Brussels, 08/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - The time has come to reflect on the European Union's contribution to future global action to reduce the risks of natural disasters. With its communication, entitled Hyogo Framework for Action post-2015: managing risks to achieve resilience, the European Commission has laid the foundation stone for this reflection by giving its vision of what the future priorities should be once this action plan, which was adopted in 2005 by the 168 members of the UN, expires in 2015. The aim is to reach an EU common position in time to contribute to the success of the international conference of (Japan, 14-18 March 2015), where the new Hyogo Framework for Action to reduce these risks is to be adopted.
In the hope of generating a consensus, the Commission lists the priorities and measures it recommends to facilitate the implementation of future action, which are: - increasing the transparency and governance of the post-2015 framework by establishing standards of governance, regular peer review and the collection and sharing, at international level, of comparable data; - orienting the future framework towards results by introducing targeted objectives and measurable actions to reduce the risks of disasters; - ensuring that the risk-reduction measures feed into green and sustainable growth and promote business opportunities. The Commission takes the view that all major infrastructure projects should be designed in such a way as to take on board risks and be resilient to the climate as well as to disasters. More should be done to encourage innovative technologies and instruments (early warning systems, resilient infrastructure and buildings, green infrastructure and risk communication).
The stakes are high as, in the European Union alone, natural disasters, the scale and frequency of which are on the rise, have left more than 80,000 people dead over the last decade and cost €95 million in economic losses. The recommendations to be made by the Commission draw on the experience acquired by the EU in risk management matters via a broad range of policies (civil protection, environmental protection, security policy, adaptation to climate change, health, research and innovation and external action).
This communication aims to feed into the debate. The Commission therefore urges the member states, the European Parliament and all players concerned to work towards an EU common position on the future Hyogo Framework for Action, the outlines of which are currently the subject of international consultation. (AN)