The proliferation of sectoral instruments of Community secondary legislation containing isolated conflict rules [29] or of rules that determine the scope of territorial application of community law and therefore having an impact on the applicable law [30] has aroused extensive comment.

In its communication of 23 February 2009 entitled ‘A Community approach on the prevention of natural and man made disasters’ (COM(2009)0082), the Commission undertook to establish, in 2009, an inventory of existing Community instruments capable of supporting disaster prevention activities, assessing the degree of use of such instruments and identifying any gaps in their coverage.

26. Stresses the need to enhance prevention measures designed to tackle all types of natural disaster by establishing joint strategic guidelines to ensure better coordination among the Member States, as well as greater operability and coordination among the various Community instruments (Structural Funds, Solidarity Fund, EAFRD, LIFE+ and the mechanism of the rapid response and preparedness instrument for major emergencies), not forgetting the need to involve other existing instruments, such as State aid for regional purposes and European Investment Bank loans, with the aim of remedying the damage caused by natural disasters; calls on t ...[+++]he Commission to report on Community funds granted for forest fire protection and whether they have been used in an appropriate manner;

(10) In order to address the above issues in an effective, transparent, timely and flexible manner beyond the expiry of Council Regulation (EC) No 975/1999 of 29 April 1999 laying down the requirements for the implementation of development cooperation operations which contribute to the general objective of developing and consolidating democracy and the rule of law and to that of respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms and Council Regulation (EC) No 976/1999 of 29 April 1999 laying down the requirements for the implementation of Community operations, other than those of development cooperation, which, within the framework of Community cooperation policy, contribute to the general objective of developing and consolidating democracy a ...[+++]nd the rule of law and to that of respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms in third countries , which served as the legal base for the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights and which expire by 31 December 2006, there is a need for specific financial resources and a specific financing instrument that can continue to work in an independent manner whilst remaining complementary to and reinforcing related Community instruments for external assistance, the Partnership Agreement between the Members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part , and humanitarian aid.

1. Community assistance under this Regulation shall be complementary to that provided for under related Community instruments for external assistance.

With a view to establishing a genuine Community strategy against unforeseen events which affect holdings and the rural environment, your rapporteur believes that the solution involves creating a new model resting on three pillars, to protect farmers against natural disasters or unpredictable factors which have identical results, involving the consistent integration of existing or imminent Community measures, national instruments in the Member States, and new instruments which need to be introduced: