Activites

• 1998/01/14 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Decision 1998/22
  • OJ L 008 14.01.1998, p. 0020
• #2063
• 1997/12/19 Council Meeting
• 1997/12/19 End of procedure in Parliament
• 1997/12/19 Act adopted by Council after consultation of Parliament
• 1996/05/08 Modified legislative proposal published
  • COM(1996)0219 summary

    In its amended proposal, the Commission took over several of the amendments adopted by the EP in the House. These amendments related, in particular, to actions aimed at: - promoting the exchange of experiences at all levels within the framework of the programme, - contributing, within the framework of the actions implemented, to the prevention of natural and technological disasters, particularly by including the risks of disaster in environmental impact assessments and by taking preventive measures, - helping to ensure that those primarily responsible for and most directly involved in civil protection were better prepared and thus better able to respond to emergencies, - improving technical forecasting methods by means of demonstrations and pilot projects, - promoting collective solidarity. Research activities should give priority to the techniques which were least harmful to the environment. In the annex dealing with the implementation of actions on the ground, the Commission stated that actions relating to training and the exchange of experiences should also involve specialists and technicians involved in civil protection (particularly the services responsible for dealing with disasters in isolated and ultra-peripheral regions). With regard to simulation exercises, the actions should be aimed at improving effectiveness and speed of response in the event of disasters. In the case of pilot projects, the emphasis was placed on projects designed to increase the speed of response of the emergency services. These projects should, where possible, be multinational and make an impact and be publicised throughout the Union. The Commission also took over in part the amendments aimed at: - giving greater consideration to environmental aspects when forecasting disasters (particularly floods), - enhancing the sense of shared responsibility on the part of citizens and public awareness of hazards (particularly in connection with accidental discharges of toxic substances), - emphasising the role of NGOs and their possible participation in the programme, - implementing actions in close cooperation with national, regional and local authorities, particularly in the Union's isolated and ultra-peripheral regions, - keeping Parliament better informed of the programme's implementation. However, the Commission did not accept the amendments aimed at: - strengthening Community cooperation in the field of civil protection or coordinating the resources available to combat disasters at regional and supraregional level, - integrating a reference to the fifth Community programme on the environment, - providing for Community disaster simulation exercises and measures for peripheral regions in conjunction with third countries, - granting aid to NGOs to help them to improve the resources at their disposal in case of disasters within or outside the Community, - changing the comitology procedure (including the submission of the committee's assessment to Parliament), - amending the financial aspects of the action programme. �

• 1996/04/19 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T4-0208/1996 summary

    In adopting the report by Mrs Laura GONZALEZ ALVAREZ (GUE/NGL, E), Parliament approved this proposal with the following amendments: - Parliament calls for actions which seek, in particular, to enhance prevention, the ability of citizens to protect themselves against risk and crisis situations, and to improve coordination at regional and local level when combating major disasters. It draws particular attention to the importance of heightening awareness of hazards which could arise from specific disasters, such as the accidental release of toxic materials; - the programme should contribute to increasing environmental protection, with a particular emphasis on the Union's isolated and ultra peripheral regions where the bringing-in of aid is difficult and the intervention procedures are limited as far as major emergencies are concerned. Particular attention should be paid to the smaller islands; - provision should be made with regard to determining the causes of disasters as well as their prevention (and, in particular, introducing the risks of disaster in the environmental impact assessment and taking any preventive measures required, including closure of the installation, for example); to the same end, the Annex to the proposal was amended in order to highlight these various points (by introducing new rates of Community financial contribution for one or other action and by clarifying the role of the NGOs); - a contribution should be made to increasing the degree of preparedness of those responsible for civil protection at all levels (including local and regional), the introduction of new intervention techniques, and self-protection and collective solidarity actions; - a report evaluating the programme should be forwarded to it every two years (instead of three years); - a new committee (advisory committee on civil protection) should be set up to implement this programme of actions jointly with the Commission. �

• 1996/04/18 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 1996/03/21 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A4-0100/1996
• 1995/06/16 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 1995/05/04 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(1995)0155 summary

    This proposal for a decision aimed to establish a Community action programme in the field of civil protection. The programme's objective was to help protect persons, the environment and property in the event of natural or technological disasters. It was drawn up in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity (the idea was to complement and accompany the initiatives undertaken by the Member States rather than to replace the action of the Member States in this area) and had three main goals: - to help increase the level of preparation of those responsible for civil protection in the Member States in order to increase their ability to respond to an emergency; - to use pilot projects to help improve intervention techniques and methods; - to help promote public information, education and awareness in Europe in order to help citizens to protect themselves more effectively. An annex to the proposal detailed the type of actions financed and gave an indication of the allocation of resources to each action: - increase in the level of preparation of those responsible for civil protection: training (organisation of workshops bringing together senior experts from the Member States), exchanges of experts between Member States (training for a limited period of time in another Member State), secondment of one or several qualified training officers to undertake training modules, Community simulation exercises (comparison of the various means of intervention in the Member States with a view to improving effectiveness); - pilot projects to help improve the ability of the Member States to respond in the event of an emergency; - greater public information, education and awareness: exchanges between Member States of particularly effective measures to raise awareness, with emphasis on actions targeted at young people undergoing initial training or still at school, funding for travelling exhibitions and the distribution of information; - other actions: conferences, seminars directed at large audiences, actions having a direct impact on other Member States; - rapid mobilisation of experts to strengthen the emergency arrangements put in place in the Member States or third countries following a natural, technological or environmental disaster; - additional actions further to those provided for in the programme could also be envisaged if the necessary financial resources were available. As regards the budget, the Commission allocated the programme a financial envelope of ECU 13.8 million for the period 1996-2000. In implementing the programme, the Commission would be assisted by an advisory committee composed of representatives of the Member States. �

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(1995)0155
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A4-0100/1996
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0208/1996
• Modified legislative proposal published: COM(1996)0219
• : Decision 1998/22
• : OJ L 008 14.01.1998, p. 0020

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)