European Commission reports progress in the improvement of EU civil protection capabilities, June 2002

A Communication, adopted by the European Commission on 12 June 2002, reports on the progress made to improve the EU's readiness to respond to the consequences of terrorist threats.

Following the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001, the European Commission, at the request of the Ghent European Council, adopted a Communication in November 2001 to examine how the EU should mobilise resources, expertise and networks in order to protect its citizens form potential terrorist threats. According to the latest Communication, any country hit by a major emergency including the consequences of terrorist threats would be able to call on a co-ordinated EU intervention team for help. These teams are co-ordinated by the European Commission with back up from the best qualified European experts and the latest technical rsources.

In the six months since the European Commission outlined its priorities in this field, it has focused on two areas for action: co-ordination and training; and health. To improve co-ordination the European Commission has set up a round-the-clock Monitoring and Information Centre which will ensure that the most appropriate intervention teams and resources are dispatched in case of an emergency. The Centre also collects and co-ordinates information on nuclear, bacteriological and chemical expertise and on the immediate access to information on serum and vaccines.

In terms of training the European Commission is planning to set up intensive training exercises which will start in the coming weeks, and full-scale simulation exercises. These exercises should ensure that, in an emergency, teams from different Member States can work together effectively despite differences in national systems. The exercises will also provide an opportunity for the EU to assess the response capacity of Member States and their contingency plans so that the EU will be able to confirm, and adjust where necessary, its overall capacity to respond to an emergency

In the area of health, the European Commission has established a joint task force with the pharmaceutical industry to draw up an inventory on availability and capacity for production, stockpiling and distribution of serums, vaccines and antibiotics likely to be used to counter bacteriological attack. The European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products has also been tasked with setting up two working parties, to compile a guide on the use of medicines for potential pathogens and to draw up specific recommendations on vaccines, including smallpox vaccines. In co-operation with EU health ministers the European Commission has also been developing a programme on health security in the event of biological or chemical attacks. This has led to the establishment of a 24 hour network to ensure exchange of information and work is underway to establish at EU level the capacity to detect the principal chemical and biological agents that could be used in terrorist attacks and to enable rapid detection and diagnosis. The European Commission is also co-operating with third countries and international organisations such as the World Health Organisation to publish rules and advice on health measures to be taken in the event of an attack.

Overall, the Communication shows that significant progress has been made in the field of civil protection, spurred on by the events of September 11 2001. Romano Prodi, the President of the European Commission, said:

'Recent events have shown how important it is to reassure the public that we are working both to prevent terrorist threats and to deal with the consequences if an attack occurs. The Commission has swiftly extended its existing civil protection system to be able to deal effectively and in a co-ordinated way with the consequences of such threats, of biological, chemical or nuclear origin'.

It is now important that the European Commission maintains this momentum in order to contine to reinforce its civil protection capabilities as the terrorist threat remains just as high.

Links:

European Commission:

• 12.06.02: EU civil protection capabilities reinforced [IP/02/848]
• DG Environment: Community co-operation in the field of civil protection
• Communication: Civil protection - State of preventive alert against possible emergencies [COM(2001)707 final]
• 23.10.01: Council decision establishing a Community mechanism to facilitate reinforced cooperation in civil protection assistance interventions
• 11 September attacks: The European Union's broad response

International Crisis Group:

• 29.04.02: EU crisis response capabilities: an update

The Centre for European Polciy Studies:

• Issues for Europe - Post- 11 September [September 2001]

Helen Bower
Compiled: Thursday, 13 June 2002

A Communication, adopted by the European Commission on 12 June 2002, reports on the progress made to improve the EU's readiness to respond to the consequences of terrorist threats.