WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2440/97 by Nikitas KAKLAMANIS to the Commission. Compensation for damage caused by flooding in Corinth
17. 3. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 82/79 › What amount in ECU has Austria received under this programme in the past two years? What percentage was utilized in the two new Member States Finland and Sweden, compared to Austria? › How many mobility scholarships and teaching contracts abroad were used for professors, lecturers and students? What percentage of the resources was used by people in Austria, compared to France and Germany? › How many people participated in education and exchange projects, and how many foreign language teachers took advantage of opportunities for training abroad? What percentage of the resources was used by people in Austria, compared to Italy and the United Kingdom? › On what will the Commission place the emphasis in the educational sphere in the next two years? Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission (7 October 1997) The Commission would point out that this question is exactly the same as the Honourable Memberís Written Question E-2347/97. The Commission would therefore refer the Honourable Member to the answer it has already given to that question (1). (1) See page 61. (98/C 82/130) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2440/97 by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission (16 July 1997) Subject: Compensation for damage caused by flooding in Corinth Last winter the City of Corinth experienced widespread flooding, resulting in the loss of human life and the destruction of some peopleís entire property: the damage caused was indescribable and was aggravated by the Cityís virtually non-existent sewage network and by the lack of town planning. Immediately after making an inventory of the damage, the Greek authorities announced that they would be granting compensation to the victims. Will the Commission say: 1. has any provision been made by the EU to compensate people who lost their property in this disaster? 2. if so, how much compensation has been provided for? 3. has this compensation finally been paid to the victims? 4. is it aware how much compensation has been granted by the Greek authorities and does it consider it commensurate with the scale of the disaster? Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (11 September 1997) The Commission would like to express its wholehearted sympathy for the victims of the floods which hit Corinth last winter. As the budget heading for Emergency aid to disaster victims in the Communityí has been given only a token entry in the Community budget for the second year running, the Community does not have the appropriations needed to grant aid of this type. Furthermore, the Commission would point out that the aim of Community action on this front has never been to compensate victims for damage caused by a disaster, but rather to demonstrate Community solidarity with those of its citizens affected by disasters of exceptional gravity and scale