To better deal with possible chemical, biological and radiological (CBRN) incidents, RescEU strategic equipment pools will be established in Croatia, France and Poland as part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) and the European Health Emergency Response and Preparedness Authority (HERA), the European Commission announced on Monday 20 February.
These reserves, with a total value of €545.6 million, are financed by HERA. They will be added to the one already in place in Finland (see EUROPE 13101/31). Their establishment is underway, the EU institution said.
These will include antidotes, antibiotics, vaccines, sedatives, prophylactics and specific response equipment for CBRN incidents, such as detectors, decontamination equipment and personal protective equipment (e.g. gas masks and protective suits).
The establishment of the four reserves is the result of cooperation between health and civil protection authorities in the EU. Once these reserves are established, Member States will be able to request the mobilisation of the appropriate stockpile through the European Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), the pivotal body of the UCPM.
According to the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, the war in Ukraine “points very clearly to the need to enhance the EU preparedness to CBRN risks by securing an adequate and effective response at EU level”.
His colleague for Health, Stella Kyriakides, added: “Medical countermeasure must be available swiftly should a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threat become reality”.
In parallel, the Commission has just launched an additional call for proposals for a total value of €636 million, “focusing this time on the response to pathogens with pandemic potential, CBRN threats and antimicrobial resistance”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)