WRITTEN QUESTION E-0476/00

by Joseph Daul (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 February 2000)

Subject: Forest damage following Hurricane Lothar

On 26 December 1999 Hurricane Lothar caused enormous damage to forests in France, Southern Germany and Austria, and particularly to farmer-owned private and communal forest, threatening the livelihoods of many family farms.

In the EP debate of 18 January 2000, the Commission referred to possible changes to the Structural Funds, though without promising a specific aid for this dramatic situation. However, changes alone are not enough since structural assistance goes to smaller businesses which frequently also have an agricultural operating unit that is vital for their survival.

During the debate, Commissioner Barnier did, however undertake to consider reinstating the budget line for emergency aid deleted two years ago.

Is the Commission prepared to look beyond the existing framework of the Structural Funds and to examine the 2000 budget of the Commission for mobilisable reserves for immediate emergency aid, for instance from the LIFE and ECHO programmes, and possibly to reinstate a budget line for disaster aid within the European Union for 2001?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(11 April 2000)

With regard to the Structural Funds, the Honourable Member is requested to refer to the answers given by the Commission to written questions 0024/00 from Ms Patrie, 0159/00 from Mr Lang and 0307/00 from Mrs Thomas-Mauro, and to oral question H-0008/00 from Ms Patrie.

There are no provisions in the LIFE Regulation, which is currently under review, for the allocation of a portion of its funding to emergency measures, without a call for projects procedure being initiated. We cannot, therefore, envisage the funding, under the LIFE programme, of any general measures to repair environmental damage caused by the natural disasters which struck France, Germany and Austria in December 1999. We do not, however, rule out the possibility that proposals for new projects under LIFE-Nature or LIFE-Environment could, while meeting the LIFE criteria, also serve to repair the damage to the environment. Any application meeting this profile will be examined (on a case by case basis) under the project monitoring procedures or the tendering procedure for LIFE.

Article 1 of the Regulation governing the Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) specifies that: The Community's humanitarian aid shall comprise assistance, relief and protection operations on a non-discriminatory basis to help people in third countries, particularly the most vulnerable among them, and as a priority those in developing countriesmldr(1). It cannot, therefore, provide assistance in respect of the severe damage caused by natural disasters in the Member States in December 1999.

Since there are provisions for a number of different aid schemes in the Structural Funds Regulations, the Commission currently has no plans to reinstate a specific budget heading for emergency disaster aid within the Community.

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid. OJ L 163, 2.7.1996.