Why is this important?
Civil protection assistance consists of governmental aid delivered in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. It can take the form of in-kind assistance, deployment of specially-equipped teams, or assessment and coordination by experts sent to the field.
Yet, disasters know no borders. A well-coordinated response at a European level is necessary to avoid duplication of relief efforts and ensure that assistance meets the real needs of the affected region.
What are we doing?
In 2001, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism was established, fostering cooperation among national civil protection authorities across Europe. The Mechanism currently includes all 28 EU Member States in addition to Iceland, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Turkey has recently signed the agreements to join the Mechanism.
The Mechanism was set up to enable coordinated assistance from the participating states to victims of natural and man-made disasters in Europe and elsewhere.
Operational centre
The operational hub of the Mechanism is the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) which monitors emergencies around the globe 24/7, and coordinates the response of the participating countries in case of a crisis. Thanks to its pre-positioned and self-sufficient civil protection modules, the ERCC teams are ready to intervene at short notice both within and outside the EU. They undertake specialised tasks such as search and rescue, aerial forest fire fighting, advanced medical posts and more.
Recipient countries
Any country in the world can call on the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for help. Since its launch in 2001, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has monitored over 300 disasters and has received more than 200 requests for assistance. It intervened in some of the most devastating disasters the world has faced, like the earthquake in Haiti (2010), the triple-disaster in Japan (2011), typhoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines (2013), the floods in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (2014), the Ebola outbreak (2014), the conflict in Ukraine (2014), the earthquake in Nepal (2015), and the refugee crisis in Europe (2015).
European Emergency Response Capacity (EERC)
The EERC consists of a voluntary pool of resources to be used to respond to emergencies, which are pre-committed by the countries participating in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The voluntary pool allows for a more predictable, faster and reliable EU response to disasters. It is also intended to facilitate better planning and coordination at European and national levels. To date, there have been two deployments from the EERC, both in the context of the European response to the Ebola crisis.
As of 1 June 2015, two modules and three other response capacities were registered in the voluntary pool.
Supplementary activities
The Mechanism helps in marine pollution emergencies, where it works closely with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). When the crisis occurs in developing countries, civil protection assistance typically goes hand in hand with EU humanitarian aid.
The Mechanism also provides participating countries with the opportunity to train their civil protection teams. By exchanging best practices and learning, teams increase their ability and effectiveness in responding to disasters. Additionally, the Mechanism provides emergency communications and monitoring tools, overseen by the ERCC through the Common Emergency Communication and Information System (CECIS), a web-based alert and notification application enabling real time exchange of information between participating states and the ERCC.
Finally, the European Commission supports and complements the prevention and preparedness efforts of participating states, focusing on areas where a joint European approach is more effective than separate national actions. These include improving the quality of and accessibility to disaster information, encouraging research to promote disaster resilience, and reinforcing early warning tools.
The Emergency Reponse Coordination Centre
The Emergency Response Coordination Centre supports and coordinates a wide range of prevention and preparedness activities, from awareness-raising to field exercises simulating emergency response.
Why is this important?
When a disaster strikes, every minute counts for saving lives. Immediate, coordinated and pre-planned response is essential. The EU is committed to providing disaster response in a timely and efficient manner and to ensure European assistance meets the real needs in the population affected, whether in Europe or beyond.
What are we doing?
The Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), operating within the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), was set up to support a coordinated and quicker response to disasters both inside and outside Europe using resources from the countries participating in the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. The ERCC replaces and upgrades the functions of the previous Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC).
With a capacity to deal with several simultaneous emergencies in different time zones, around-the-clock, the ERCC is a coordination hub facilitating a coherent European response during emergencies helping to cut unnecessary and expensive duplication of efforts.
It collects and analyses real-time information on disasters, monitors hazards, prepares plans for the deployment of experts, teams and equipment, and works with Member States to map available assets and coordinate the EU's disaster response efforts by matching offers of assistance to the needs of the disaster-stricken country. Better planning and the preparation of a set of typical disaster scenarios will further enhance the ERCC's capacity for rapid response.
The ERCC also supports a wide range of prevention and preparedness activities, from awareness-raising to field exercises simulating emergency response.
