| Author (Person) | Banks, Martin |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.10, No.11, 25.3.04 |
| Publication Date | 25/03/2004 |
| Content Type | News |
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Date: 25/03/04 By Martin Banks THE European Union should be better equipped to respond to disasters such as terrorist attacks or natural calamities, a report set to be unveiled by the European Commission today (25 March) states. Two weeks after the devastating bomb attacks in Madrid, which overwhelmed local emergency services, the Commission points out that much more needs to be done to respond to a rise in natural disasters, but also to the new threat of biological or chemical terrorist attacks. The Commission blueprint calls for rising member states' awareness of existing EU-wide expertise and resources, more training of intervention and rescue teams and additional funds to boost the EU's response capability (it proposes a budget of €25 million per year). Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström said: “The devastating attack in Spain reinforces the need to improve European capacities in order to offer immediate assistance in case of disaster.” Since 2001, the EU has had a civil protection mechanism in place designed to coordinate assistance between countries in the event of a disaster. It has been called into use nearly 50 times in response to emergencies, such as the 2002 floods in central and eastern Europe, the Prestige oil spill, forest fires last summer and floods in France in December 2003. A report outlining the Commission's plans states very specialized equipment is often needed to deal with disasters and asks: “Should each and every country invest in buying such equipment and training teams to face situations that they may never have to face on their territory?”. The €25 million annual fund proposed by the Commission would cover the cost of equipping, transporting and accommodating trained personnel in disaster zones. The plans must be approved by member states before they can come into force. The European Commission issued a Communication on 25 March 2004, 'Reinforcing the Civil Protection Capacity of the EU', which sets out the Commission's ideas on how to reinforce Europe's civil protection capacities. |
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| Source Link | http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Subject Categories | Politics and International Relations |
