Brussels, 25/03/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, the day after the ceremony paying homage to the victims of the terrorist attacks of 11 March in Madrid and the European Summit on Europe's response to terrorism, the European Commission put forward ideas it intended to strengthen for the civil protection capacity of the European Union in an effort to respond more effectively, rapidly and in better coordination to natural disasters or human inspired attacks. In a press statement jointly prepared by the Commissioner for Regional Policy, Michel Barnier and European Commissioner for the Environment, Margot Wallström, the Commission has proposed an improvement in the functioning of the follow-up and information centre, the cornerstone of the Community mechanism for strengthened cooperation in civil protection operations in the same way that it will be responsible for coordination, at a European level of resources mobilised by Member States.
To this end, the Commission proposes: centralising more information on human resources, expertise and equipment available to Member States (vaccines, medicines, mobile medical equipment, high capacity pumps and fire fighting equipment) to facilitate rapid mobilisations with economies of scale; greater common training of intervention teams with joint exercises in the context of a genuine European Civil Protection Force; increase in budgetary resources for supporting the overall EU response.
Michel Barnier declared, while presenting the communication to the press (Wallström was expected to accompany him but was unable to do so).
"The European Council is meeting up in a serious situation following the Madrid tragedy. All Europeans understand, we are all involved when it is a matter of solidarity and when it calls for action. In terrorism, action will focus on three fronts: repression, prevention, compensation. What we propose in our communication involves the aspects of prevention and compensation for either attacks or natural disasters. Our proposal is one of the elements at the European Summit provisions for a strategic response to terrorist attacks. Between prevention and compensation is an idea: the solidarity clause which I have conceived as the preliminary organisation, in all Member States, in the event of one being attacked of the immediate provisions of military and civilian means for civil protection".
Barnier did not hide his satisfaction at seeing an idea that he had already proposed at the Convention (the solidarity clause) being at the centre of the Heads of State and governments' work in anticipation of the European constitution. He was keen to point out that this proved that they needed this constitution and that at the moment of EU enlargement, the fight against terrorism was intensifying at the same time as social uncertainties and worries about ecological safety, which justified "putting the house in order".
Pointing out that the follow-up and information centre of the Commission had intervened in 50 emergencies over recent years (the most recent were during the Prestige disaster in France, floods in Germany, Austria and Czech Republic in 2002, the heatwave and forest fires in southern Europe in summer 2003, floods in France in December 2003, earthquakes in Iran, Morocco last February). Michel Barnier welcomed the coordination that enabled immediate assistance. In Madrid on 11 March the explosion took place at 7H39. At 8H20, the Commission follow-up centre had offered help to the Spanish authorities but the latter had been able to react on their own very quickly, he pointed out. Barnier said that they had to do more and do it better and even go beyond the statute of competency for support in which civil protection is included in the treaty. Barnier reiterated that the day had to come for the setting up of a European civil protection force, namely national or regional units specialised in each Member State and capable of being mobilised under the European flag under common command. But that this did not necessarily involve centralising things.
Asked about additional budgetary resources needed, Barnier outlined that the Commission had not at this stage identified any figures, with the object being to launch the debate. In an indicative context, he pointed out that the current budget for the follow-up and information centre was EUR 1.5 million annually - a modest amount compared to the EUR 25 million spent every year by Member States on their emergency equipment outside the EU and the EUR on billion in the European Solidarity Funds for natural disasters. A journalist asked whether Member States were ready to act together in the event of a chemical attack, to which the Commissioner answered a categorical "no".