European Commission proposes to strengthen EU disaster management: Questions and Answers
The proposal complements Member States' disaster response systems by establishing a dedicated reserve of operational capacities at Union level – rescEU – and by strengthening preparedness and prevention measures. Concretely, it focuses on two key areas: creating the rescEU system to increase overall disaster response capacities available in the EU and investing more in prevention and preparedness.
Why is the Commission proposing rescEU as a new initiative now?
Disasters across
How will rescEU work operationally?
rescEU is essentially a reserve of assets used when Member States can't cope with a disaster themselves and require extra EU assistance that should be delivered fast. All costs and capacities of rescEU would be fully covered by EU financing, with the Commission retaining the operational control of these assets and deciding on their deployment.
It would work as follows in a crisis situation:
1) A Member State decides to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to request support when they are overwhelmed by a crisis (as can other countries and international organisations). To be clear: the
2) The Commission's 24/7 Emergency Response and Coordination Centre, based in
3) When capacities in the
4) Once the required support is identified, it will be dispatched to the affected country. The Commission retains operational control of rescEU assets. During the operation, the affected country would ensure that activities involving rescEU capacities are executed in accordance with the operational deployment agreed with the Commission.
How will the EU support Member State solidarity through the use of national capacities in the
The proposal includes a number of new provisions that will help Member States boost existing capacities and contribute more to the
Member States will receive significant EU co-financing of 75% to upgrade their national capacities. These will then become part of the
If capacities are needed to respond to disasters in another Member State, the EU will co-finance the costs incurred for the deployment of assets that are part of the
The EU Civil Protection Knowledge Network will be established to support all civil protection actors across
The Commission will work with Member States' to ensure that investments undertaken with Structural Funds are "disaster proof". This means that they will have to take into account the risk assessments that Member States provide. In addition, the Commission will be able to request national risk management and preparedness plans, monitor their implementation and make recommendations in national prevention and preparedness investments. In the long run, this is the most effective way to assist Member States in reducing losses and increasing their capacity to prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters.
The Commission will strengthen the
Will this structure also work for civil protections activations outside the EU?
The proposal largely focusses on strengthening the EU and Member States' collective ability to respond to disasters at home.
For activations outside the EU and its Participating States, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism will continue to ensure the consistency of Union response in accordance with already existing legislation as well as by financing 75% of the transport costs of
The Participating States of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (
How does the proposal improve preparedness and prevention?
Prevention and preparedness are the cornerstones of an effective response to natural disasters. Investment in disaster prevention has a clear benefit– saving lives and livelihoods as well as minimising economic and physical damage. The proposal puts strengthening disaster prevention and reduction of risks at the core of planning and embeds risk assessment and reduction in the use of EU funds.
Engaging Member States in better assessing risk and planning for effective preparedness and prevention. For example, if we know an area is prone to flooding, we should make sure that houses, businesses and the environment are protected accordingly. Or where we know elderly people live in isolated rural areas at risk of forest fires, preparedness plans need to be in place to help them evacuate.
Making sure the best available European expertise is trained together. Assets and teams should easily operate side by side across borders and be located close to where disasters may strike. This also concerns the sharing of knowledge and lessons from previous disasters. All these aspects will be promoted through an EU Civil Protection Knowledge Network.
Member States will need to prepare prevention and preparedness plans which the Commission will review helping those Member States that require additional support.
How many times has the EU Civil Protection Mechanism been activated over the last two years?
Over the last two years (2016 and 2017), the Mechanism has been activated a total of 56 times both inside and outside the EU.
If agreed by
The budgetary impact of this proposal is estimated at an additional €280 million for the remaining Multiannual Financial Framework period (2018-2020).
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SOURCE
House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Issues Report on Disaster Assistance Fairness, Accountability Act
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