Brussels, 10/11/2005 (Agence Europe) - Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, French ALDE MEP Jean-Marie Beaupuy said the French government had been in contact with Commissioner Danuta Hubner, who will soon be announcing emergency measures for France. Parliamentary sources suggest the Commissioner would be speaking on this later this week. Hubner has already asked her departments to see whether the European Regional Development Fund could be used to help the housing estates where the riots have occurred (see EUROPE 9064).
Jean-Marie Beaupuy said it was important to provide rapid responses and deal with the underlying issues, adding that the anger and rioting and demonstrated the extent to which urban policy has been ignored by one government after another in France. On the French government's decision to make use of a 3 April 1955 law to announce a state of emergency (and local curfews), the French MEP said extreme care was required to avoid fanning the existing flames. Order must be re-established of course, he said, but the most important thing is to react appropriately by dealing with problems on a case by case basis. The MEP, who is the author of a recent report on the urban dimension of enlargement, hoped the European Commission would set up an inter-service taskforce to coordinate urban policy at European level (see EUROPE 9031).