To reinforce the European Union’s collective response to disasters, in the EU or in third countries, and make it more effective, the European Commission on Thursday 23 November proposed the creation of 'RescEU', a European reserve of civil protection capabilities - aerial forest fighting planes, water pumps, search and rescue resources for urban environments, field hospitals and emergency medical teams - to support countries lacking resources (see EUROPE 11910).
This innovation is central to the first plank of its proposal to make the EU civil protection mechanism more reactive. For the Commission, the second plank will consist of helping the member states to increase their own capacity to prevent disasters and prepare for them, from forest fires, earthquakes to storms or cyclones.
Recent years, and summer 2017 in particular, have clearly shown that no country is safe from increasingly frequent large-scale natural disasters. Although useful, however, the European civil protection mechanism has reached the limits of its capacity. This is the conclusion and the Commission’s response now on the table aims to allow the EU civil protection mechanism, currently based on the goodwill of 31 countries and coordination by the Commission, to become more effective.
This proposal, which was presented by the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, Christos Stylianides, corresponds to the mandate conferred by the Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, one month ago (see EUROPE 11893, 11888).
“Our current disaster response system has reached its limits in its existing voluntary format. The next disaster is just around the corner. No country is immune. We must be prepared. The member states must improve their risk management plans and increase their civil protection resources. We will help them to do this by using the structural funds and all other instruments available to us”, said Stylianides. “When a disaster strikes, I want the European Union to offer more than condolences. Europe is a continent of solidarity and we must be better prepared than before, and faster in helping member states on the front line”, Juncker commented in a press release.
'RescEU', a safety net. The RescEU reserve will be made up of resources to be hired in by the Commission to come to the assistance of member states, should they lack national resources to deal with a disaster. However, its aim is not to override the competence of the member states, or the national and local capacities, but to serve as a safety net to respond to needs on the ground, Commissioner Stylianides stressed.
The Commission will retain operational control of these resources and will decide to deploy them through its emergency response coordination Centre (ERCC).
The cost of leasing aircraft or other civil protection equipment is expected to be just €280 million up to 2020, or an increase of €100 million a year on the current EU budget. “We are aiming for maximum efficiency through minimum bureaucracy”, said Stylianides, calling on the Council and Parliament to work for a rapid adoption of proposals on the table.
Increased prevention and preparedness. The Commission also calls upon the member states to share their national prevention and preparedness strategies to identify and collectively eliminate any gaps. It also proposes to reinforce coherence with the EU strategy on adaptation to climate change, the European structural and investment funds, environmental legislation (for instance, flood management plans and solutions based on ecosystems), research and innovation, and policies to tackle serious cross-border threats to health. Finally, the Commission proposes harmonising and streamlining administrative procedures to reduce the time taken to deploy vital assistance to those affected.
“These proposals correspond to France’s expectations”, commented the French home affairs Minister, Gérard Collomb, in a press release (our translation). President Emmanuel Macron has been calling for a common civil protection force – an idea put forward by Michel Barnier in 2004, but which has not materialised until now. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)