Together with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, I attended the extraordinary meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council on the earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean which was held on 7 January 2005.
The Council adopted conclusions which stressed the unprecedented nature of the disaster, the need for ongoing action, initiatives in the field of humanitarian assistance and aid for rehabilitation and reconstruction, risk prevention, the effectiveness of humanitarian intervention and further support measures.
The Council expressed its sympathy for the populations affected by the earthquake and the tsunami in Asia and the Indian Ocean. It restated the EU's solidarity in support of the states and peoples concerned and mourned the high number of victims of the disaster. The Council welcomed the immense generosity and solidarity shown by European citizens and civil society following the disaster. It recommended that aid should go to the most affected regions and the people in greatest need, especially children. The Council emphasised the responsibility of the national and regional authorities of the countries concerned with regard to the identification of needs as well as the management and distribution of aid. It pointed to the United Nations' central role in the co-ordination and management of assistance to victims and stressed the particular importance of cooperation with the OCHA, United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The Council expressed its gratitude to ASEAN for its rapid action in calling a special extended summit in Jakarta, in which the EU participated at the highest level, and welcomed the meeting's final declaration. The Council pointed to the efforts already deployed by the EU and its member states in the humanitarian, financial and logistical field, as well as the various mechanisms put in place to co-ordinate the Union's work, in particular the co-ordination of humanitarian aid, the European Community's civil protection mechanism and consular co-operation. It emphasised the challenges of co-ordination on the ground and the importance of surmounting administrative obstacles, particularly those faced by NGOs.
The Council stressed the vital importance of an efficient transition from the humanitarian phase, through the intermediate rehabilitation phase, to the longer-term reconstruction phase. It emphasised that reconstruction efforts must be based on the national priorities of the countries concerned and must respect the principle of ownership. The Council emphasised that, in the field of health, it was essential to anticipate the known risk of epidemic in order to prevent further loss of life by supplying basic foodstuffs, drinking water, medicines and vaccines. The Council recalled that the humanitarian aid response of the EU and its member states and the initial forecasts for rehabilitation and reconstruction stood at over €1.5 billion in official aid on 7 January 2005. The Commission and the European Investment Bank were encouraged to continue preparatory work on the setting up of a concessional finance facility, the Indian Ocean tsunami facility, of up to €1 billion.
The Council urged the Commission to submit proposals for a strategy to strengthen measures on prevention, early warning and readiness for disasters, the need for which had been shown by recent events. The Council adopted an EU position for the Kobe World Conference on Disaster Reduction and supported Germany's initiative of organising an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations later this year.
The Council undertook to examine also all possible ways of improving the European Community's civil protection and humanitarian aid mechanism, including analytical capacity, while taking account of the principles and specific nature of humanitarian aid. It emphasised the need to strengthen the role of the UN in the humanitarian response and for the EU to contribute to it. The Council also asked the appropriate bodies to begin to assess the setting up of a European voluntary humanitarian aid corps.
The Union decided to examine additional ways of assisting citizens, in particular by co-ordinating the actions of member states in fields such as relief, evacuation, shipment of foodstuffs and the provision of medical care. The Council stated that it believed that it was particularly important to enhance swiftly the efficiency of consular co-operation between member states.
The Council was also willing to examine other support measures such as trade support measures, and also various types of bilateral partnerships. In this context, it urged the competent authorities to set up twinning relationships between regions, towns and public and private establishments such as hospitals and schools.
Finally, the Council noted member states' intentions to reschedule debt-servicing for the countries affected, particularly through a moratorium on the debts of countries wishing to enter discussions to that end with the Paris Club.
At its meeting on 31 January 2005, the Council will return to measures envisaged by the European Union and its member states for the medium and long-term with a view to formulating a European Union operation action plan.