Brussels, 28/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - To improve the ability for intervention by the Community in cases of natural, technological or environmental catastrophes within or outside the Community, the European Commission is proposing to institute a Community mechanism responsible for greater effectiveness by the interventions for civil protection in emergency cases. This mechanism aims for coordinated mobilisation of the existing operational resources in the Member States, while leaving the countries that call for aid the entire responsibility for the measures to be implements. This mechanism is based on four elements:
Prior evaluation of the means for intervention on the basis of information provided by the Member States to the Commission concerning intervention teams available within two to four hours following the occurrence of a catastrophe and capable of being mobilised;
The development, by the Commission, of a training programme aimed at increasing the ability to react of the teams by maximising the use of their assets. This programme will include training and joint exercises, which will enable the various teams to know each other and to attach people to a team form another Member States;
The establishing of assessment and coordination teams capable of being immediately deployed on the scene and to rapidly determine the most appropriate resources for the specific case;
The establishing of an effective common communication system between the civil protection administrative authorities in the Member States and the competent Commission services.
The description of this mechanism, to which the EU candidate countries are invited to participate, is the object of a Communication, attached to a Council and Parliament proposal, adopted on Wednesday by the College on the joint initiative of the Commissioners Margot Wallström (Environment) and Michel Barnier (regional policy). It represents the Commission's answer to concerns expressed by the citizens of the Union following the series of catastrophes (earthquake in Turkey, oil pollution following the sinking of the Erika of the coast of Brittany, devastating storms in several Member States, cyanide pollution in the Danube region, the explosion of pyrotechnic material in the Netherlands) which caused huge losses to the Union, cost in terms of the lives of several hundred people and demonstrated the need to channel the efforts for solidarity which the Member State showed, but in confusion. The Commission proposal, based on Article 308 of the Amsterdam Treaty and 203 of the Euratom Treaty, should be discussed in the Council next 6 October.