Dispute over move to boost civil protection

Date: 16/05/1996

IN a move to reaffirm its bid to have civil protection enshrined in the revised Maastricht Treaty as an area for EU legislation, the Italian presidency has summoned civil protection ministers to a meeting in Brussels next week.

While the agenda officially features three items - the Commission's proposal for a

EU-wide action programme on civil protection, resolutions on cooperation with enlargement candidates and common disaster prevention research - the central aim of the meeting next Thursday (23 May) is to give ministers a chance to declare their commitment to greater EU involvement in the fight against natural and man-made disasters.

“Italy is very keen on civil protection, as our country regularly has to deal with disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic outbreaks and flooding,” said a presidency source this week.

But according to one EU official, neither the Commission's proposed programme nor the two resolutions look set to gain ministerial blessing amid divisions between member states on just what role, if any, the Union should play.

The UK, backed by The Netherlands, insists that subsidiarity dictates that civil protection remains exclusively within the competence of member states. But others, such as Italy and Germany, are keen to enhance cross-border cooperation. They point out that disasters such as river flooding cannot be dealt with on a national basis alone, as measures taken in one country can have a direct impact on a neighbouring member state.

Both the resolutions and the Commission's action plan, brought forward under the Commission's controversial Article 235 powers which allow it to propose measures in areas not specifically covered by the EU treaty, require unanimous approval by the Council of Ministers and therefore stand little chance of being adopted.