10/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - During questions for the Commission, Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier set out his position on the role of insurance in countering the impact of natural disasters. He said he would consider this issue as part of the follow-up to the White Paper on climate change, beginning with a benchmarking exercise which should determine whether it would be more appropriate to promote cross-border insurance rather than national. In the course of the debate, he was asked about compliance with the 2007 directive on flooding (which has to be transposed into Community law by 2010 at the latest). “There are areas where there should be no construction,” he stated, indicating that, in 1995, he had had France pass a law to have individuals and businesses move if their houses or premises were located in areas at risk of flooding. With regard to a European civil protection force, he reminded MEPs of the report he had prepared in 2006 at the request of José Manuel Barroso, proposing that a good place to start would be with improved cooperation. “In such cases, there are always good intentions. It's coordination that is lacking,” he noted. (L.G./transl.rt)