New EU aid fund targets billion euro disasters
Date: 20-Sep-02
Country: EU
The EU's 15 member states would be eligible for aid from the
fund if they suffered a disaster which cost more than either
0.5 percent of GDP or one billion euros ($970 million), or
which hit a substantial part of the regional or national
population.
"We can't define what a catastrophe is in advance," said
Michel Barnier, European regional policy commissioner.
Europe had experienced seven catastrophes with damage of
more than a billion euros since 1987, he said.
"I think it would be possible that climate change or other
phenomena could mean that the whole of Europe might be
affected by genuine catastrophes, and if that were to happen
perhaps we would have to handle matters differently.
"But for the moment I think one billion (euros) is a
substantial amount of money," he said.
The Commission proposed creating the fund after floods raged
across Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia
this summer, killing dozens of people and causing damage of
about 20 billion euros.
With no central disaster fund in place, it could not react
to calls for help from the region. The Commission hopes the
fund will be operational from November this year.
Immediately after a natural, technological or environmental
disaster, the fund would reinforce infrastructure such as
communication networks, roads and water supply and sewage.
Money from the fund would also be available to provide first
aid and temporary accommodation, to shore up dams and to
clean up damaged natural areas. Insured damage would not be
eligible.
