EU pledges $303,000 for forest fire problems
JAKARTA (JP): The European Union (EU) has pledged ECU 326,000, equivalent to Rp 1.09 billion (US$303,000), to the Indonesian government to help overcome problems caused by the current forest fires.
The European Commission's representative office here said in a statement yesterday the pledge followed a decision by the European Commission and EU member states to undertake a coordinated European approach to assist the government and people of Indonesia during the present emergency.
The assistance comprises fire-fighting equipment valued at ECU 194,000, ECU 115,000 for remote sensing equipment and ECU 17,000 for fire-fighting expertise.
The offer followed the recommendation made by the EU Fire Response Group (EUFREG), an advisory team established by the European Commission and EU member states.
The EUFREG team comprises experts from EU-assisted forestry projects and was set up to collect and analyze information on the fires, coordinate with government agencies and other donors and advise the Commission and member states on appropriate responses.
The pledge was in addition to ongoing EU-assisted forest fire projects in South Sumatra and East Kalimantan, the statement said.
Through these projects, fire-fighting equipment has been made available to fire crews in recent weeks, local volunteers and others have been trained in basic fire-fighting techniques and expatriate fire management experts have given guidance and advice to local teams at the fire sites.
The EU member states and the European Commission have provided nearly 35 percent of all external assistance to Indonesia's forestry sector.
The EU, therefore, has a long-term commitment to Indonesia's forestry sector with many projects focusing on the conservation and sustainable management of Indonesia's forest resources, the statement said.
Staff from these projects have been made available to assist EUFREG in its analysis of the current situation.
The lessons learned from this year's disastrous fires will be incorporated into the projects, thus helping the government plan for the future.
Individual EU member states have also committed further assistance on a bilateral basis in response to the current situation.
The additional assistance includes fire-fighting experts from Finland, France, Germany and Sweden, and a provision of United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination team members from Germany and the United Kingdom.
The assistance also includes training for 100 Armed Forces personnel in East Kalimantan by Germany, and a monetary contribution of $110,000 from the United Kingdom to help fire victims and $10,000 from Greece for humanitarian aid. (08)