Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, alongside four MEPs, hosted a commemorative event at the European Parliament on 18 February to reflect on the lessons learnt from the 2004 Asian tsunami and to discuss improvements in disaster preparedness and EU-ASEAN cooperation.
The event, which marked the 20th anniversary of one of the deadliest natural disasters in history, brought together people working on humanitarian assistance, disaster risk reduction, and international cooperation. The audience included ASEAN Member State ambassadors and senior EU officials.
Commissioner Lahbib opened the session by remembering the over 230,000 lives lost, and the 1.7 million people displaced by the tsunami. She emphasised the European Union’s swift response with over €123 million in aid, making it one of the largest humanitarian operations ever undertaken. She called for more investment in early warning systems, disaster preparedness, and strengthened EU-Asia collaboration.
The panel, moderated by MEP Wouter Beke (BE-EPP), featured MEPs Barry Andrews and Pascal Arimont, Philippine Ambassador Jaime Victor B. Ledda, IFRC’s Christopher Rassi, and UNDRR’s Kamal Kishore. MEPs called for a stronger “Team Europe” approach to aid, warned against budget cuts, and emphasised EU-ASEAN collaboration on disaster resilience. A European Regional Fund for climate adaptation was also suggested. The IFRC and UNDRR called for more local community involvement, better-planned reconstruction, and modernised early warning systems.
