European Economic and Social Committee

PRESS RELEASE No 20/2008 / 7 March 2008

European Economic and Social Committee

Barnier to relaunch his proposal for a European civil protection force at the EESC plenary session

Press conference, Paul-Henri Spaak building (VIP room), European Parliament,

13 March 2008, 11.15 a.m.

At 10 a.m. on 13 March 2008, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) plenary session will welcome Michel Barnier, author of a report on civil protection. In 2006, Mr Barnier put forward a proposal on European civil protection, in which he suggested setting up a European force capable of immediate intervention in the event of an emergency.

At its plenary session in March 2008, the Committee will look at the draft of a supplementary opinion on natural disasters (rapporteur: Ms Sánchez Miguel, Group II – employees, Spain). In fact, the Committee adopted a related opinion on civil protection two years ago, proposing measures to improve the Community Civil Protection Mechanism. In this additional opinion, the Committee maintains that the environmental liability system should be applied, i.e. it should be made clear that the perpetrators of certain disasters, such as arson attacks, will be held liable.Better implementation of national provisions and information on the consequences of non-compliance with preventive legislation and harmful acts by both citizens and the competent authorities could help to alleviate the effects of natural disasters.

Mr Barnier's report specifically concerns the creation of a rapid reaction force designed to respond to forest fires and other natural disasters, and to put an end, once and for all, to the destruction of forests and the deforestation which results from this. Dealing with the dramatic environmental, economic and social consequences of this kind of disaster, especially in the regions of southern Europe, should become a top priority for the European institutions. Following last year's fires in the Peloponnese region of Greece, and recent natural disasters in other regions of Europe, the EESC almost unanimously adopted a resolution on the response to natural disasters and their prevention at its plenary session in September 2007.

On 5 March 2008, the European Commission unveiled an action plan to improve civil protection. This plan takes up many of the recommendations in the Committee's resolution and opinions on the subject. The EESC welcomes this initiative wholeheartedly and will offer its opinion on the measures proposed.

A press conference on the subject, to be attended by the EESC president, Mr Dimitriadis, as well as Mr Barnier and Ms Sánchez Miguel, will be held in the European Parliament's VIP room at 11.15 a.m. on the same day.

For more details, please contact:
Karel Govaert at the EESC Press Office,
99 rue Belliard, B-1040 Brussels
Tel.: +32 2 546 9396/9586; mobile: +32 475 75 32 02
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The European Economic and Social Committee represents the various economic and social components of organised civil society. It is an institutional consultative body established by the 1957 Treaty of Rome. Its consultative role enables its members, and hence the organisations they represent, to participate in the Community decision-making process. The Committee has 344members, who are appointed by the Council of Ministers.