Strasbourg, 19/06/2006 (Agence Europe) - Following its rapporteur, Richard Seeber (EPP-ED, Austria), the European Parliament has given its support for the Commission's proposal to establish a framework for managing flood risk at EU level. MEPs consider the proposal is an appropriate one to succeed where Member State individual action has not proved sufficiently effective, but they stress the need to comply with subsidiarity in order to prevent efforts being over-centralised (EUROPE 9176). Taking a stance, on 15 June, on the proposal for a directive on joint assessment and management of flood risk in the EU, the Assembly recognised that concerted action at European level will allow better management of flood risk given that most river basins in Europe are shared by several countries. The growing occurrence of major flooding in Europe - over 100 during the past ten years - and the damage that they cause (over 700 victims, displacement of half a million people and at least €25 billion in loss for the economy), means that European coordination is needed, MEPs say. They mainly stress the gravity of the consequences that such disasters can have for the environment, especially when they affect installations that house large quantities of toxic chemical products.
Rather than speak of floods and the level of protection against flooding, MEPs prefer to speak of flood risk and risk prevention. The text voted by the Parliament calls for full respect of the principle of subsidiarity during assessment of high-risk areas. It will be up to Member States to prepare maps of areas liable to flooding and indicative flood damage maps. Such maps should be used to phase out direct or indirect subsidies that have the effect of increasing flood risks. The text voted allows Member States the possibility of developing specific measures for certain areas. The EP calls on Member States to closely cooperate with local and regional authorities for risk prevention, and for them to carry out informative campaigns so that citizens are aware of the risks and prepared to face up to them in a coordinated manner. MEPs also call for the flood risk management plans to take into account the proximity of potentially polluting installations and work with natural processes such as the maintenance and/or restoration of flood plains in order to give rivers more space. They also trust that risks for human health should be duly taken into account - mainly in the event of water contamination.