European Union Disaster Resilience Goals: Acting together to deal with future emergencies

Summary:

Communication adopted by the European Commission on 8 February 2023, setting out common goals to boost disaster resilience in the areas of civil protection.

Further information:

The European Union (EU) is confronted by multiple, simultaneous challenges and threats. Russia's invasion of Ukraine was launched at a time when the EU continued to deal with the consequences of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Both crises unfold while the EU addresses the impact of climate change, featuring extreme weather conditions and environmental degradation. Over half of the EU Member States also consider earthquakes to be a main risk.

In the aftermath of a disaster, civil protection is the lifeline for affected populations. The EU has tried to step up its emergency readiness at all levels through its Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). When a crisis overwhelms the capacity of a single country, the UCPM provides the operational backbone for a collective response both within the EU (including outermost regions) and outside the EU.

This Communication seeks to establish common goals to boost disaster resilience in the areas of civil protection. It sets out five European Disaster Resilience Goals, as follows:

• Anticipate, to improve risk assessment, anticipation, and disaster risk management planning;
• Prepare, to increase risk awareness and preparedness of the population;
• Alert, to enhance early warning;
• Respond, to enhance the UCPM response capacity;
• Secure, to ensure a robust civil protection mechanism.

The text was adopted by the European Commission on 8 February 2023 alongside a related Commission Recommendation.

• Primary Source

• Alternative Source

Official

European Commission: European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations: EU Civil Protection Mechanism https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/eu-civil-protection-mechanism_en

European Commission: Press Release, 08/02/2023: Civil Protection: EU outlines Disaster Resilience Goals https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_599

European Commission: Questions and Answers: European Union Disaster Resilience Goals (8 February 2023) https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_23_600

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