WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3394/98 by Marco CELLAI Non-compliance by Italy with directives laying down the ratio of firemen to population
C 320/46 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 6. 11. 1999 Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission (8 December 1998) Since the Commission proposal for a Regulation providing for the adoption of special measures for the termination of service of Community officials in the institutions is still before the Council, the Commission does not plan to adopt any other measures regarding this matter. In addition, the Commission would inform the Honourable Member that the Council is appealing to the Court of Justice against the judgments given by the Court of First Instance on 30 September 1998 in Cases T-154/96 and T-13/97. (1999/C 320/060) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3394/98 by Marco Cellai (NI) to the Commission (17 November 1998) Subject: Non-compliance by Italy with directives laying down the ratio of firemen to population The geology of Italy is such that a large part of it is deemed to be subject to the risk of earthquakes. Forest fires, especially those started maliciously, follow an annual dramatic ritual entailing the destruction of hundreds of hectares of forest and scrub. Disastrous floods occur every year, resulting in landslides which are often attributable to deforestation and neglect. The fire protection systems of many public structures and buildings forming part of Italy’s cultural inheritance (Turin Cathedral and the Petruzelli and Fenice Theatres) are outdated and obsolete. This situation is made worse by the lack of coordination between the Fire Service, which comes under the Ministry of the Interior, and the Department of Civil Protection, which comes under the authority of the Prime Minister. Finally, there are 25 000 firemen for a population of 60 million; this ratio is markedly below that laid down by Community directives (one fireman per 1 000 population), and this limited manpower is insufficient to ensure the complete safety of Italians and Italian territory. Will the Commission state for how much longer it will accept Italian non-compliance? Does it not intend to call upon the Italian Government to show greater responsibility with regard to damage which could, at least in part, be avoided if the established rules were complied with and, in particular, to direct it to provide for an increase in the number of firemen in accordance with Community legislation? Answer give by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (7 January 1999) On the basis of Council Decision 98/22/EC establishing a Community action programme in the field of civil protection (1), the Commission supports actions on public information for those responsible for and involved in civil protection. In accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, this Community cooperation, taking the form of a series of actions proposed by the authorities of the Member State, supports and supplements national policies on civil protection in order to enhance their effectiveness. Coordination between national services and the level of these services fall within the competence of the Member States. (1) OJ L 8, 14. 1. 1998