DG ENV A3 Civil Protection Unit http:ec'europa'euenvironmentcivilindex'htm

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EUROPEAN CIVIL PROTECTION Together in the face of
disaster

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

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European civil protection cooperation

• 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

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European civil protection cooperation

• Community civil protection mechanism
• adopted on 8 November 2007 (2007/779/EC, Euratom)

• Civil protection financial instrument
• adopted on 5 March 2007 (2007/162/EC, Euratom)

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Preparedness Overview

• 2001 legal basis
• Training courses
• Simulation exercises
• EU Exchange of experts system (http//www.exchange
  ofexperts.eu/)
• Projects
• 2007 legal basis
• Early warning
• Modules

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Preparedness Training courses

• Some 600 experts already trained
• Sub-contracted training centres in various
  locations

Experts trained in EU civil protection can be
deployed
Exchange of experts programme
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Preparedness Simulation exercises

• What 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

Escex 2004, Finland
Eurosot 2005, Italy
EUDANEX 2006, Denmark/Sweden
EULUX 2007, Luxembourg
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Preparedness and Response Modules

• 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

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Monitoring and Information Centre
Response The MIC
Technical support
e.g. satellite images and access to other
Community resources
Supports coordination
Information 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. analyses and distributes reliable info to
participating states during disasters
A one-stop shop for civil protection
assistance
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Response outside the EU

• 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

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Response CECIS
Common Emergency Communication and Information
System
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Specificities of European civil protection

• 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.

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Prevention Why a specific strategy?

• Prevention and response go together
• Increasing link between civil protection with
  environmental and other policies

Disaster
Civil Protection
Other Policies
Disaster Risk Reduction / Prevention
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Prevention An ongoing process
Knowledge-based approach
2 studies Gaps identified
Stakeholder consultation
Ongoing review process

• European society
• Businesses
• Public Sector

end 2008 prevention initiative
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Prevention What is the aim?

• 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.

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Thank you
http//ec.europa.eu/environment/civil