Brussels, 10/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - The announcement of the earthquake which devastated North Pakistan on 8 October provoked an immediate response from the European Union: whilst messages of condolence from European leaders were flooding in, the European Commission was making emergency humanitarian aid of 3.6 million EUR available to the victims. This was initial aid, and was decided upon by the Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel, by request of the Pakistani authorities. This may be followed in the very near future by a much larger additional package of aid, once needs have been fully assessed in a process which is currently underway, the spokesperson to the Commissioner, Amadeu Altafaj Tardio, explained on Monday. Echo experts are already providing their assistance with this assessment mission.
The funds, which have been taken from the Echo budget, and the humanitarian aid service of the Commission, were taken from resources earmarked for Kashmir before the earthquake hit, but which had not yet been allocated (60,000 EUR). The additional 3 million were made available under the emergency procedure allowing aid to be mobilised within 72 hours. This aid will go to cover the most urgent requirements: medical supplies and equipment, shelter (tents for the winter), blankets and first aid supplies, drinking water and hygiene infrastructure, logistics, telecommunications and aid coordination. The additional aid, which may be decided on in the very near future, will be used, amongst other things, to pay for psychological support for children and orphans. A further 20 million EUR is still available under the humanitarian budget, but Echo also has to deal with other natural disasters occurring at the same time in Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador, the spokesperson to Louis Michel pointed out. The reserve of the Community budget may also be mobilised exceptionally, as was the case for aid to the victims of the tsunami in southern Asia.
At the same time, the Community civil protection mechanism, set up to coordinate offers of assistance made by various European countries, was activated by request of those Member States which wanted to make national civil protection resources available. Its information and monitoring centre, which is housed within the Directorate General for the Environment of the European Commission, became involved on Saturday. France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands have already sent search and rescue teams, doctors and field hospitals to the region. The aid proposed by other countries (Italy, Hungary and Finland) will be deployed in the very near future, depending on the additional needs once these are duly identified.
The European Commission is already hard at work preparing the next phase of reconstruction. On Monday afternoon, a meeting of civil servants held an exploratory discussion. "Reconstruction will not start immediately, but we are trying to see what we can offer with our current budgetary lines", said Emma Udwin, spokesperson to Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations.
In a message sent out to President Musharraf on Sunday, the President of the Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, said: "It was with great distress and sadness that I learned about the tragic earthquake which shook northern regions of Pakistan on 8 October and resulted in very extensive loss of lives and destruction. On behalf of the European Commission and on my own behalf, I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to you, Mr President, and the people of Pakistan. Please convey my expression of deepest sympathy and solidarity to the families of the victims and all those affected by this calamity. Be assured that the European Union and the European Commission, via its humanitarian aid service, will be at the side of the Pakistani people to provide them with help and assistance in their hour of need". Benita Ferrero-Waldner has written to foreign minister Kasuri, to express her shock "to hear news about Pakistan's worst-ever earthquake which, according to latest reports, has killed several thousand people and left many more injured and homeless". Josep Borell, President of the Parliament, expressed his regret at the number of victims and the scale of devastation in northern Pakistan, and also in northern India and Afghanistan- the region of the world which has been hit "once again most cruelly". Expressing the "deepest solidarity of the European Parliament to all the victim's' families", he added: "the European Union will do all in its power immediately to provide emergency aid to the populations which had been hit by this terrible earthquake. It will then contribute to the reconstruction efforts in the region".