COMMISSION PROPOSES TO STRENGTHEN THE EU CIVIL PROTECTION MECHANISM

The European Commission has adopted a series of proposals to improve the response of the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism to natural and manmade disasters. The measures will allow the Commission to better address any shortage of transport and equipment needed at the site of a disaster. Moreover, additional measures will contribute to the development of early warning systems, improve coordination and provide logistical support. At the same time, the Commission has launched an on-line disaster monitoring alert service called “MIC Daily”, designed to monitor emerging and ongoing disasters around the globe. It aims at enhancing awareness and information sharing between national crisis centres to maximise the effectiveness of response.

Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: “The EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism has proven its usefulness in the face of such disasters as hurricane Katrina in the US and the floods and droughts in Europe. But there is always room for improvement. We were able to help, but we also learned how our help could be improved. The Commission has now put forward the legislative proposals to take our Civil Protection response to a new level. But we will need sufficient resources if we are to turn these plans into reality. I count on Council and Parliament, which supported these policy measures, to ensure that we get the necessary financial support to allow us to carry out these tasks.”