B3-0438 and 0447/94

Resolution on the fires in Catalonia and Castellón

The European Parliament,

A.having regard to the serious fires which have occurred in the Garraf national park and San Martí Sarroca (Barcelona), the Sierra de Llaberia (Tarragona) and Castellón (Valencia region), devastating over 8000 hectares,

B.whereas these disasters have shown up major deficiencies in the preventive policy of the Catalan regional government, which is concentrated on the summer, as being the high-risk season, and has only very limited human and technical resources for the rest of the year,

C.whereas there was a foreseeable risk that such fires might occur, given the evidence of negligence and complacency on the part of the responsible authorities,

D.whereas Regulation (EEC) No. 2158/92 of 23 July 1992 on protection of the Community's forests against fire, aimed at promoting actions in the area of forestry and cooperation between the Member States, includes provision for the usual preventive measures, i.e. preventive surveillance, forestry maintenance, preventive infrastructure and training,

E.having regard to its earlier resolutions and to the policy of the European Union on the forestry sector and environmental protection,

1.Calls on the Commission to collect all necessary information concerning the above fires and to study, together with the Catalan and Valencia regional governments, what preventive measures will be required to ensure that there is no recurrence of such fires;

2.Calls on the Commission to provide a suitable increase in the financial allocation provided for in Regulation (EEC) No. 2158/92;

3.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Governments of the Member States and the Catalan and Valencia regional governments.