To be better prepared for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risks, the European Union is investing nearly €70 million in developing new specialist surveillance teams and new detection equipment, the European Commission announced on Thursday 25 January.
This funding has been allocated by the Commission to Italy, Poland and Romania to develop risk detection capabilities that will be available in the RescEU strategic reserve of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (EU CPM).
The aim is to enable EU Member States to call on this capacity from 2026, via the EU CPM.
The equipment will enable any potential contamination to be detected, identified and monitored, and samples to be taken in response to emergency situations, such as industrial accidents or security incidents.
The specialist teams will also be able to support surveillance activities in the run-up to major public events, helping to ensure that public spaces are protected.
“Member States need to be ready to respond to well-known risks as well as to new or reemerging ones. Increasingly, the EU is requested to provide additional assistance to help to protect the people, the environment and the infrastructure in the Member States”, commented the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, in a statement. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)