03/01/05 - Indian Ocean Disaster, Neil Parish MEP

Indian Ocean Disaster - "EU needs to get its priorities right" says MEP

The tsunami has devastated Southern Asia with the death toll now thought to be as high as 150,000.

South West Conservative MEP, Neil Parish commented from Brussels,

"The public response in the UK and so many European countries has been tremendous. But Governments and international organisations such as the EU need to sharpen their acts.

One of the most disappointing aspects was the delay by the British Government in ordering the Royal Navy and other military assets to get underway to the disaster area.

In addition, the hollowness of EU involvement in military matters is also exposed.  The EU always claimed that it was not trying to duplicate the defence capabilities of organisations such as NATO but instead would focus on the "Petersberg tasks" which give first priority to 'humanitarian and rescue tasks'."

He continued:

"Six years on, the reality is that the EU has no means of activating immediate military assistance in response to a humanitarian disaster such as we have seen in the Indian Ocean over the past week. Instead, for its own political purposes, the EU's efforts in the military field have been focused on taking over jobs already very competently done by others.

There should be a clear division of labour with the EU keeping out of military matters and concentrating on civil crisis management, non-military humanitarian assistance and post-disaster reconstruction and rehabilitation."