Seminar on Strengthening Cooperation with Candidate Countries and Western Balkan Countries in the Field of Civil Protection 24 –26 February 2008 Bled, Slovenia EUROPEAN CIVIL PROTECTION:

Together in the face of disaster DG ENV A3 Civil Protection Unit http://ec.europa.eu/environment/civil/index.htm

European civil protection cooperation

Prevention Preparedness

Early warning systems

Rehabilitation Response



Civil protection financial instrument

Community Civil Protection Mechanism

 facilitates and supports the provision of European civil protection assistance in the event of a major disaster  European Commission + 30 participating states (EU & EEA)  establishes the Monitoring and Information

Centre (MIC)

Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC)

 Based in the Commission, on duty 24/7  Entry point for requests for assistance  Information role: analysing and distributing reliable info to MS during disasters  Supports coordination: despatching expert EU teams, matching requests for aid to offers from MS  Technical support role, e.g. satellite images and access to other EC resources

A one-stop shop for civil protection assistance

Official request for EU assistance from affected country Consults Presidency if outside the EU MIC sends info & situation reports to MS Mechanism activated: MIC issues request to national contact points MIC appoints EU team on the ground Member states assess resources and send offers back to the MIC MIC compiles offers and sends to affected country Country accepts/rejects offers; notifies MIC and sends further requests Civil Protection phase over: handover to humanitarian teams

European added value

 Avoiding duplication: ensuring 2 countries don’t send the same aid  Maximising efficiency: targeted assistance/teams where most needed  One contact point only between EU member states and affected country  Coordination at HQ level  Coordination on site: ensuring EU teams work together and with other actors

EU Mechanism operations 2007

Third countries

Peru, earthquake

18/08- 24/08 MIC assessment team Tents + blankets (AT)

Italy, forest fires

22/07- 27/07 6 Canadair (ES, FR) 23/08-27/08 2 Canadair (FR)

Albania, forest fires

25/07- 05/08 2 helicopters (DE) 23/08-06/09 1 plane (IT), 1 helicopter (DE)

FYROM, forest fires

23/07- 07/08 1 helicopter (SI) Equipment (NO, DK, CZ, DE, AT, SE, EE, LV) Europe

Bulgaria, forest fires

20/07- 01/08 No assistance

South Korea, oil spill

07/12 - 22/12 Assessment Team

Paraguay, wildfires

14/09 - 17/09 1 Canadair offered (IT) Not deployed due to improved situation

Bolivia, floods

23/02- 16/05 - MIC expert team water analysis - Hygiene, medicine articles (AT)

Greece, forest fires

27/06- 02/07 7 Canadair (IT, FR, ES, PT)

Greece, forest fires

05/07- 07/07 2 Canadair (IT)

Greece, forest fires

18/07- 01/08 2 Canadair (FR)

Ukraine, oil spill

16/11 - 24/11 Assessment Team

Greece, forest fires

24/08- 05/09 13 aircraft 22 helicopters Equipment 400 fire-fighters & experts 13 countries

Cyprus, forest fires 29/06 - 30/06 3 aircraft (IT) Cyprus, forest fires

16/07 1 Canadair (GR) Source: MIC

Mechanism: monitoring

MIC daily GDACS Global Disaster Alert And Coordination System Fire forecasting

Common Emergency Communication and Information System (CECIS)

New legal framework for EU civil protection

Civil Protection Financial Instrument

 adopted on 5 March 2007 (2007/162/EC, Euratom)

Recast of the 2001 Council Decision establishing the Mechanism

 adopted on 8 November 2007 (2007/779/EC, Euratom)

What’s new for European civil protection

Commission presented legislative proposals to take EU civil protection response to a new level Recast of the mechanism Civil protection financial instrument      Transport Early warning Co-ordination Modules Third country co-operation

What’s new for European civil protection

Response

 Transport – new responsibilities for MIC – sharing or pooling – identification of transport assets available on the commercial market or other sources – use of Community funding to hire the necessary transport assets (up to 50% subject to conditions)

What’s new for European civil protection

Response

 Co-ordination (outside the EU) Reflect the reality of the implementation of the 2001 Decision by making a distinction between: Presidency: political/strategic coordination role

Commission: operational coordination role

The Commission will appoint the experts on site, in close co-operation with the Presidency, on the basis of objective criteria

What’s new for European civil protection

Prevention (inside the EU)  Studies, surveys, modelling and scenario building  Workshops, creation of networks, demonstration projects and technology transfer  Public information, education and awareness raising and dissemination actions

What’s new for European civil protection

Preparedness  Continue simulation exercises, training and exchange of experts  Early warning – development of detection and early warning systems – needs/feasibility assessments promoting their linkage to the MIC and the CECIS – These systems shall take into account and build upon existing information, monitoring or detection sources.

What’s new for European civil protection

Preparedness  Modules – can be dispatched at very short notice (generally within 12 hours of a request for assistance) – 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

Pilot projects on cross-border co-operation

 Co-funding aimed at the creation of multinational modules for cross-border civil protection operations  6 projects approved = €5.6 million  Expected results: modules on fighting floods, forest fires and search and rescue during earthquakes  Time-frame: 2007 - 2010

Participation of third countries: Mechanism and FI

Article 10 (Recast on the Mechanism)

• •

Participation

in the Mechanism shall be

candidate countries

.

open to Other third countries as well as international or regional organisations may cooperate

in activities under the Mechanism where agreements between these third countries or organisations and the Community so allow.

Article 7 (FI): Participation of third countries

• •

Participation

in the Instrument shall

candidate countries

.

be open to Other third countries may cooperate

in activities under the Instrument where agreements between these third countries and the Community so allow.

Activity areas covered by the CP Financial Instrument (1/2)

Article 4 1. prevention and preparedness: • (a) studies, surveys, modelling and scenario building; • (b) training, exercises, workshops, exchange of experts • (c) public information, education and awareness raising • (d) maintaining the functions of MIC • (e) promoting visibility of the Community's response • (f) development of detection and early warning systems • (g) establishment and maintenance of CECIS • (h) monitoring, assessment and evaluation activities • (i) establishment of a programme of lessons learnt from the MIC interventions.

Cooperation in all areas is open to third countries

Activity areas covered by the CP Financial Instrument (2/2)

2. Response (within EU): • (a) dispatching assessment and coordination experts • i) (b) supporting MS in obtaining access to equipment and transport by: i) sharing information about resources of other MS ii) identifying and facilitating access to resources from other sources, incl. commercial (c) financing additional transport (under strict criteria)

Cooperation in all areas is open to third countries

European Civil Protection at work Spain, Prestige marine pollution – November 2002

European Civil Protection at work Iran, earthquake - 2003

European Civil Protection at work Algeria, Earthquake - 2003

European Civil Protection at work South East Asia, Tsunami - 2004

European Civil Protection at work Romania & Bulgaria, floods - 2005

European Civil Protection at work Portugal, Forest Fires - 2005

European Civil Protection at work USA, Hurricane Katrina - 2005

European Civil Protection at work Bulgaria, floods - 2006

European Civil Protection at work Indonesia, Earthquake & volcano – May 2006

European Civil Protection at work Lebanon, marine pollution - 2006

European Civil Protection at work Cyprus & Lebanon, humanitarian crisis – July 2006

European Civil Protection at work Bolivia, floods – March 2007

European Civil Protection at work Peru, earthquake – August 2007

European Civil Protection at work Greece, forest fires – June-August 2007

Summary

•

Range of activities

, covered by the CP Financial Instrument   Community CP

Mechanism

:    MIC: active 24/7 Facilitates European CP assistance world-wide Developing continuously, incl. new focus areas:  prevention    transport early warning modules

Open

for participation of Candidate countries and for cooperation with third countries in all areas

Thank you

http://ec.europa.eu/e nvironment/civil