Council Resolution of 19 December 2002 on special civil protection assistance to outermost and isolated regions, to insular regions, to regions which are not easily accessible, and to sparsely populated regions, in the European Union
Date: 2002-12-19
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU aid, civil defence, cooperation policy, island region, peripheral region

C 24/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

31.1.2003

I

(Information)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL RESOLUTION

of 19 December 2002

on special civil protection assistance to outermost and isolated regions, to insular regions, to
regions which are not easily accessible, and to sparsely populated regions, in the European Union

(2003/C 24/03)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Whereas:

(1) The current Civil Protection Action Programme approved
by Council Decision 1999/847/EC, of 9 December 1999,
establishing a Community action programme in the field of
civil protection (1), states,
the
isolated and outermost regions of the Union have special
characteristics because of
terrain and
social and economic conditions which have an adverse
effect and make it difficult to deliver aid and means of
assistance in the event of major danger.

in its sixth recital,

their geography,

that

(2) Council Decision 2001/792/EC, Euratom of 23 October
2001 establishing a Community mechanism to facilitate
reinforced cooperation in civil protection assistance inter-
ventions (2), states, in its 10th recital that the isolated and
outermost regions and some other areas of the Community
often have special characteristics and needs owing to their
geography, terrain and social and economic circumstances.
These have an adverse effect, hamper the deployment of
assistance and intervention resources making it difficult to
deliver aid and means of assistance, and create particular
needs for assistance in the event of serious danger of major
emergency.

Funds under

(3) The new guidelines for the programmes co-financed by the
Structural
III Community
the
initiative (3), aim at promoting cross-border cooperation,
including
border,
outermost and insular regions and transnational coop-
in areas prone to natural
eration in risk management
disasters.

cooperation

protection

Interreg

civil

in

(4) In addition to the outermost regions as defined in Article
299(2) of the Treaty establishing the European Community
and the least favoured regions or islands, including rural
areas, as referred to in the second paragraph of Article 158
of the Treaty, there are isolated regions, remote regions
which are not easily accessible and sparsely populated
regions in the European Union such as those in the
northern part of Europe which have characteristics that
affect
the proper planning and implementation of civil
protection.

(5) The establishment of plans in those regions is far more
costly in terms of human and material resources than
those initiated in other parts of European Union and the
training and necessary updating of staff involved in such
plans is also more expensive.

(6) Obtaining a certain level of response in these regions
involves a far more intensive use of human and material
resources than in a similar situation in other regions. The
geographical features (insularity, terrain, land shortage) lead
to serious problems when teams are put into place and
deployed, especially taking into account
the scarcity of
resources in the Member States closest to the outermost
and isolated regions and in most of the insular or remote
regions.

(7) Solidarity among citizens of the European Union must be
demonstrated in providing safety and protection for such
citizens irrespective of their place of residence,

HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION:

(1) OJ L 327, 21.12.1999, p. 53.
(2) OJ L 297, 15.11.2001, p. 7.
(3) Communication from the Commission to the Member States of 28
April 2000 laying down guidelines for a Community initiative
concerning trans-European cooperation intended to encourage
harmonious and balanced development of the European territory
— Interreg III (OJ C 143, 23.5.2000, p. 6).

1. While Civil Protection is primarily the responsibility of the
Member States, efforts should be made at the level of the
Community to endeavour to ensure that its citizens living in
or visiting outermost, isolated, insular, remote or sparsely
populated regions enjoy a level of safety similar to that

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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existing in other areas of the Union. For that reason and
taking into account the socio-economic situation of some of
these territories compared with the rest of the European
Union and the additional cost involved in achieving safety
levels similar to those elsewhere in the Union, measures
ensuring adequate assistance should be provided.

isolated,

2. It is necessary to encourage the execution of joint projects
between outermost,
insular, remote and sparsely
populated regions, geared to the identification of common
risks, exchange of information and procedures for a more
uniform approach to risk assessment; all this is required in
order to draw up and implement integrated strategies and
actions to provide each territory with appropriate early-
warning systems, and appropriate land use planning on
the basis of the different risks.

3. Planning for emergencies should provide for and take into
account those issues arising from existing risks, the demo-
graphic, socio-economic and geographical characteristics of
the territory, and the particular socio-economic vulnerability
to disaster of the outermost, isolated, insular, remote and
sparsely populated regions.

4. Recognition is given to the fundamental

importance of
communications in emergency management, both within
the region (sometimes problematic because of its geographic
features and terrain) and with other parts of the country and
other neighbouring regions. There is a need for redundant
and reliable voice, data and image communications, which
allow for effective coordination of
interventions in any
situation.

5. Emphasis is laid on the advisability of having specialised
intervention teams in those Member States with outermost,
isolated, insular, remote or sparsely populated areas, and on
the fact that effective implementation of the mechanism to
facilitate reinforced cooperation in civil protection assistance
interventions allows the rest of
the European Union to
make a contribution to solidarity.

6. Given the special importance of the tourism sector on the
it is important to
economy in some of these territories,
conduct
self-protection
measures for visitors. These campaigns could be coordinated
at Community level.

information

campaigns

on

7. The Member States are invited to take better advantage of
the use of existing Community programmes, in particular
Interreg III, to develop measures that are complementary to
those of the Community Action Programme in the field of
Civil Protection.

8. The Member States concerned are invited as far as possible
to report on the follow-up to this Resolution to the
Commission, who will report
further to the Committee
for the action Programme and for the Mechanism in the
field of Civil Protection.

9. This Resolution does not prejudge specific measures that
may be taken in favour of outermost regions as defined
in Article 299 paragraph 2 of the Treaty.

Information regarding the entry into force of the Treaty of Nice amending the Treaty on European
Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related Acts, signed at Nice
on 26 February 2001

(2003/C 24/04)

The Treaty on European Union, signed at Nice on 26 February 2001 (1), will enter into force on 1
February 2003 in accordance with Article 12(2) thereof, the last Instrument of ratification having been
deposited on 18 December 2002.

(1) OJ C 80, 10.3.2001, p. 1.