During the plenary session (13-16 September 2021) in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs participate on the joint debate on the natural disasters in Europe and possible measures to be taken to support countries and regions affected by natural disasters this summer. Opening statements by Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), rapporteur, and by Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms. This transcriptions is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

statement

Strasbourg

plenary session

natural disasters (T)

joint debate

OMARJEE, Younous (The Left, FR)

FERREIRA, Elisa (S&D, PT, EC)

fight against climate change (T)

Joint debate on the natural disasters in Europe: opening statements by Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), rapporteur, and Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/9101955/I210489Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (French), Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), President, Madam Commissioner, colleagues. This was a devastating summer full of disasters. Hundreds of people lost their lives. Regions have been devastated in the floods and fires which have ravaged Europe. And our thoughts this morning go to the victims of these disasters.

SOUNDBITE (French), Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), The families affected, but also towards the regional authorities and local authorities who provided help and are suffering the wounds. Our solidarity is total. It has been shown and should continue to be so.

SOUNDBITE (French), Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), I'd like to thank all the political groups and the president of the European Parliament for putting this debate on the agenda this morning. Let's remember, in July, the floods hit Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, Italy, Austria, Romania and led to over 300 deaths and lots of damage.

SOUNDBITE (French), Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), And let's remember that these images are inconceivable by the ground, gave way in the centre of, uh, in the village of Rubinoff in Germany near Cologne. In the July floods, we had the heat wave and forest fires which ravaged through Greece, Italy and France. And the shock, shock for us is huge. And we discover our fragility.

SOUNDBITE (French), Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), Those in European regions faced by climate disasters, poor countries in the world aren't the only ones in the face of natural changes in nature because we are actually not prepared to face up to the more devastating effects of climate change.

SOUNDBITE (French), Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), As we underlined in our last report, we must consider that these catastrophes, which were exceptional with climate change, will become a permanent feature, as pointed out by the IPCC report, and we must draw all the consequences in all European policies.

SOUNDBITE (French), Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), It's urgent and it is essential that the Union uses all its solidarity instruments to we can help regions and localities to get back on their feet. That the urgency for 2021 has been pointed out and we are worried about that.

SOUNDBITE (French), Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), Madam Commissioner, in this context, how will the Commission envisage to provide the budget necessary, budget resources necessary as soon as possible, because help is needed everywhere? And how can the Commission guarantee sufficient financing for future disasters beyond the urgencies?

SOUNDBITE (French), Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), There's also the question, I think this is key, of adapting to climate change. This is a true challenge for all cohesion policies because climate change will lead to destabilisation of regional development with consequences for all sectors of development.

SOUNDBITE (French), Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), All sectors will be impacted. And this morning we had a debate which was very interesting on the climate package. But I note that all the measures which are envisaged. Um, aim to reduce greenhouse gases, but there's also the challenge to adapt to climate change.

SOUNDBITE (French), Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), So I call with my colleagues for the creation of a regional adaptation fund for climate change so that we can have the necessary work on infrastructure so that they can be resistant and to limit the consequences of disasters.

SOUNDBITE (French), Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), As I just said, Commissioner Timmermans, the billions in investments needed for that will will be less than the cost of inaction. Faced with climate change and we're seeing this already with will be the cost of reconstruction in the towns and regions affected.

SOUNDBITE (French), Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), Madam Commissioner, we must also must have a clear idea of the consequences of the impacts of the region by region and have a proper mapping so that we can make the right choices for investments and the development strategies to wind up.

SOUNDBITE (French), Younous OMARJEE (The Left, FR), I think I think we would all agree with me in thinking that it's better to construct wealth than to repair. Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Honourable members, ladies and gentlemen. In the last week, we discussed this topic in several parliamentary committees. But it is most appropriate to do it also in the plenary as the frequency of disasters is increasing and we all have to address this issue.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Climate change brings more extreme weather events, heatwaves, floods and forest fires. It seems that every year breaks a new record. The events are bigger, they come more often and they have greater and more disastrous impacts on the people of Europe.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, So first, let me just express our thoughts to the people that were recently hit by these events and in particular to those that lost their loved ones are lost and lost their livelihoods, it's floods, it's forest fires, it's a complete list of of terrible disasters. But of course, our sympathy is not enough.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, There must be a European response. And as Europeans, one of our key values is active and practical solidarity. In a crisis, we stand together. Let me outline very briefly how Europe helped in the first hours and days of the disasters. Belgium, for instance, requested help through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, and within a few hours, seven member states had offered their assistance.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, In particular, France, Italy and Austria deployed more than 150 rescue workers, more than 30 rescue boats and two helicopters through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism for forest fires. Greece, Italy and Cyprus also requested support via the Civil Protection Mechanism, and Greece alone received help from 11 other member states nine Aereal fighting assets, 250 vehicles and 1100 firefighters as first responders.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, In both floods and fires, the first responders received vital intelligence from and here in part, the reason as to your question. Copernicus's Emergency Management Services is an instrument that produces satellite maps in real time to support the damage assessment and to guide the emergency response. Mapping, for instance, four hundred and sixty thousand hectares burned by fires.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, This was what we can call the immediate response. So where are we now? We in the Commission stand ready to mobilise the Union Solidarity Fund. Cyprus has already submitted an application and we are aware that other member states plan to do the same. However, over the last two years, the number and scale of disasters means that have been many calls on this solidarity fund, including for earthquakes and for covid.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, This has put a severe strain on resources, we in the Commission, Parliament and Council must consider all possible options within our instruments to allow the Solidarity Fund to continue to deliver European support to those affected by natural disasters. It is also clear that we must invest in long term prevention.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, And already in the 2014 cohesion programmes, 17 member states invested in flood prevention, nine invested in coastal protection, six in preventing forest fires. And there are various other instruments and investments to tackle earthquakes, landslides and drought. We must do even more in the programmes currently under preparation to keep people safe, climate change induced risks must be taken very, very seriously.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, You cannot reply afterwards, so ex-post is not the solution and that the patient becomes not an option, adaptation and prevention is a necessity. This means preventive infrastructures such as dykes, flood walls, stormwater collectors and water basins.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, This means greener land management, which manages flood plains and fire risk more naturally, for example, by reducing soil sealing and that the concretisation of floodplains. It also means investing in crisis management, including, of course, rescue vehicles, fire engines, helicopters.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, It also means more territorial cohesion, as most of the times the negative impact of these disasters is exacerbated by social and spatial inequalities. I count on your support to ensure that cohesion programmes in your country, as well as other European Union programmes - and I underline the Recovery and Resilience Facility - include appropriate measures for mitigating the risk of natural disasters.

SOUNDBITE (English), Elisa FERREIRA, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, These are my three points. First, the immediate response under of the civil protection mechanism. Second, the need for adequate resources for the EU Solidarity Fund. Third, the need to put preparation and mitigation and adaptation measures into the European Union programmes, including the new cohesion programme programmes and the Recovery and Resilience Facility. So now I look forward to our discussion. Thank you once again.