Members of the European Parliament call for 'a holistic approach' to disaster prevention

Adequate funding, legislation on forestry protection, fire prevention and water scarcity, plus a balanced agriculture policy, are all needed to combat natural and man-made disasters, says the Environment Committee in a draft resolution adopted on Tuesday. The resolution also lists prevention measures that should receive priority support from the EU.

In a report on a Community approach on the prevention of natural and man-made disasters drafted by João Ferreira (GUE/NGL, PT), MEPs emphasise that "responsibility for disaster prevention lies primarily with the Member States". However, they also point to the "importance of reducing inequalities between regions and Member States in terms of their capacity to protect their populations, by supporting their efforts to improve prevention."

MEPs stress the need for "a holistic approach" to disaster prevention and ask for special attention to be paid to regions that are isolated, remote, mountainous or thinly populated. The conditions for mobilising the Solidarity Fund should also be made more flexible for these regions, they say.

Funding crucial

The Environment Committee stresses the need for adequate financial resource, arguing that disaster prevention should be included in the EU's next long-term budget plans, the 2014-2020 Financial Perspective. It supports the proposal to set up a network of competent national services of all Member States and says the network should swap experience and prevention measures. Effective prevention requires an environmentally and socially balanced agricultural policy, adds the resolution, which calls for the creation of a European agricultural public insurance system.

Priority prevention measures

MEPs believe certain measures should receive priority support from the EU, e.g. drafting and revising building safety and land-use legislation, re-naturalising river beds, reforestation, monitoring erosion, protecting inhabited areas that are particularly vulnerable to disasters and maintaining major infrastructure like dams, fuel pipelines and communication facilities.

Forest protection and water scarcity legislation needed

Given the importance of forests and the links between droughts, forest fires and desertification, MEPs call on the Commission, together with the Member States, to bring forward legislation on forest protection and fire prevention, and to promote the adoption of an EU policy on water scarcity, drought and adaption to climate change.

The draft resolution was adopted by 42 votes to 6 with 2 abstentions and will be put to the vote in Strasbourg 20-23 September.