Activities of Maria do Céu PATRÃO NEVES related to 2009/2151(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Prevention of natural and man-made disasters (short presentation)
Amendments (26)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission Communication on the prevention of natural and man-made disasters; supports the view that disaster prevention is inseparable from intervention; reaffirms Parliament's previous work on this subject and regrets that the Commission has not yet put forward legislative proposals in line with Parliament’s proposals; stresses the need to establish comprehensive legislation and guidelines with minimum standards, reflecting a holistic approach, towards a more effective EU policy on disaster management; recalls that in the absence of this, the Treaty of Lisbon permits the use of enhanced cooperation between Member States, and that this subject may therefore also be addressed within that framework;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is in favour ofEncourages linking the actors and policies throughout the disaster management cycle, recognistressing the benefits of a quick reaction force that would enhance coordination and solidarity among Member States; supports the initiative to launch a stakeholder group and calls for the inclusion of representatives from agriculture in the proposed mechanism for crisis management with a view, inter alia, to making the principle of multi- functionality a reality;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the balanced occupation of land, and economic and social development that are in harmony with nature, and reinforced cohesion across the EU ar, combating rural depopulation and maintaining agricultural activity that is economically and environmentally sustainable are some of the fundamental elements of disaster prevention;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Emphasises that the effects of natural disasters spill over the legal and administrative borders of regions and Member States, which means that risk mapping needs to be accompanied by wide-ranging territorial cooperation mechanisms that operate independently of said borders at the macro-region level, due to the efficacy the latter enables in fighting natural or man-made disasters in terms of both prevention and intervention.
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Urges cooperation between Member States, countries neighbouring the EU and also developing countries in cross- border projects sharing best practice and disseminating practical knowledge through the EU’s neighbourhood policy programmes and development programmes.
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers that agricultural and forestry production are vulnerable to climatic phenomena such as drought, storms, frost, hail, forest fires and floods, to health risks such as plagues and epidemics, and to human activities like pollution, acid rain and unintentional genetic contamination, to landslides because of problems related to urban planning, and to the desertification of mountain areas, to forest fires due to absence of forest maintenance and criminal behaviour, and to contamination of rivers due to chemical discharges from factories;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Advocates a single EU-wide strategy through the introduction of a uniform action plan for each type of disaster, ensuring complete solidarity between countries in tackling disasters; urges that particular attention be paid within the strategy to the most isolated, most sparsely populated, mountainous and border regions of Europe, and the most economically disadvantaged European regions.
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Recalls that plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and produce biomass that can be converted into biogas, biofuels and industrial goods; that the increase in the use of agricultural products in the production of industrial products such as polymers, lubricants, surface agents, solvents and fibres, can also help reduce dependence on non-renewable energy sources.
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Considers that there is an entire group of agricultural energy crops that, together with wind power and solar energy, can significantly contribute to the EU’s energy security;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Therefore calls on the European Commission to examine the feasibility of creating a climate change adaptation fund in the context of the next financial perspective, in order to help finance preventive measures relating to natural disasters in specific economic sectors.
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Considers that the foreseeable negative effects of climate change on agricultural production will put additional pressure on maintaining food security as a matter of necessity, which will also be worsened by a demographic increase to 9 billion people by 2050, requiring a corresponding increase of some 70% in production capacity; all of these aspects show how food security, climate change mitigation, natural disasters and poverty reduction are inextricably linked;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6d. Warns of the need for the future common agricultural policy to have the financial means to continue to ensure the supply of food to Europeans and to respond to other challenges they may face, in the context of adapting to climate change and reducing its negative effects, in particular through preventing the impact of natural disasters;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recalls that forests are important for the production of wood, but also for maintaining biodiversity, the prevention of fires, floods, avalanches and erosion, management of groundwater resources, and landscape management; there is a pressing need for a stringent EU forestry policy, that takes due account of the diversity of European forests and is based on scientific knowledge in order to maintain, protect and adapt forests in the fight against the risks they face;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 - point d a (new)
Paragraph 6 - point d a (new)
(d a) sustaining the agricultural activity in areas affected by depopulation and subject to the risk of natural disasters and contributing to the reintegration of human activity by creating infra- structures to enable those who live in such areas to remain on the territory.
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Highlights the role played by farmers as custodians of the countryside in the European Union; therefore considers it necessary to promote the maintenance of agricultural activities in an economically and environmentally viable manner, with the aim of curbing the abandonment of production and the depopulation of rural areas, a phenomenon which further increases the risk of forest fires and desertification.
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Invites the Commission to report on the implementation in the Member States of Articles 70 and 71 of the Health Check provisions on risk insurance and mutual fund schemes; urges the Commission to come forward with a proposal for a European mandatory joint system involving private initiatives and also supported by public funds to better address the risk and income instability of farmers related to natural and man-made disasters; stresses that it must be more ambitious than the present voluntary model in order to avoid a multiplicity of different insurance schemes in the EU, creating huge imbalances between farmers' incomes;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Advocates a single EU-wide strategy through the introduction of a uniform action plan for each type of disaster, ensuring complete solidarity between countries in tackling disasters; urges that particular attention be paid within the strategy to the most isolated, most sparsely populated, mountainous and border regions of Europe, and the most economically disadvantaged European regions.
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Considers it urgent for a minimum compensation scheme for natural or man- made disasters to also be accessible to all European farmers, denouncing the unworkable nature of Article 11(8) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006, given the different insurance schemes available in the various Member States, recommending in addition that the component on promoting prevention measures be given preference when calculating agricultural insurance premiums;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Highlights the fact that persistent droughts have in recent years encouraged the proliferation of forest fires in Europe, at the same time worsening the desertification of a large number of regions.
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9c. Advocates the creation of a genuine forest policy designed to improve the management and conservation of forests, taking into account the fundamental role that they play in combating climate change, which is having an increasing impact in natural disasters; such a policy should be directed both towards forest protection and the sustainable use of timber resources.
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Recalls that insurance schemes are acceptedprovided for under the WTO amber box, and that our trading partners, such as the USA (Counter-Cyclical Programme and Disaster Assistance Programmes), systematically use them to secure farmers'’ incomes as compensation for the effects of natural disasters as well as for loss of income due to market instability;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Commission to carry out, together with the Member States, within the context of a genuine European forest policy, a specific initiative in the area of forest protection and fire prevention; considers that forestation and reforestation projects should be supported, with preference given to native species and mixed forests, to encourage biodiversity and greater resistance to fire, storms and disease;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Recommends an expansion of the scope of the EU Solidarity Fund to cover damage to agriculture and forests;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Considers that the eligible operations listed in Article 4 of the EUSF (European Union Solidarity Fund) are too restrictive and do not allow for other situations of the same nature, such as droughts. In this context, and regardless of the fact that it is not practicable for the main victims (private individuals and businesses) to receive direct aid, a new, more flexible clause should be introduced in the EUSF which would enable indirect support to be granted;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Calls for the introduction of a new category in the EUSF (European Union Solidarity Fund) relating to 'other operations of public interest aimed at restoring the social and economic life of affected populations and/or areas', so as to include events with consequences for private assets which, being of unquestionable importance for the overall wellbeing, operate as if they were public assets;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses that the natural characteristics and constraints of sparsely populated regions and outermost regions need to be acknowledged and taken into due account; draws attention to the added difficulties faced by these regions in tackling disasters; asks for special attention to be paid to those regions through the various financial instruments available and, specifically, calls for the conditions for mobilising the Solidarity Fund for those areas to be made more flexible.