B4-0272, 0282, 0289 and 0318/94

Resolution on floods in Greece

The European Parliament,

A.whereas damage on a biblical scale has been caused by the unprecedented rainstorm which hit Greece and in particular the Attica basin, causing 14 deaths and leaving many families homeless,

B.whereas the floods have had catastrophic effects on economic, commercial and social life in the affected areas, namely Attica, Boeotia, Corinth, Phthiotis, Thessaly, Thessaloniki and the Dodecanese,

C.whereas in Athens and other urban centres the infrastructure networks have suffered incalculable damage and at the same time 30% of the Thessalian Plain is covered by water and in the region of Trikala and Karditsa more then 10 000 hectares of crops - mainly cotton - were flooded and the agricultural produce destroyed,

D.whereas the extent of the damage has disrupted economic and productive activity in a large section of the Greek capital, affecting especially small- and medium-sized enterprises, with incalculable social consequences, as well as broadcasting and press installations, which were forced to stop operating with the result that, inter alia, pluralism and the freedom of information have been seriously undermined,

E.whereas there is a need for immediate action to remedy as swiftly as possible the damage and problems caused,

1.Expresses its deepest sorrow and sympathy to the families of the casualties and to the victims;

2.Calls on the Commission to cooperate with the Greek Government to assess the damage and grant the necessary assistance;

3.Calls on the Commission to make an immediate and effective contribution to repairing the damage, granting emergency aid to the homeless, normalizing the situation and restarting the economic and productive activity which was interrupted in urban and agricultural areas;

4.Calls on the Commission to cooperate with the competent local authorities to ensure that corrective as well as preventative measures are taken;

5.Calls on the Commission to take the necessary steps to ensure that small- and medium-sized undertakings receive immediate aid and that the media which have been affected start operating again;

6.Calls on the Commission to draw up a plan for a study on flood protection and the appropriate infrastructures on a European scale and to submit proposals for better protection against the danger of flooding, particularly for cities, the reafforestation of massifs, the restoration of the original courses of mountain streams, and the modernization of infrastructures;

7.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, Council, Greek Government and the local-government authorities of the regions affected.