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

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

2. The European Commission – phases of the disaster management cycle

3. The European Commission – DG ECHO and MIC

4. Cooperation in civil protection at European level – 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 Civil Protection Financial Instrument (March 2007): http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32007D0162:EN:HTML Council Decision (November 2007): http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2007:314:0009:01:EN:HTML

5. Cooperation in civil protection at European level – structures • Council working group (PROCIV) - negotiates legislation - meets on a monthly basis • Civil Protection Committee (CPC) - assists the Commission in implementing legislation - meets 4-5 times per year • Informal meetings of the Directors-General for Civil Protection of the European Union - includes DGs of the European Economic Area, Croatia, Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - started in 1995 - meet twice a year

6. Preparedness phase – Overview 2001 legal basis: • Training • Exercises • EU Exchange of experts system (http://www.exchangeofexperts.eu/) • Projects 2007 legal basis: • Early warning • Modules

7. Preparedness phase – Training • INSARAG and UNDAC methodologies used and taught on courses • EU civil protection experts trained on how the UN system works

8. Preparedness phase – Exercises

9. Preparedness phase – Modules Member States’ civil protection authorities are currently developing intervention modules on a voluntary basis to meet priority intervention or support needs. 13 types of modules are being developed in the first phase: • High capacity pumping • Water purification • Medium and heavy urban search and rescue • Aerial forest fire fighting (helicopters + planes) • Advanced medical post / with surgery • Field hospital • Emergency temporary shelter • CBRN detection and sampling • Search and rescue in CBRN conditions • Technical assistance support teams (TAST)

10. Response phase – the MIC General functions: • monitors emergencies and provides information to Member States • forwards requests for assistance to contact points in Member States (30 participating countries) using a secure IT system (CECIS) • assistance offered on a voluntary basis by Member States • matches requests and offers of assistance Specific provisions for emergencies outside Europe: • MIC expert teams deployed • close cooperation with the Presidency of the EU • close cooperation with EC Delegations/DG RELEX (network of 'crisis correspondents') • close cooperation with DG ECHO (Joint Situation Reports by ECHO and MIC experts in the field) • leading role of UN OCHA recognised

11. Common Emergency Communication and Information System (CECIS)

12. Response – Transport • The new Civil Protection Financial Instrument provides for the possibility of partly financing the transportation of civil protection assistance, both inside and outside the EU. • Strict criteria: • options for pooling and sharing transport must have been exhausted; • the assistance must have been offered to and accepted by the affected country; be necessary to meet vital needs arising from the emergency; complement the assistance provided by the Member States; complement, for emergencies in third countries, the overall Community humanitarian response.

13. Response – Transport • The Member State requesting the financial support has to reimburse at least 50% of the Community funds received within 180 days of the intervention. • Commission intends to contribute either through grants to Member States or through using the services of a broker to hire transport assets. • Implementing rules (Commission Decision) were adopted in August 2007.

14. 2004 Exchange of letters between UN OCHA and the European Commission • basic principles for cooperation and coordination when both UN OCHA and the European Commission simultaneously provide or facilitate assistance to a country affected by a natural or man-made disaster • signed on 28 October 2004 by Under-Secretary-General Egeland and Commissioners Wallström and Nielson • covering letter • background • commitment to cooperate in order to fully optimise the use of national and international disaster response assets • two sets of Standard Operating Procedures (civil protection and humanitarian aid) • preparedness phase • response phase at headquarters level • response phase in the field

15. Training – typical examples of cooperation with UN OCHA (within a calendar year) • January: a UN OCHA representative participates as a key-note speaker in the Mechanism's High Level Coordination Course. • April: UN OCHA organises an OSOCC workshop and several Mechanism-trained experts nominated by EU Member States attend the workshop. • May: two UNDAC members nominated by UN OCHA attend the Mechanism's Assessment Mission Course. • June: two UNDAC members nominated by UN OCHA attend the Mechanism's Assessment Mission Course. • September: UN OCHA co-organises an IHP field exercise and four Mechanism-trained experts nominated by EU Member States attend as a MIC liaison team. A representative from the Commission also attends. • October: a UN OCHA representative participates as key-note speaker in the Mechanism's Annual meeting for National Training Coordinators. • November: two UNDAC members nominated by UN OCHA attend the Mechanism's Assessment Mission Course.

16. Some highlights of mission cooperation

17. Thank you http://ec.europa.eu/environment/civil hans.das@ec.europa.euesme.dobson@ec.europa.eukenn.christensen@ec.europa.eu