DG ENV A3 Civil Protection Unit http://ec.europa.eu/environment/civil/index.htm

EUROPEAN CIVIL PROTECTIONTogether in the face of disaster

History:

1985 – first ministerial meeting 1987 – a number of Council resolutions 1997 – first CP Action Programme 2001 – Community CP Mechanism established 2007 – revised legal framework

European civil protection cooperation

Community civil protection mechanismadopted on 8 November 2007 (2007/779/EC, Euratom)

Civil protection financial instrumentadopted on 5 March 2007 (2007/162/EC, Euratom)

Prevention

Preparedness

Response

European civil protection cooperation

2001 legal basis:

Training courses Simulation exercises EU Exchange of experts system

(http://www.exchangeofexperts.eu/) Projects

2007 legal basis:

Early warning Modules

Preparedness – Overview

Community Mechanism Induction

Operational Management

Assessment Mission

Staff Management

Media and Security

Awareness

High-level Co-ordination

High-level Co-ordination(Refresher)

Some 600 experts already trained

Sub-contracted training centres in various locations

Experts trained in EU civil protection can be

deployed

Preparedness – Training courses

Exchange of experts programm

e

Eurosot 2005, Italy

Escex 2004, FinlandWhat kind of exercises? Large-scale pan-European

simulation exercises 2007 €2.6 million 21 exercises financed since 2002

Aims Accelerate response decision-

making procedures Enhance interoperability Identify further training needs

Preparedness – Simulation exercises

EULUX 2007, Luxembourg

EUDANEX 2006, Denmark/Sweden

resources of one or more participating states

can be dispatched at very short notice

work self-sufficiently and autonomously

interoperable with other modules

able to provide assistance to other international organisations, especially the UN

examples of modules: forest fire-fighting; high capacity pumping

Preparedness and Response – Modules

Monitoring and Information Centre

Response – The MIC

A one-stop shop for civil protection assistance

Technical support

Supports coordinatio

nInformation

role

e.g. dispatches EU expert teams

matches requests for aid to offers from participating states

assists in providing transport options for assistance

e.g. satellite images and access to other Community resources

e.g. analyses and distributes reliable info to participating states during disasters

close cooperation with other Commission services e.g. DG ECHO, DG RELEX;

close cooperation with the Presidency of the EU;

leading role of UN OCHA recognised;

close cooperation between MIC teams and UNDAC teams on site;

Response – outside the EU

Response – CECISCommon Emergency Communication and Information System

European systems and organisations have evolved over the last 15 years;

the term “civil defence” is now rarely used in Europe;

organisations are civilian and personnel are under civilian command;

personnel do not carry weapons when on international disaster relief missions;

military resources are used as a last resort.

Specificities of European civil protection

Preparedness

Reconstruction

Prevention

Response

Disaster

Prevention and response go together

Increasing link between civil protection with environmental and other policies

Civil ProtectionDisaster Risk Reduction / Prevention

Other Policies

Prevention – Why a specific strategy?

2 studies: Gaps

identified

Stakeholder consultation

Ongoing review process

European society

Businesses Public Sector

Knowledge-based

approach

end 2008 prevention initiative

Prevention – An ongoing process

build a consistent knowledge base on disasters;

link the various actors and policies; improve the use of EU funds for preventing

disasters; review and complement existing initiatives; support specific EU research and development

initiatives; reinforce international co-operation on

prevention.

Prevention – What is the aim?

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/civil

Thank you