Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the "Proposal for a Council Regulation establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund" (COM(2002) 514 final — 2002/0228 (CNS))
Date: 2002-10-24
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: EU financial instrument, aid to disaster victims, economic support, emergency aid, natural disaster

14.3.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 61/187

3.3.
In the Committee’s view, an important priority for the
programme and one of the key objectives of the Information
Society should be to put greater effort into finding the most
effective means of reconciling the need for information and
network protection, and, more generally, the security of people
and property on the one hand, with civil liberties and users’
rights to cheap and totally secure broadband access on the
other.

3.4.
Finally, the Committee suggests that consideration be
given to the feasibility of carrying out a very concise, periodical
assessment of all the efforts undertaken by the Community
and the Member States to promote the various aspects of the
Information Society, a kind of logbook of the initiatives,
programmes and actions conducted at the various levels, their
overall cost and the progress made, including investment in
broadband networks with the assistance of Community funds
and other public funds.

Brussels, 24 October 2002.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Roger BRIESCH

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Council
Regulation establishing the European Union Solidarity Fund’

(COM(2002) 514 final — 2002/0228 (CNS))

(2003/C 61/30)

On 25 September 2002 the Council decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee,
under the third paragraph of Article 159 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the
above-mentioned proposal.

At its 394th Plenary Session on 24 October 2002 the European Economic and Social Committee
appointed Mr Kienle rapporteur-general and adopted the following opinion by 80 votes in favour, with
two abstentions.

1. Presentation of the European Commission’s pro-

posals

Up to EUR 1 billion are to be made available each year
1.3.
between 2002 and 2006. Funding in the form of a single grant
will be awarded at the request of the country affected.

In the wake of the enormous damage and cost caused
1.1.
by the recent
the European
flooding in central Europe,
Commission has submitted a proposal for a Council Regulation
establishing a new European Union Solidarity Fund. The
purpose of this Fund is to help regions in the Member States
and the candidate countries that have been hit by major
natural, technological or environmental disasters.

2. Comments of the European Economic and Social

Committee

The European Economic and Social Committee gives

2.1.
its unqualified approval to the Commission proposal.

1.2.
The new Solidarity Fund is to differ in essence from the
Structural Funds and other existing Community instruments. It
is to be focused on providing immediate financial assistance to
help the people, regions and countries affected to return to
normal as far as possible.

The Committee supports the need for particularly
2.2.
urgent action so that the Solidarity Fund can be up and
running before the end of the year.

C 61/188

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

14.3.2003

2.3.
The scale of this year’s flooding in central Europe
brought to light the intolerable fact that the EU is equipped
with Community instruments for providing disaster relief in
other areas of the world, but has no such instruments for its
own Member States.

The Committee thinks that it is justified to restrict
2.4.
immediate assistance from the EU to the following measures:
immediate restoration to working order of
infrastructure
and plant in the fields of energy, water and waste water,
telecommunications, transport, health and education; provid-
ing temporary accommodation; immediate protection of the
cultural heritage and cleaning up of the natural zones affected.
The Committee considers that it is right and appropriate to
apply the subsidiarity principle even in the case of disasters.

2.5.
There can be no lasting Europe-wide solidarity unless
use of the aid is transparent and makes sense. Accordingly, the
Committee advocates the fixing of clear thresholds to trigger
the release of Solidarity Fund monies. However, other consider-
ations could have to be borne in mind in the event of cross-
border disasters.

instruments to help the Member States and applicant countries
in question and that the European Parliament has supported
immediate action: this is particularly true in the case of direct
assistance for farmers, the deployment of the Structural Funds,
the European Investment Bank’s loan offers and the use of the
Phare and Sapard programmes in the applicant countries.

2.7.
The Committee would pay particular tribute to the fact
that the public and organised civil society in the regions and
Member States in question have shown solidarity, public
spiritedness and an exemplary willingness to help by assisting
neighbours directly, rescuing humans and animals, securing
dikes, bringing in harvests, taking part in cleaning-up oper-
ations, and making generous donations in cash and kind.

The Committee thinks there is a vital need to examine
2.8.
straight away to what extent human action has contributed to
the freak weather and hence the disasters, and to act accord-
ingly. Action to prevent flooding and climate change must
take on a new major importance. The Committee endorses the
comment made to the European Parliament that ‘prevention
always costs less than having to repair the damage’ (1).

2.6.
The Committee acknowledges that the European Union
has made rapid and unbureaucratic use of existing Community

(1) Speech/02/362, Commissioner Barnier, European Parliament,

3 September 2002.

Brussels, 24 October 2002.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Roger BRIESCH