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Review of EU policies on disaster management, critical infrastructure protection, civil protection, and disaster prevention. Includes guidelines, cooperation strategies, and risk assessment methods for natural and man-made disasters.
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9th meeting of the Floods Working Group - Agenda point 13 “Other Commission activities and EU policies” - REV WGF 9, 31.3.1.4.2011 Budapest, Hungary. Maria Brättemark, WFD Team, DG ENV.D.1, European Commission
EU Internal Security Strategy Adopted in December 2010, key references to both natural and man made disasters, with specific reference to the implementation of existing legislation (such as for floods, industrial accidents etc) Follow-up of relevance for WG F, via the different tasks presented for DG ECH on disaster management Critical infrastructure • The European critical infrastructures ECI Directive (covering only Energy and Transport) implementation deadline was on 12 Jan 2011. The outcomes are currently analysed and the review in preparation, which should start in 2012. • At the same time DG HOME are initiating a review of the whole European Programme on Critical Infrastructure Protection (including Action Plan) and we will put that in the context of the ISS (terrorist threat on one hand and a general EU risk management policy on the other hand).
Community Civil Protection Mechanism adopted on 8 November 2007 (2007/779/EC, Euratom) European civil protection co-operation: Towards a Disaster Management framework • Civil Protection Financial Instrument adopted on 5 March 2007 (2007/162/EC, Euratom)
EU Disaster Response Policy Priorities 2011-13 • Emergency Response Centre • Merging of existing centres • 24/7 operation • Voluntary pool of assets • Building Emergency Response Capacity • Assets on standby for deployment • Improving Transport arrangements for deployment of EU Assistance • Simplification, additional capacity • Reference Scenarios • Develop scenarios for dfferent types of disaster • Assessment of scope for burden sharing of response assets • Mapping assets • Assess scope for EU to fill certain gaps
EU Disaster Preparedness Policy Priorities 2011 - 2013 • Improved Integration of Training and Exercises • Link to scenario work and Response policy • Focus on ‘interoperability’ • Broadening the scope of Training • DRR Training, Risk Assessment, Host Nation Support • Assessment of Governance options for Preparedness • Network of Training Centres
EU Disaster Prevention framework Priorities 2011 - 2013 • Improving the knowledge base • Identification of data needs from policy-makers, information gaps, comparability issue • Report prepared by the European Environmental Agency (EEA) covering natural and technological disasters • EU guidelines on risk assessment and mapping • Member States to produce own risk assessments 2011 • EU overview of risks 2012 • Innovative solutions for financing disaster prevention • Improve use of EU funding, broaden disaster risk insurance, • EU guidelines on minimum standards for disaster prevention • Based on good practice – governance and risk management planning • International Cooperation
International cooperation Enlargement and Cooperation with Neighbouring Countries Contribution to Mid-Term Strategic Review of the overall Hyogo Framework EU contribution to Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction May 2011 – Main theme ‘Invest today for a safer tomorrow’
Commission guidelines on risk assessment and mapping for disaster management • Introduction • Scope and objectives of EU guidelines • Terminology • Process • Risk assessment methods • Conceptual framework (risk, vulnerability, impacts, matrix) • 3 Stages: Risk identification, Risk analysis, Risk evaluation • Uncertainty (sensitivity analysis, precautionary principle) • Cross-border dimension (challenges, examples) • Risk mapping to support risk assessment • Annex: Relevant information for the 2012 EU overview
Scope of the guidelines • Open platform for national risk assessments of natural and man-made disasters (except armed conflicts) • Building on wealth of Member State experience • Use of available R&D results • Considering existing EU legislation • Including: Floods Directive, Seveso II Directive, Directive on European Critical Infrastructures • Focus on process and methods for risk assessment
Objectives • Use of good practices and international standards • Converging risk assessment terminology/ methodology • Increased comparability of national work • Risk management tool for national authorities • Contribute to the development of knowledge-based disaster prevention policies • Raising public awareness on disaster prevention • Inform debate on how to prioritise funding of prevention and preparedness measures • Input for 2012 overview of EU risks • Contribute to 2014 coherent EU risk management policy
Way forward • Assistance and expert workshops • Discussions in Council Working Group ProCiv • Update “living” document with good-practice examples • Information from national risk assessments as input for 2012 overview of EU risks
DG Environment - Towards better environmental options in flood management Towards Better Environmental Options – information note from Director General of DG ENV to MS counterparts (8.2.2011) : Key documents explaining legal and policy framework, the benefits of natural flood risk management, and the way to implement it on the ground are provided. Examples of the role of natural flood management via green infrastructure and their multiple benefits – both in rural and urban areas are explained. An annex with further background information with key documents, tool-kits and best practice examples completes the information material.
DG Environment Blueprint for safeguarding Europe’s waters Water Scarcity & Droughts, third implementation report adoped in march 2011. Green infrastructure : Conference 19.11.2010 Website http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/ecosystems/green_infrastructure.htm Soil management : Expert group on soil sealing took place on 23.3.2011. Reference to soil management in the FD raised. GMES( DG ENTR) – see separate presentation
Review of the Common Agricultural Policy Communication on the new CAP was published 18.10.2010 (COM(2010)672 final), and included : a statement that cross-compliance for WFD would be considered a statement that“Agriculture and forestry play a key role in producing public goods, notably environmental such as landscapes, farmland biodiversity, climate stability and greater resilience to natural disasters such as flooding, drought and fire.“ PROPOSED OBJECTIVES OF THE FUTURE CAP : Objective 2: Sustainable management of natural resources and climate action : to pursue climate change mitigation and adaptation actions thus enabling agriculture to respond to climate change. Because agriculture is particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change, enabling the sector to better adapt to the effects of extreme weather fluctuations, can also reduce the negative effects of climate change.
Review of the Common Agricultural Policy ROLE OF DIRECT PAYMENTS in THE CAP Enhancement of environmental performance of the CAP through a mandatory “greening” component of direct payments by supporting environmental measures applicable across the whole of the EU territory. Priority should be given to actions addressing both climate and environment policy goals. These could take the form of simple, generalised, non-contractual and annual environmental actions that go beyond cross-compliance and are linked to agriculture (e.g. permanent pasture, green cover, crop rotation and ecological set-aside). CONTINUED ROLE IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT OF the sustainable management of natural resources, by taking care of the environment and agriculture's resilience to climate change and the countryside, and maintaining the production capacity of the land; Including : In terms of instruments, a wide range of tools would remain useful, from investments and infrastructure to payments for ecosystem services, support for LFA, environmental and climate change measures, support … facilitating the collaboration of farmers to achieve connectivity of landscape features for biodiversity and climate change adaptation ('green infrastructure'), or offering incentives such as preferential aid intensity rates for improved targeting.
Review of the Common Agricultural Policy DG ENV in intensive internal discussion with DG AGRI and other DGs on Water and agriculture The key issues raised in previous WG F meetings and workshops, will be raised in the Workshop organised next week : There is a concern that the CAP can inhibit the delivery of important changes in land use that would be necessary for flood risk management, for instance set aside of land for natural water retention measures. How can the new CAP be a funding mechanism to help deliver a catchment approach to flood risk management? (This means considering possible land to be set aside for the creation of permanent water retention areas, such as wetlands, across the whole catchment to maximise the storage of water close to the source to reduce flood risk downstream. ) How can the future CAP support setting aside designated land for temporary storage of flood water during a flood event ?
Collection of abstracts (available on CIRCA) FREEMAN – Flood Resilience Enhancement and Management: a pilot study in Flanders, Germany and Italy – Irene van der Craats, Kristien Schelfaut and Jan Cools ConHaz – Costs of Natural Hazards – Laurens M. Bouwer IMPRINTS. IMproving Preparedness and Risk management for flash floods and debris flow events – David Velasco FLASH - Observations, Analysis and Modeling of Lightning Activity in Thunderstorms, for use in Short Term Forecasting of Flash Floods – Colin Price Collaborative research on flood resilience in urban areas (CORFU) – Slobodan Djordjević UrbanFlood – Mark Morris Theseus – Barbara Zanuttigh FLOODprobe - Technologies for improved safety of the built environment in relation to flood events – Derk van Ree Smart Resilience Technology, Systems and Tools- SMARTeST: Technologies for improved safety of the built environment in relation to flood events – Stephen Garvin HYDRATE: Hydro-meteorological data resources and technologies for effective flash flood forecasting – Marco Borga FRMRC – Flood Risk Management Research Consortium & EQUIP –End-to-end Quantification of Uncertainty for Impacts Prediction – Paul Samuels
EU Solidarity Fund - 2010 2010 was quite an extraordinary year for the EUSF: a record number of 17 applications, 16 of which concerned floods. One of these 16 applications related to an event starting in 2009 (flooding in IRL), another flooding event in 2010 (Vento floods) led to an application only in 2011 and is not included in these numbers. As usual, the majority of applications related to disasters that were not "major" within the meaning of the EUSF Regulation, but 6 major flooding disasters, the worst of which concerned Poland, is still quite considerable. The Commission has meanwhile decided on all of these applications with the exception of Saxony. Only 3 cases were rejected so far. The payment of many of the grants is still pending for several reasons: some were only decided recently and the budget still needs to be approved for the six cases relating to the May floods in Central/Eastern Europe Council was blocking the amending budget (nothing to do with the cases as such but with technicalities of the budget procedure). some countries have still not been able to make proposals on how they intend using the grants, despite being asked for this since October. The information is required to complete the Implementation Agreements without which we cannot pay out the grants.
Future of the EU Solidarity Fund • A Communication on the Future of the EUSF is in preparation, foreseen for July 2011. • The purpose is to make the Fund more responsive, i.e. make it pay more quickly, and to simplify some of it procedures (for instance re regional disasters). • Not foreseen to reconsider finances of the EUSF nor on its rationale or scope. • Discussion foreseen with the Council, EP and other stakeholders, after which appropriate follow-up can be decided.
Regional policy • A new Commission Communication on "Regional Policy contributing to sustainable growth in Europe 2020 - COM(2011) 17" as well as a Staff Working Document "Staff Working Document SEC(2011) 92 final - 26/01/2011" The documents can be downloaded here: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/official/communic/comm_en.htm • In these documents (page 8 of the COMM) there is an explicit and strong link with natural disaster prevention, explicitly underlining that "Managing authorities should use Regional Policy funding for natural risk prevention as an element of preservation of natural resources and adaptation to climate change" and provide several examples of good practice. • As a reminder about € 6.5 billions are planned over 2007-13 to be invested in risk prevention across the EU-27, but MS have some difficulties to make use of it….
Insurance policy DG MARKT to organise a conference 18.10.2011 (CCAB, Brussels) on disaster related insurance policies Back to back with next WGF Floods one of the key disasters to be considered.
More information Thank you for your attention ! http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/flood_risk/index.htm Maria Brättemark, Desk officer Floods/WFD, European Commission, DG ENV.D.1