On Thursday 7 May, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) formally adopted its ‘2030 Action Plan on Civil Protection and Disaster Risk Management’. The announcement was made in the margins of the 3rd Euro-Mediterranean Workshop on Fire Risks, currently being held in Nicosia in the presence of the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib.
Drawn up after a consultation phase with the 43 UfM Member States and initially presented last November, this Plan is the most comprehensive cooperation framework ever adopted in the region. By 2030, it aims to establish an operational ‘Mediterranean Framework on Civil Protection’ (MFCP), designed to complement the European Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM).
The document provides for the creation of an ‘Observatory for Volunteerism’ to federate national networks and promote a common risk culture. It focuses on the modernisation of early warning systems and the harmonisation of operational procedures. A digital platform dedicated to the rapid deployment of resources during crises is also planned to facilitate mutual assistance.
Finally, the UfM encourages the alignment of national legal frameworks with international standards and provides for an annual progress report to adapt priorities to climate change.
The Mediterranean remains the region most affected by climate change, warming 20% faster than the global average - as demonstrated by last summer’s record forest fires (see EUROPE 13841/3). The launch of the Cyprus Regional Aerial Firefighting Station (CRAFS) should also address this concern.
See the UfM Plan: https://aeur.eu/f/ltu (Original version in French by Justine Manaud)