Inter-institutional negotiations on the proposal on strengthening the EU civil protection system will begin quickly if, as expected on Wednesday 25 July, the 28 member state ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) approve the negotiating mandate to given to the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
There is consensus on the draft mandate which is based on an Austrian Presidency draft compromise that takes account of progress made within the Council working group, for setting up “RescEU”. This new EU mechanism would help member states deal with large-scale disasters when their national capacities or those made available by the member states which are part of the European civil protection pool prove to be insufficient – whether because the disaster is so large-scale or multiple disasters simultaneously hit a number of countries, either in the EU or among third countries.
The forest fires currently raging in a number of European countries (Greece, Sweden and Latvia) provide the perfect illustration of the value of such a system.
“If Coreper approves the mandate, trialogue negotiations will be able to begin”, a European source said on Tuesday. The European Parliament is ready (see EUROPE 12031).
The compromise is careful to ensure that national powers and responsibilities are respected. It says that the EU will provide financial support to member states for leasing, hiring or purchasing capacities as a last resort, that is to say, once national and RescEU resources have been exhausted.
It is the member states that will host the capacities. The decision to deploy, should the need arise, will be for the Commission to take.
EU co-financing for transporting capacities pledged for a disaster or in the event of imminent disaster will not exceed 55% of total eligible costs. EU co-financing for transport could cover up to 85% of costs.
In terms of prevention, the compromise says that member states will have to provide the Commission with: - a summary of their risk assessments before 31 December 2023, then every five years thereafter or in the event of major changes; - a summary of the assessment of their risk management capability before 31 December 2025, then every five years thereafter or in the event of major changes. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)