European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA)

Celebration of the 20th Anniversary

Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 20 March 2007

Room 5, 2.30 p.m.

Statement by Ian Micallef, President of the Chamber of Local Authorities
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

Mr Chairman,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear friends,

Anniversaries are always a good occasion to take stock of what has been achieved, to look at where we stand, and to think about where we are going. Today, as we are marking the 20th anniversary of the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement, we are also reflecting upon the calamities over the past twenty years, and how we dealt with them.

During this period, we have witnessed some major disasters which struck our continent – the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, twenty years of which we marked last year; spilling of chemicals into the Danube river; devastating floods in central Europe, caused by the climate change; explosions in Enschede and Toulouse, to name but a few. Just yesterday, a terrible tragedy occurred in the Russion region of Kemerovo – a methane gas explosion in the Ulyanovskaya coal mine, which killed more than 100 miners. I wish to use this opportunity to convey my condolences to the families and friends of those who perished, and to express our solidarity with the people and authorities of Kemerovo, and our hopes that the miners still missing will be found alive.

As we speak about disasters, natural or man-made, we should add to this sad list another type of calamity which we are facing today: terrorism. Just a week ago was the third anniversary of the most terrible terrorist attack in Europe – the Madrid bombings, in which 200 people were killed and 2000 injured.

All this brought to the forefront the need for more stringent measures aimed at risk reduction and prevention as well as mitigation of consequences of disasters. This is exactly the reason why the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement was created twenty years ago, and it remains its raison d’être today.

Over these years, the Agreement and the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, which I represent, have established very close and fruitful cooperation, very constructive working relations. [Even the Secretariats of the Agreement and of the Congress are located on the same floor!]

It comes as no surprise, because local and regional authorities are the first to face the consequences of disasters, whether natural or man-made. Let us remember that in Madrid, London, Istanbul, Moscow it was the quick reaction of local authorities that saved lives of many people. Beyond Europe, in New York in September 2001, it was the preparedness of the city authorities that allowed them to carry out the largest evacuation operation in the short period of time.

I don’t need to remind you that the theme of the recent Ministerial session of the Agreement in Marrakech was the role of local and regional authorities in risk prevention. This choice shows the understanding that local and regional authorities bear the brunt of dealing with the consequences of major disasters when they occur, or taking preventive measures to lower the impact of such disasters.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Reducing vulnerability and disaster risks, coupled with preventive measures, must involve all stake-holders at the international, national, regional and local levels. However, local and regional authorities bear the primary responsibility of ensuring, or restoring, the functioning of public services in crisis situations. As I said in Marrakech, be it a terrorist attack, an accidental explosion or a natural disaster, local and regional authorities are always the first to react in a disaster management situation, to ensure public safety, to carry out a risk analysis and prepare plans for preventing the worst-case scenarios.

The subject of reducing the vulnerability and better adapting to the consequences of global warming and climate change is among the priorities for 2007-2008 of the Congress Committee on Sustainable Development, which continues to pursue its work on the issues of major hazards.

It is clear that it is of utmost importance for governments to involve local and regional authorities in decision-making on risk prevention and reduction. For their part, local and regional authorities must ensure the information flow to their citizens, and provide training to their public services and the population at large. Setting up early warning systems, carrying out vulnerability assessment of areas and ensuring sustainable land-use and spatial planning are also within their remit. Local and regional authorities are the link between the central government and the population, which necessitates information-sharing and consultation in the decision-making process.

This was the main theme of the Slavutych Appeal, adopted at the conference to mark twenty years since the Chernobyl disaster, in March 2006. The Appeal sets out five basic principles to ensure the safety of civil nuclear installations and the population living in their proximity. These principles apply for most hazards and I am sure that you will take them into account in your proposals and recommendations. 

In this context, I would like to stress that our Congress fully supports the 2007 programme of activities of the Agreement and its particular emphasis on the inclusion in school curricula the subject of education to disaster risks.

The Congress also believes that strengthening inter-territorial cooperation on the issues related to disaster management is highly important for risk reduction and prevention, be it natural or technological catastrophes, and still needs to be tackled thoroughly.

I would like to conclude by stressing that we are planning to continue the joint work in this perspective, and we look forward to our joint efforts and cooperation for twenty more years to come, and beyond.

Thank you.