WRITTEN QUESTION P-2542/02 by Philip Bradbourn (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Flooding.
Date: 2002-09-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, Structural Funds, aid to disaster victims, flood, fund (EU), natural disaster

C 92 E/172

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

17.4.2003

Thousands of people have been deprived of their livelihoods; their lives have been destroyed.

The cost of the damage caused by the floods amounts to several billion euro.

In view of this catastrophe is the Commission in favour of the introduction of a separate EU Disaster Fund,
so that damage caused by the disaster in Member States can be repaired as soon as possible?

If so, what steps does it plan to take to set up a Disaster Fund?

When may the first specific measures to implement the Fund be expected?

(2003/C 92 E/227)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2542/02

by Philip Bradbourn (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(6 September 2002)

Subject: Flooding

In view of the communication of the Commission entitled ‘The European Community response to the
flooding in Austria, Germany and several applicant states’ would the Commission comment on whether
any fund set up to deal with any such natural disasters would be applicable to all Member States of the
Union, and would the Commission confirm that structural measures may be adapted in any Member State
in order to access any funding?

Finally, would the Commission confirm the criteria necessary in order to access such funding as may be
available?

Joint answer
to Written Questions P-2468/02, P-2506/02 and P-2542/02
given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(15 October 2002)

The Commission shares the distress of the families plunged into grief by August’s serious flooding in
Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and is fully alive to their social, economic and
environmental
implications. Accordingly, on 28 August it announced a series of initiatives involving
various Community policies to help the countries and regions concerned and the impact of the floods. (1)

Among the existing instruments available are the Structural Funds (for affected Member States) and the
Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-Accession (for the applicant countries).

In the zones and regions eligible for assistance from these Funds 2000-2006 programming period
appropriations that have not yet been committed or projects already scheduled can at the Member States’
request be redeployed between the priorities of the regional programmes. Meetings with the various
national regional authorities are in progress in order to specify the amount that can be reallocated. The
Commission will make full use of the margins of flexibility offered by the regulations governing these
Funds and by the Community rules on State aid and public procurement.

Going beyond the existing mechanisms, the Commission on 18 September adopted a proposal for a
Council Regulation establishing a European Union Solidarity Fund (2) to aid countries and regions affected
by major disasters. It could be given in both the present Member States and the countries for which
accession negotiations are in progress. Article 13 of the Commission’s proposal states that countries
affected by disasters from 1 August 2002 onwards can request assistance from the Fund. The proposals for
the Regulation and for an institutional agreement making the necessary resources available are now being
negotiated in Parliament and the Council with adoption expected at the end of October. The Commission
is therefore unable at present to indicate what amount of aid from this Fund could be granted to Austria.

(1) COM(2002) 481 final of 28.8.2002: Commission communication to Parliament and the Council (cid:1) the European
Community responds to the flooding in Austria, Germany and several applicant countries: a solidarity-based
initiative.

(2) COM(2002) 514 final.