Tsunami Disaster
Following the dreadful and destructive events of the Boxing Day tsunami, the European Parliament and the other EU institutions reacted quickly to give help to the affected areas and their populations. Click here for EU action to date
Statement from Mr. Borrell, President of the EP to the ASEAN "Tsunami Summit"
Statement from Mr. Barroso, President of the Commission
Jean Lambert is a member of the South Asia and SAARC Delegation which deals with issues affecting India and Sri Lanka. This Committee has joined with the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Development Committee, the Budget Committee and the Southeast Asian Delegations to ensure that the Parliament can effectively help the victims of this disaster to rebuild their lives. Statement by Jean Lambert: In the aftermath of the destruction and the deep regret at the loss of life, our hearts go out to the families of the dead and the difficult task that they now face. As we turn to the necessary rebuilding and revitalising of the communities affected and consider the sort of development needed, lessons must be learned and we must surely prioritise local community and industry. It will be our responsibility as politicians to provide long term support to the local populations whose demographics have been severely altered. While the considerable capital made available is heartening, we must ensure that this is new money - not simply a redirection of funding. Debt relief too is a major step forward, but the money saved must go to those who need it and not towards expansion of weaponry used for the repression of those very peoples.
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HUMANITARIAN EFFORT
The Commission responded quickly to the humanitarian disaster in Asia following the earthquake on 26 December. On the same day, ECHO allocated €3 million for Red Cross relief efforts using the primary emergency procedure.
Two further decisions, each for €10 million, were adopted on 30 and 31 December releasing funds to help victims of the tidal waves in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Maldives. This is all money that has been formally committed, not simply pledged. The €3 million has already been received by the Red Cross Federation and the contracts with partners for the €20 million are being finalised. These funds will support the activities of a number of European NGOs, UN agencies such as UNICEF, OCHA, WFP, HCR, WHO and the Red Cross family.
The European Commission participates fully in coordination activities in the field. There are several ECHO experts active in the field (4 in Indonesia, 3 in Sri Lanka, 4 in Thailand and 1 in India), working closely with the United Nations and other donors to ensure the coordination of the humanitarian aid effort on the ground.
The scale of the disaster and the difficulties of access are such that all UN assessment teams have not as yet finalised their needs assessments. As soon as this is completed, it is expected that Appeals will be launched by the UN. Meanwhile, the first Appeals from the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Flash Appeals of the UN and its agencies total € 455.2 million. The internal ECHO reserve in the 2005 budget amounts to € 75 million, of which € 23 million have already been committed in this crisis. The remaining € 52 million will not be sufficient to respond to the Appeals. It should therefore be envisaged that the Commission requests the immediate mobilisation of substantial additional funds from the emergency reserve of the Community budget.
EU civil protection assistance to South Asia
The European Community Civil Protection Mechanism has been active since the very first reports of the earthquake and the tsunami in South Asia. Throughout the disaster, the European Commission’s Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) has operated on a 24/24 hours basis to mobilise and co-ordinate civil protection assistance from EU Member States and neighbouring countries – all in all 30 countries.
Acting immediately upon requests for assistance from the affected countries, the MIC has sent assessment and coordination experts to Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Maldives to coordinate the arrival and distribution of European aid and to assess the needs for further assistance. On site, these EU civil protection coordinators work in close cooperation with the local authorities, the EU Delegations, the UN Disaster Assessment and Co-ordination teams (UNDAC) and the UN office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
Through the MIC, European countries have sent hundreds of relief workers and tonnes of supplies to the affected region. Virtually all European countries have offered civil protection assistance to the affected areas, making this one of the most significant relief efforts in the history of the Community Civil Protection Mechanism. Through the Mechanism, European cooperation has been maximised in order to target the assistance to the specific needs of each affected country and to speed up the delivery of the aid.
In Sri Lanka, the European civil protection assistance includes mainly medical teams and supplies, bottled water and water purification equipment, temporary shelter and related aid. Several specific requests for pharmaceutical and surgical items, issued by the Sri Lanka authorities, were met through the Community Civil Protection Mechanism.
In Thailand, European relief efforts were initially focused on search and rescue and subsequently on medical assistance, forensic expertise and victim identification.
The bulk of the European assistance to Indonesia consists of medical support, field hospitals, water purification and temporary shelter.
In the Maldives, European teams and experts are assisting the authorities in water purification and medical care.
HIGH LEVEL VISITS TO THE REGION
European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, travelled to the region on New Years Day. He is currently in Sri Lanka and will continue to Indonesia.
In Sri Lanka, Mr Michel and the Minister for Development of Luxemburg, who holds the rotating presidency of the EU, Jean-Louis Schiltz, met with the President of Sri Lanka, Ms Chandrika Bandanaraike Kumaratunga. They also met with the representatives of major stakeholders involved in the relief effort in Colombo and in Galle (South Coast), who receive funding from the European Commission via its humanitarian aid department, ECHO, and visited some of the most affected coastal areas of the island, as well as hospitals and relief camps in Galle (South). The Commissioner will travel on 4 January to Indonesia (Aceh and Jakarta) to complete his assessment of the immediate and longer term needs.
On the 6 th, the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, together with the President of the Council, Jean-Claude Juncker and Commissioner Louis Michel, will meet the main donors at the conference organized by the ASEAN in Jacarta. The Commission will submit a comprehensive report to the EU External Relations,Development and Health ministers meeting in Brussels on the 7 th.
TOTAL EU CONTRIBUTIONS
Up to now, the European Commission and Member States have committed more than 240 million euros and this figure is certain to be increased in the coming days. Furthermore, it contributes with civil protection means, under the coordination of the Civil Protection Community Coordination Mechanism.
European Commission
03 January 2005