Civil protection: EU Commission proposes strengthening EU Civil Protection Mechanism

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The European Commission has adopted a series of proposals to improve the response of the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism to natural and manmade disasters. The measures will allow the Commission to better address any shortage of transport and equipment needed at the site of a disaster. Moreover, additional measures will contribute to the development of early warning systems, improve coordination and provide logistical support. At the same time, the Commission has launched an on-line disaster monitoring alert service called "MIC Daily", designed to monitor emerging and ongoing disasters around the globe. It aims at enhancing awareness and information sharing between national crisis centres to maximise the effectiveness of response.

Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "The EU's Civil Protection Mechanism has proven its usefulness in the face of such disasters as hurricane Katrina in the US and the floods and droughts in Europe. But there is always room for improvement. We were able to help, but we also learned how our help could be improved. The Commission has now put forward the legislative proposals to take our Civil Protection response to a new level. But we will need sufficient resources if we are to turn these plans into reality. I count on Council and Parliament, which supported these policy measures, to ensure that we get the necessary financial support to allow us to carry out these tasks."

The measures proposed

Today's proposal¹ aims to strengthen the existing legislative framework governing civil protection cooperation at EU level and to contribute to a more effective and well-coordinated response to major disasters occurring inside or outside the Union. Notably, the following improvements are proposed:

Transport - The national civil protection authorities are responsible for transporting their own civil protection personnel and equipment to the site of a disaster. However not all of them have aerial means - or the cost of an airlift might outweigh the financial value of the assistance provided. The Commission therefore proposes that when national transport is not available, insufficient or not viable, the Commission will have the right to hire the necessary transport means.

Equipment - In case of simultaneous or large-scale disasters, some equipment, such as high capacity pumps might not be readily available. In cases such as this, the Commission will be allowed to mobilise additional equipment including basic logistical equipment, in particular communications material.

Early warning - The Commission will be in a position to play a more important role in developing early warning systems, allowing for more timely intervention. It will be better able to assess and upgrade where necessary existing early warning systems; improve the link between detection systems and alert mechanisms; and make them more accessible to decision-makers.

Third-country disasters - Co-ordination is essential to a successful assistance operation. Through the proposal, co-ordination will be reinforced, whether European intervention is autonomous or led by an international organisation.

The MIC DAILY - In addition, the Commission has launched on its Internet web site² a daily bulletin called "MIC Daily" which monitors emerging and ongoing natural and manmade disasters around the globe. It aims to inform decision-makers and crises centres in Europe and abroad. The "MIC Daily" is connected to more than 50 early warning and real-time alert services and hundreds of news sources around the world. It provides a concise overview of the main disasters (earthquakes, floods, forest fires…), complete with hyperlinks to detail reports, maps, satellite imagery and analyses. It is also accessible by the general public.

Background

What's the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism

The European Civil Protection Mechanism, run by the European Commission and located in DG Environment; was created in 2001. It coordinates 30 European countries³ assistance to disaster-stricken countries, inside or outside the EU. The assistance takes the form of assets needed to save lives and alleviate suffering in the first days of a disaster (typically search and rescue equipment, medical services, temporary shelter, sanitation equipment, etc).

The Mechanism has been providing assistance in a number of major disasters worldwide, notably the tsunami that hit the southern shores of Asia in December 2004, the hurricane that hit the US in September 2005 and the South Asia earthquake of October 2005. See annexed list.

For the text of the proposal, see:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/civil/whatsnew.htm

See also: Memo/06/50: Questions and Answers on the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism

Annex
European Civil Protection Assistance in 2005

In 2005, the Mechanism responded to 14 emergencies while the MIC monitored over 20. The major emergencies dealt with are as follows:

Floods in Central Europe: Several European countries were affected by a series of floods during spring and summer. A large number of countries offered assistance to Romania and Bulgaria via the MIC.

Forest fires in Portugal: On 20 August 2005, the Portuguese authorities requested assistance through the MIC. Within a few hours, several countries offered assistance and the situation was brought under control on 29 August.

Hurricanes in the United States: The USA called for international assistance through the MIC and the UK Presidency of the European Union. All the countries which belong to the Mechanism offered assistance. The USA accepted 21 offers. The MIC also sent a UK and a Danish expert to coordinate the European effort on the spot.

Earthquake in South Asia: The earthquake hit Pakistan and to a lesser extent the neighbouring countries on 8 October. Some of the Member States of the EU Mechanism delivered assistance on that very day. Pakistan called for international assistance on 9 October, and following immediate reaction by the Mechanism 25 countries offered assistance. The MIC sent an EU coordination team to the disaster site in order to identify precisely what was required and to monitor the deployment of the European teams already there, in order to avoid duplication of efforts.

For more information :
EU Civil Protection Unit :
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/civil/index.htm


¹ Proposal for a Council Decision on the Community civil protection mechanism, recasting Decision 2001/792/EC, Euratom.

² http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/civil/micdaily/micdaily.doc

² The 25 EU Member States plus Bulgaria, Romania, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

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• EU General Affairs Council Conclusions (5/3/2007)
• One year on: EU Commission's response to South Asia earthquake (6/10/2006)
• Lebanon: EU assists in managing environmental impact of Middle East crisis (11/8/2006)
• Lebanon: EU Commission activates civil protection mechanism to help cope with major oil spill (28/7/2006)
• South Asia: EU Commission earmarks € 6m for natural disaster preparedness  (14/2/2006)
• Reinforcing civilian crisis management capacity in the EU  (11/1/2006)
• GAERC Conclusions on Improving European Civil Protection Capabilities (18/7/2005)
• EU Civil Protection Assistance in South East Asia (11/1/2005)
• Speech by Commissioner Dimas 'The Civil Protection Intervention in South Asia' (7/1/2005)
• Commission's Civil Protection Mechanism to co-ordinate technical assistance in South Asia (5/1/2005)