring in view of the catastrophes of this type across the
world (for example in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Laos, West Bengal, Japan, Mozambique),

1.

Expresses its sympathy concerning the distress and damage caused to victims in all the affected areas;

2.
Calls on the Commission and all the Member States to waste no time in expressing their support in
practical ways, by marshalling workers and equipment under the five-year plan establishing a Community
action programme in the field of civil protection, which was adopted by the Council on 9 December 1999
(Decision 1999/847/EC);

3.
Calls on the Commission to make use of all existing funds (for example the ERDF, EAGGF Guarantee
Section, etc.) which have already been assigned for dealing with disasters of this nature, to provide finan-
cial aid to SMEs, farmers, households, the elderly and others affected B particularly those living in exposed
areas who have limited protection B as compensation and as assistance towards a speedy recovery;

8.8.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 223/339

Thursday 16 November 2000

4.
Calls on the affected Member States to update their legislation so as to prevent unsustainable spatial
planning, infrastructure installation and house-building in hydro-geologically vulnerable areas, and calls on
the competent authorities to ensure that up-to-date maps of their country’s at-risk areas are drawn up;

Calls on the Council and the Commission to take initiatives designed to strengthen cooperation and
5.
action in the field of spatial planning, in accordance with the guidelines of the European Spatial Develop-
ment Perspective (ESDP), particularly in the field of reforestation, agri-environmental measures, sustainable
water-basin management;

6.
Considers that environmental and conservation policy must constitute a priority in government
action and that steps must continue to be taken in order to devise and implement projects for improving
land use and preventing risk;

Calls on the Commission to promote suitable initiatives under the LIFE programme, with a view to
7.
re-establishing a high-quality environment in sensitive areas, and to consider the merits of establishing
appropriate support measures for affected regions;

8. Welcomes the drafting of Community instruments coordinating the various civil protection systems
at European level, in order to make them more readily available and useable in the event of natural dis-
asters;

Considers that Europe is currently experiencing the impact of climate change and that action is

9.
urgently needed at local, national and international level in order to counter its effects;

10.
Reiterates its view that during the current Conference on Climate Change in The Hague, the Eur-
opean Union and its Member States should again play a leading role in international efforts to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and halt climate change, and should implement ambitious measures as part of
an overall climate-change strategy;

11.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments
of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Spain and France and the parliaments and leaders of the regional
communities involved.

12. Supplementary health insurance

A5-0266/2000

European Parliament resolution on supplementary health insurance (2000/2009(INI))

The European Parliament,

B having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community and, in particular, Articles 2, 152

and 308 thereof,

B having regard to the decisions of the special European Council held in Lisbon on 23/24 March 2000,

B having regard to its resolution of 15 March 2000 on the forthcoming special European Council to be

held on 23 and 24 March 2000 (1),

B having regard to the Commission’s report on social protection in Europe in 1999 (COM(2000) 163),

B having regard to the communication from the Commission ‘A concerted strategy for modernising
social protection’ (COM(1999) 347 B C5-0253/1999) and the European Parliament’s resolution of
16 February 2000 (2) on that communication,

B having to the Commission’s report on social protection in Europe in 1997 (COM(1998) 243 B
C4-0375/1998) and the European Parliament’s resolution of 12 March 1999 (3) on that report,

‘Text Adopted’, Item 12.
‘Text Adopted’, Item 7.

(1)
(2)
(3) OJ C 175, 21.6.1999, p. 435.