The European Union’s emergency response to natural disasters and major disease outbreaks around the world is generally well-coordinated but could still be improved, according to a new report from the European Court of Auditors published on Wednesday 18 January.
This verdict was warmly welcomed by the Commission the day after publication of another report, which criticised it for insufficient action in the fight against food waste (see EUROPE 11705).
The special report provides the results from an audit of the European Commission managed European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) for coordinating responses to requests for assistance to disasters made by countries that need it. The examination focused on three recent international disasters for which the Mechanism had been activated: the 2014 floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016, and the Nepal earthquake in 2015.
The Auditors concluded that the Commission’s management, through its 24/7 Emergency Response Coordination Centre, had been broadly effective. The activation of the UCPM had, in general, been timely and the EU civil protection teams had helped to coordinate the participating countries’ teams on the ground and the transition phase went well. This work had been made more effective by the widespread sharing of information.
During a press conference in Strasbourg, attended by representatives from the Commission and Parliament, who were eager to send out a positive message to European citizens, Hans Gustaf Wessberg, a member of the European Court of Auditors said, “The Commission’s coordinating role and its round-the-clock crisis centre are good examples of value added by European cooperation”.
Christos Stylianides, the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management explained, “Taxpayers should be aware that the EU civil protection mechanism is functioning well, particularly at a time when the role of the EU is being questioned. We have to highlight the areas in which the EU is working well”. He was invited on Wednesday by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to visit the Italian regions affected by a powerful earthquake on the same day as soon as possible.
Cutting deadlines further
The Court recommended that in order to do better it should focus on identifying how to gain more time in the first phases of disaster and in the selection and deployment of civil protection teams. It also recommends enhancing the disaster communication and information platform, strengthening coordination on the ground and improving the reports on the disaster situations.
Mr Stylianides acknowledged that “response preparation can be improved because if lives are to be saved, every minute counts”. He provided assurances that the Commission would put these recommendations into practice and explained that at “in an effort to better prepare ourselves, we have set up an early warning system when a disaster is about to happen”. On Wednesday, the latter was invited by the President of the European Parliament, Jean-Claude Juncker, to travel to the Italian regions affected that day by another earthquake.
Karin Kadenbach (S&D, Austria), rapporteur at the Parliament on this dossier, indicated that this audit report would be debated during the budgetary Control Committee meeting in Parliament on 28 February next. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)