15/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - CDU MEP Rolf Berend does not like the proposals, including the creation of a European disaster and emergency service, made by Michel Barnier to improve crisis management in the EU (for details of Barnier report, see EUROPE 9188). In a press release, Mr Berend, who is the EP rapporteur on European Solidarity Fund, says that this would lead to the creation of “useless parallel structures”, and that this civil protection force would end up taking “between 50 and 100 million euro from the Solidarity Fund every year”. He also says that the EU has no competence in this area, it is a matter for Member States.