During the plenary session (25-28 November 2019) in the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, MEPs discuss on the EU response to extreme meteorological events and their impacts; how to protect European urban areas and their cultural heritage (Venice case). Statements by Christos STYLIANIDES, Member of the EC in charge of Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Antonio TAJANI (EPP, IT), Simona BONAFÈ (S&D, IT), Pär HOLMGREN (Greens/EFA, SE) and Sabrina PIGNEDOLI (NI, IT).

TAJANI, Antonio (EPP, IT)

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

natural disasters (T)

STYLIANIDES, Christos (CY, EC)

preservation of EU's cultural heritage (T)

BONAFÈ, Simona (S&D, IT)

HOLMGREN, Pär (Greens/EFA, SE)

PIGNEDOLI, Sabrina (NI, IT)

EU response to extreme meteorological events and their impacts; how to protect European urban areas and their cultural heritage (Venice case): extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), Christos STYLIANIDES, Member of the EC in charge of Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, The Commission has established direct quotas with the Italian authorities and is providing guidance in advance on a possible application of the Solidarity Fund. At this stage it is too early to know the exact extend of the damage to which possible mobilisation of the EU Solidarity Fund and the amount of assistance will depend. We must do more. What has happened in Venice is unfortunately an example of what it is to come as climate change develops. We must be proactive and this is why the Commission has been putting an increased focus on prevention, climate adaption and risk management policies.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Antonio TAJANI (EPP, IT), We on behalf of the EPP group have call on the Commission to establish a prevention fund for the prevention of potential damages to European cultural heritage due to bad weather conditions, under the next Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). I do agree with you on the fact that we would like that the incoming Commission will follow through the work that has been done and would invest much more also on prevention, infrastructure and cultural heritage protection of the areas at hydrological risk, not only in my country but also in Central Europe, Spain and France.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Simona BONAF&#200; (S&amp;D, IT), Starting with the fact that we have neglected and overbuilt our cities, we must reconsider a cultural fight from an environmental angle including soil protection and consuming behaviour. And to put for debate studying the need for a specific EU directive. Tragedies can be avoid if we do our work on climate mitigation. We do not have to wait for the river to overflow but we have to build the necessary infrastructure such as dams for hydraulic management.  That is why the Plan for Sustainable Investments that we expect from the incoming EC Commission President Ursula von der Leyen must include a specific ad hoc chapter for hydrologic prevention.The time has come for a serious discussion on whether green funds should account as capital relief from the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP).

SOUNDBITE (Swedish), P&#228;r HOLMGREN (Greens/EFA, SE), What has happened in Venice will happen again and more often in the future. At the moment, we are only seeing a 3 millimetres per year rise of sea level, it looks like very little but it is going to accelerate for hundreds if not thousands of years. Unfortunately, there is a number of things that cannot be stopped anymore because it has gone too far. We will have to work intensively on the climate protection, especially when it comes to our coasts, on the big towns, cities and harbours on our coasts.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Sabrina PIGNEDOLI (NI, IT), It is possible that all that had happened in Venice will happen again. The recent UN IPCC report warned against a rise of temperature of 3,2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, with a high risk of climate-driven tragic events in-the-making and while the global level of greenhouse gases continues to increase despite attempts to limit them. Europe is about to table a Green New Deal but it must have very ambitious and global vision.