Brussels, 31/07/2008 (Agence Europe) - The French Presidency of the Council of the EU believes that the Community civil protection system, now with funding of €190 million for the period from 2007 to 2013, has strengthened solidarity among member states “through the gradual trend towards pooling of civil protections resources”. It is equally certain that further improvement of the system is still possible. And it intends to work to enhance European capabilities and solidarity between member states, building on the Commission communication of 5 March 2008 on improving rapid reaction capability to disasters, both within the EU and beyond its borders (see EUROPE 9616). Crisis and disaster reaction and mutual assistance in Europe are the key words for the French Presidency in the area of civil protection.
European civil protection units, which were called in to action for the first time in July 2008 to help Greek authorities control the forest fires on the island of Rhodes (see EUROPE 9712), provide a capacity and operational base from which to develop cooperation and pooling of resources, the Presidency says. It does not foresee the creation of a fixed integrated civil protection force, but rather a flexible arrangement which does not infringe member states' competences, based on the provision of material and human civil protection resources. Every member state should be able to provide coordinated management of units and retain the right to withhold or withdraw resources. To ensure that things work well, each member state will have to inform the Commission's Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) of when its units will be available to provide cover.
The Presidency work programme is as follows:
Disaster prevention - continuing a prevention policy to reduce risks: debates will continue after the informal JHA Council in Cannes, at which the Presidency set out its intentions for promoting European mutual assistance. Risks will also be assessed by category so that a map can be drawn up of areas at risk and European, national and local responses tailored to requirements. The Commission communication on risk prevention expected this autumn will complement this approach and will give rise to Council conclusions. The Presidency will hold a conference on the prevention of natural disasters in Paris on 26-28 November; - putting in place a European training network in civil protection and humanitarian aid to ensure better mutual awareness of staff and procedures, and promote joint training. A similar rapprochement with international organisations could allow the development of joint exercises and training for EU and UN staff who would be deployed in emergencies and crises, the Presidency says. Its aim is to come to conclusions on this European training network, the development of joint training at European level and harmonising EU and UN procedures. A conference on feedback and prospects in training, transport and equipment is currently being held in Aix en Provence (29-31 July). Moreover, on 2-4 September, the Presidency will hold a workshop on EU-UN cooperation within the framework of the European consensus on humanitarian aid and the role of civil protection; - promoting early warning systems for all kinds of natural disasters: to complement the seminar in Albufeira (15-18 July) with a view to setting up a warning system in the Mediterranean or in the Atlantic, the French Presidency, in cooperation with the European Commission, will hold a seminar on early warning systems for tsunamis, coastal flooding and widespread flooding of plains from 4 to 16 October. The aim is to encourage fresh Council proposals and conclusions on enhancing EU early warning systems; - promoting new technologies and supporting research and forecasting, in particular GMES (Global Monitoring of Environment and Security) and Galileo. A conference on new applied risk management technologies will be held at the end of the year (9-11 December).
Disaster preparation - The MIC needs to be strengthened and modernised through pooling the operational management of disasters. The Presidency hopes to come to Council conclusions on enhancing EU operational management capacity through new MIC missions (assessment of crisis scenarios, coordination of contingency plans, intervention and drawing up protocols. A seminar bringing together all the heads of national civil protection operations centres will be held on 18-20 November 2008.
Disaster response - on the basis of feedback and recommendations from the Commission, the Presidency seeks to promote the implementation of a European mutual assistance plan: “It is about making better use of resources available by providing for periods when units are made available by member states to ensure cover for all risks,” Paris says.
A road map, to be presented at the end of the second half of 2008, is likely to set the first decisions and future thrust leading to the enhancement of the EU response capability to disasters, the Presidency says. (A.N./transl.rt)