EU High Representative Baroness Ashton to Eurofora on Haiti Lessons and EU Civil Protection Force

EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy and EU Commission vice President, Baroness Cathy Ashton, speaking to "EuroFora", stressed that one among the "lessons from Haiti'"s 2010 Deadly Natural Catastrophe is that EU has to "look at" the creation of a "Civic Protection Force", on the "background" of a proposal made since 2006 by her collegue, former Minister and experienced twice EU Commissioner Michel Barnier, cited by many MEPs at EU Parliament's Debates and Resolutions this week in Strasbourg, highlighting a growing need to protect People's Lives and Economy from more frequent Natural or man-made Hazards, in line with a strong Political Will to develop EU's "Capabilities" to have its own "Autonomous" Security policy in the World. (See related NewStory).

 - "The Frequency of Natural Disasters is growing recently. It's Time to put into practice the proposal made by EU Commissioner Barnier, for the creation of an EU Civic Protection Force", stressed on Thursday the vice-President of the largest Group of MEPs (ChristianDemocrats/EPP), Romanian MEP Jean Marinescu.

Marinescu was speaking during EU Parliament's debates on Chile's Earsthquake and Tsunami, after the Deadly "Xynthia" and Madeira Storms in Europe, which followed shortly after Haiti's much larger disaster.

(Haiti Earthquake: Satelite-based Map for European Space Agency's GMES by Strasbourg's SERTIT)

In Chile, the Earthquake shock was stronger than in Haiti, but it made comparatively less Victims, thanks to an Early Warning System. Most Natural Catastrophes are "sudden" events, and, therefore, Prevention is crucial, observed another MEP.

Indeed, both Deadly Catastrophes as 2010 "Xynthia" Storm in Europe and the famous 2005 "Katrine" Hurricane in the US, were presented by Experts as initially Ordinary Weather phenomena, which, suddenly, became Dangerous, multiplying their force up to unexpected levels, shortly before crossing a SeaCoast, arriving over inhabited land, as "EuroFora" noted on the basis of many converging data.

In fact, it's both the "Frequency and the Intensity of natural Disaters" which "is increasing", observed also EU Commissioner on Environment, Janez Potočnik, from the Czech Republic, who'd never forget f.ex. a Flood which devastated a small village where he was personally living even at the heart of Europe, as he said in EU Parliaments' debates on Xynthia, Madeira and Chile.

While, if EU was limited only into the necessary Financial Aid to Victims of natural catastrophes, it's obvious, today, that the pre-existing EU "Solidarity Fund" has become a great deal "obsolete", in practice, and that EU would have to look also at possibilities to eventually use a part of "Structural and Cohesion Funds", or even, from "Rural Funds", if Member States agree, as he added.

Everything shows today that it's better to "go well beyond" the necessary Financial help to Victims, and concentrate EU's means into a European Civil Protection Force, able to save Human Lives and Economy, and provide Security to EU Citizens, stressed to "EuroFora" the Head of the French Governing Party UMP, ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP Jean Pierre Audy.

Audy, who met, meanwhile, the President of EU Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, together with several other MEPs from various EU Countries recently affected by extreme Weather phenomena, from Portugal and Spain up to Sweden, said to "EuroFora" that Barroso appeared to be open to MEPs concerns :

Thus, it was natural that various other MEPs, as, f.ex. "Green" German MEP Reinhard Bütikofer, underlined "EU Parliament's support" on "concrete points" of an "EU Security Policy" by making a specific, "positive reference to the Barnier Report on a European Civil Protection", and stressed that the new EU Commission must not reject it now.

Therefore, "EuroFora" asked Baroness Ashton to make it clear if she believed that there are, now, real prospects for the creation of a European Civic Protection Force, developing also New Technologies, for the protection of Citizens.

- "Well, I think that we have got to look at it", Ashton immediately replied.

- " I am just beginning to learn the lessons from Haiti", she added significantly on "EuroFora"s question about the need to create an EU Civic Protection Force.

- At any case, "it should be in the Background, on how it's gonna go" on such kind of challenges, EU's High Representative on Foreign and Security Policy carefully concluded.

Ashton said that to "EuroFora" after debating, for the 1st time, with the Presidents of EU Parliament's Political Groups, more than an Hour, Wednesday Afternoon in Strasbourg, before an exceptional EU Commission collective meeting scheduled in Brussels for Friday, in view of crucial forthcoming decisions on the creation, for the 1st time, of EU's External Service, composed by some 5.000 Agents and 136 Embassies, 1/3 from EU Member States, 1/3 from EU Commission and 1/3 from EU Council.

This huge, unprecedented task, created after the entry into force of Lisbon Treaty, in addition to current affairs, obliged Baroness Ashton to be, at present, "running" from one pressing EU meeting to another, as she acknowledged to "EuroFora".

Appointed by the 27 EU Member Countries' Governments, Catherine Ashton has also been endorsed, together with all the rest of Barroso II Commission, by EU Parliament, last February 2010 in Strasbourg.

The creation of an EU Civil Protection Force is, in fact, the most important reply to recently growing Major Hazards, and could be organized under the joint supervision of 2 EU Commissioners, Kristalina Georgieva from Bulgaria, in charge of International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, (who is currently visiting Chile), and Janez Potočnik, in charge of Environment, who adressed MEPs in Strasbourg's debates.

 - "But it might be better if Catherine Ashton took over, since it concerns also External action, and it's preferable to have a broad, solid base, both in EU Commission and EU Council", said to "EuroFora" the Head of France's Governing Party UMP's Delegation to EU Parliament, MEP Jean-Pierre Audy.

 - "The idea to create a European Civic Protection Force is (also included) inside the Report" on "EU Securitry and Defence policy", that EU Parliament just adopted in Strasbourg with a strong Majority of 480 against 111 votes, its Draftsman, President of the Committee on Defence and Security, Arnaud Danjean stressed earlier to "EuroFora".

- "Because ...what's Specific (Original) in the EU : (is) To make the Civic and Military dimensions work together, (so that it can) give adequate replies to each Crisis", he explained.

- "There are (some) Crisis which need more Civic (aspects), there are (other) Crisis which need more Military (aspects), there are Crisis which need both. There are Crisis which need only the Civic" aspects And the EU knows how to do that, and can do that", EU Security Rapporteur observed.

- "Mrs Ashton had an encouraging reply in this regard", during the EU Parliament's debate : She said that she's going to examine that question, of (the creation of) a European Civic Protection Force, starting from the Barnier Report of 2006, that we (MEPs) asked her to review", Danjean confimed.

- Let's "see what options we have to mobilise assets of Member States together with EU instruments to support either the UN, OCHA or to act as the EU itself. The watchwords ought to be maximising synergies, and avoiding ‘hard’ or artificial splits between how we handle EU internal and external crises", Ashton had earlier said on the "Civil Protection Force" "Suggestion".

But Ashton also observed that "Climate Change.. is not just an Environmental Problem, but also one with Security and Geo-Political ramifications".

Significantly, Ashton's reply to EU Parliament's Debates cited the "Barnier Report" for the creation of an EU Civil Protection Force as No 1 of the "Key Areas that MEPs are more concerned about", among "many .. of the Important Issues that have been raised today".

- " I did not say ‘no’ to the Barnier report. What I said was, on the basis of lessons learnt from Haiti, and now the support we are offering in Chile, we wanted to look at how much more we could do, how we could operate more effectively, what we should have on Standby and whether we should have something on Standby", as she said.

- "That requires us to consider Strategically what we should be doing, and the Barnier report provides the Backdrop to do that. I am very Grateful to Michel for the Contribution that he has made on that – it is the backdrop", she concluded, shortly before MEPs Vote.

    The Resolution adopted by EU Parliament with a strong Majority this week in Strasbourg "calls .. on the (EU) Council to re-open the Debate on establishing a European Civil Protection Force - inter alia on the basis of the May 2006 Barnier Report".

 For that purpose, EU "would pool the Member States' resources, in order to generate an effective Collective Response, in the event of Natural or Man-made Disasters, both inside and outside the (European) Union". In 2010, EU Parliament considers that this is a logical consequence "after the Introduction of a "Solidarity Clause" into the New (Lisbon) Treaty", "in the event of a Terrorist Attack, or a Natural or Man-made Disaster".

Therefore, MEPs "call on the (EU) Council to enter into a substantial Debate with the European Parliament and the National Parliaments in 2010 on the Implementation of (such) New Provisions in the Lisbon Treaty, concerning the (EU's) Common Security and Defence Policy, including" the "Solidarity Clause", for the effective application of which EU should create a European Civil Protection Force (See supra).

 - "We are working on that", seriously replied EU Commissioner Barnier himself to an "EuroFora"'s question if EU's current efforts to set up "GMES", the European Space "Global Monitoring for Security and Environment", (as EU Commission's vice-President Antonio Tajani ealier stressed in reply to other "EuroFora"'s questions : See Jan. 2010 NewsReport), might be a good opportunity and facilitate the realisation of the EU Civil Protection Force project.

- Replying, meanwhile, to other MEPs' calls, on the occasion of "Floods" in Ireland, Barnier said that he remained "attached" to the "Objective" for an "EU Civil Protection Force", which could usefuly serve to face a large scope of Hazards and Challenges, going from "Earthquakes and Tsunami as in Haiti, to Floods, Forest Fires, Viruses, Pandemics, Terrorist attacks, etc"

- "If the EU is prepated" to face such Challenges, "it can Save Human Lives, precious Time, Money and material means, while also gaining in Visibility" throughout the World, stressed Barnier.

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