B4-1118 and 1175/95

Resolution on the mining disaster in Asturias, Spain

The European Parliament,

A.having regard to the firedamp explosion which cost the lives of 14 miners at the San Nicolás pit (Mieres) in Spain,

1.Conveys to the victims' families its shock and sorrow at the death of the Spanish, Portuguese and Czech workers;

2.Calls on the Commission to participate directly, together with the regional and national administrations, in the investigation into the causes of the disaster, to verify that the Community legislation on safety at work was strictly observed and to inform Parliament as soon as possible of the findings of the inquiry;

3.Asks the Commission to convey its condolences to the families affected and to take appropriate measures to assist them, making no distinction between European Union citizens and Czech nationals;

4.Stresses that the inherent risks in the mining industry in the European Union and non-member states, which guarantees consumers reliable energy supplies, justify special treatment in the form of certain social measures as well as the ostensibly high investment costs and the application of strict safety measures at work;

5.Calls on the European Union to apply equally high standards to working and safety conditions in soft coal mining in non-member states in general and in coal-exporting countries in particular;

6.Calls likewise on the European Union to step up its research and development activity on safety in soft coal mining;

7.Stress the importance of European coal production in guaranteeing European supplies and preserving economic activity and jobs in mining areas;

8.Asks the Commission to increase the budget allocation under heading B3-4312 for assistance to victims of accidents in the coal and steel sectors and orphans' allowances and to extend the latter to the Asturias miners' orphanage;

9.Calls on the Commission, through the ECSC social research programmes, to draw up a study on the present safety conditions in the mining industry in the Community, including Spain;

10.Calls on the Commission to inform Parliament concerning the extent to which the Member States have incorporated into national law all the directives concerning the health and safety of workers and concerning the action it has taken to ensure a satisfactory outcome;

11.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the victims' families, the Spanish and Czech miners' unions, the Council, the Commission, the Governments of the Member States and the Government of the Czech Republic.