Fires in Russia: MP Gaston Franco sounds the tocsin

(BRUSSELS2) After the Greek MP Rodi Kratsa, last week, it is now the turn of his French colleague from the UMP, Gaston Franco, to publicly question Europe's effectiveness in the face of the fires in Russia. "Beyond the goodwill of some member states, what is the European Union doing as a whole while Russia is slowly suffocating? She's terribly absent at the momenthe observes. " At a time when European diplomacy is being structured with the creation of the External Action Service, the tragedy of the moment sounds the hour of truth for the EU's international solidarity actions vis-à-vis its direct neighbours. Russia is a key strategic partner that deserves a strong political gesture on our part: we must convince it to accept our aid and, for that, we must be able to respond without delay to the scale of its needs. And for the MEP, there is no other way. " This disaster demonstrates once again the need for the EU to have a common civil protection force capable of being deployed in external theaters of action. ».

NB: Gaston Franco was elected from the south-east, mayor of San Marino Vésubie and member of the close guard of Christian Estrosi (now Minister of Industry) when he was mayor of Nice. He knows well the issue of forests (and their fires) for having chaired the association of forest municipalities as well as the Mercantour national park. In the European Parliament, he sits on the Industry and Environment Committees.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)