10. 10 Urges the Commission to request from the Member States information on the operational programmes that are in place to deal with natural disasters and to solicit their experiences in the application thereof and, furthermore, to examine the adequacy of the prevention, preparedness and response measures utilised, with a view to the exchange of experiences and the drawing of conclusions on immediate measures, the coordination of administrative and operational bodies and the availability of necessary human resources and material; invites the Commission to explore the potential for cooperation ...[+++] with the EU's neighbouring countries and other third countries in fighting disastrous fires, exchanging best practices and sharing capabilities during the hazardous summer months in order to be better prepared for the summer of 2008;

10 Urges the Commission to request from the Member States the operational programmes that are in place to deal with natural disasters and experiences in the application thereof and to examine the adequacy of the prevention, preparedness and response measures utilised, with a view to exchanging experiences and drawing conclusions on immediate measures, coordination of administrative and operational bodies and availability of necessary human resources and material; invites the Commission to explore the potential for cooperation with the EU's neigh ...[+++]bouring countries and other third countries in fighting disastrous fires, exchanging best practices and/or capacities during the hazardous summer months in order to be better prepared for the forest fires season in 2008;

Key actions: For the EU and its Member States to: Upgrade their action plans on handling health threats (in preparation for a possible pandemic, taking account of the recently updated guidance on pandemic influenza preparedness). Agree and implement an EU Strategy to address HIV/AIDS, including by taking steps to improve surveillance and strengthen co-operation between Member States. For third countries, efforts need to be stepped up to implement the existing EU Programme for Action to confront HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Coordinate research into the links between environmental pollutants, exposure and health impacts to improve o ...[+++]ur understanding of what environmental factors cause health problems and how best to prevent them.

– having regard to the Commission communications on the prevention of and the fight against terrorist financing through measures to improve the exchange of information, to strengthen transparency and enhance the traceability of financial transactions (COM(2004)0700), preparedness and consequence management in the fight against terrorism (COM(2004)0701), and critical infrastructure protection in the fight against terrorism (COM(2004)0702),

In Latin America, Honduras, Nicaragua and Bolivia benefit from this initiative by undertaking to draw up comprehensive strategies for fighting poverty (Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers).

The content of the Watson report, to which the Presidency subscribes, created the necessary political atmosphere for the European Commission, which had for a long time been working on the preparations for the framework decisions on the fight against terrorism and the European arrest warrant, to table, as a matter of urgency after 11 September, both legislative drafts, which achieved consensus in the Council of Justice and Home Affairs of 6 and 7 December and which were given political endorsement at the Laeken European Council.