23 May Civil Protection Council

Date: 30/05/1996

THE Italian presidency's hopes of strengthening the Union's commitment to civil protection fell victim to opposition from two governments - the UK and the Netherlands - who argued action against natural and man-made disasters was essentially a national, not an EU, responsibility. The Council was the first to be held since the UK announced its controversial policy of non-cooperation with its Union partners. But London's threat to block EU business by vetoeing unanimous decisions was not tested since it had already clearly indicated its opposition to the proposals on the table.

ITALIAN Civil Protection Minister Franco Barberi, whose country suffers more than any other EU member from natural disasters, publicly regretted the failure to endorse a Union action programme. Despite the setback, Environment Commissioner Ritt Bjerregaard pledged: “The Commission will continue its work at all levels to ensure that Community cooperation in the field of civil protection continues. The citizens of Europe are very concerned about the issue of civil protection. In the event of a disaster, they turn to the Community for assistance. Therefore we must ensure that Community action is not stopped by today's result.”

MANY EU member states supported the Italian presidency's call for an extension of the technical cooperation which already exists between civil protection authorities in the Union. In particular, they stressed that experience gained at national level from handling disasters ranging from earthquakes to flash floods should be shared and percolate down to regional and local authorities, which are invariably in the front line in handling such events. The presidency's conclusions from the meeting indicated that many member states hoped an agreement would be reached on an EU civil protection action programme “in the months ahead”. The programme is not designed to harmonise national laws and regulations or the way contingency plans are devised to handle emergencies. Instead, it aims to develop cooperation between member states in protecting people, property and the environment when faced with crises which often spread across national frontiers. The route for a more detailed EU strategy has already been paved by a 1994 Council resolution and by the existing permanent network throughout the Union of National Correspondents on Civil Protection.

WHILE the UK and the Netherlands opposed the civil action programme on the grounds of subsidiarity, they were joined by Germany in blocking Council agreement on the other two items on the agenda. The first involved a resolution to ensure that the Union's fifth framework research programme took sufficient account of the operational needs of those handling civil protection. Again, a majority of governments stressed the importance of reducing natural and technological risks, improving early warning systems for natural disasters and reducing the harmful consequences of such events.

COOPERATION on civil protection issues between the Union and the applicant countries of the Mediterranean and of Central and Eastern Europe was the third casualty of the ministerial meeting. The Italian presidency noted that a large majority of member states believed that, in preparation for future enlargement, steps should be taken now to forge appropriate links between the existing 15 member states and applicant countries so that emergencies could be dealt with swiftly. Faced with German, British and Dutch opposition, many ministers stressed the need for better cooperation in the various international fora in which the EU and the associated countries are now represented.