EC Activities in the field of
Natural Hazards/Disasters
Brief overview

European Commission
Directorate for Research and Innovation
Climate Change & Natural Hazards UnitDenis PETER

15/09/20111

Addressing Natural Hazards and Disasters
in the European Commission
Brief overview :1. Policy context
2. Research dimension
3. Pre-operationnal activities

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Addressing Natural Hazards/Disasters:
1. Policy Context – International level● International Strategy for Disaster reduction – Hyogo Framework foraction 2005-2015, (Kobe World Conf. 2005)● International Council for Science – ICSU- Natural and human induced

environmental hazards (6 year science plan 2006-2012) IRDR – Integrated
Research on Disaster Risk Programme.

● IPCC activities related to extreme events and to climate related disasters(Special report to come end of 2011)● GEO (Group on Earth Observation – 10-Year GEOSS Implementation
Plan● OECD initiatives e.g. GEM (Global Earthquake Model)

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Addressing Natural Hazards/Disasters:
1. Policy Context – European level
ECHO/Humanitarian aid & Civil protection :Framework for cooperation in disaster response, preparedness andprevention:
1. Emergency response
MIC (Monitoring and Information Centre) and related activities : monitoring
and alert, training, civil protection exercises, coordination and assistanceinside and outside EU.
- Commission Staff Working Paper 'Towards Better Protecting Citizens
against Disaster Risks: Strengthening Early Warning Systems in Europe[SEC(2007) 1721 of 14.12.2007] DG ENV/ECHO.
-Communication: Towards a stronger European disaster response: the role ofcivil protection and humanitarian assistance . COM (2010) 600 DG ECHO

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2011

Addressing Natural Hazards/Disasters:
1. Policy Context – European level
ECHO/Humanitarian aid & Civil protection :Framework for cooperation in disaster response, preparedness andprevention:
2. Prevention Framework- Commission Communication- A Community Approach on the prevention ofnatural and man-made disasters (DG ENV/ECHO, COM 2009 82 final)
The Prevention Communication proposes to focus action at EU-level on :*Developing knowledge-based prevention policies*Linking actors and policies throughout the disaster management cycle*Improving the effectiveness of existing financial and legislative
instruments- Commission Staff working paper : Risk assessment and mapping guidelines
for disaster management. SEC(2010)1626 DG ECHO59/2011Addressing Natural Hazards/Disasters:

1. Policy Context – European level
Regional /Cohesion Policy – territorial cooperation/- Cooperation between regions/ support from the Structural funds:
e.g. Interreg IV C programme, Environment and risk prevention.
Sub-themes -Natural and technological risks, climate change- some examples●

supporting awareness-raising and emergency planning for populations located in very
sensitive areas, such as heavily built-up basins, seismic areas, flooding prone areas, etc●

developing or coordinating existing observatories for a better knowledge of naturalhazards●

development of strategies for minimising relevant natural and technological risks●

developing the formulation of tools, action plans and awareness-raising and capacity
building for responding at the different levels on all relevant natural and technologicalrisks●

developing measures to face and raise awareness on climate change and promotion ofadaptation and mitigation policies●

developing strategies for preventing and reducing floods

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2011

Addressing Natural Hazards/Disasters:
1. Policy Context – European level
Environment Policy / Floods-Drought issues /- Directive 2007/60 on the assessment and management offloods . Goals : flood risk assessment, risk mapping and risk
management plans (OJ L 288, 6.11.2007)-Follow-up of the Communication on Water Scarcity and Droughts
in the European Union COM (2007) 414 final, foreseen in 2012.

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Addressing Natural Hazards/Disasters:
1. Policy Context – European level
Climate Action:
EU Adaptation Strategy:
Disaster Risk Reduction is part of the adaptation strategies
Currently being developed and to be published in 2013, will comprise the following elements:•Enhancing the knowledgebase and widening access to information•

Mainstreaming adaptation into policies, strategies and programmes at EU level•Support and facilitation for Member States, regions, cities and other stakeholders•Capturing the potential of the market, market-based instruments and the private
sector89/20
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1. Policy Context – European level
EuropeAid development & cooperation:-Commission Communication- A new EU Strategy for supporting
Disaster Risk Reduction in Developing Countries, (DG DEV, COM
2009 84 final)
It aims at ensuring that the EU works more closely and more effectively
together when supporting developing countries efforts for reducing therisk of disasters.
Action priorities:
X strengthening of political dialogue with developing countries;
X integration of disaster risk reduction into both EU and developing
countries' policy and action, including EU support for national risk
reduction investments;
X development of regional plans,-Commission Staff working paper: Implementation plan of the EU
Strategy for supporting disaster risk reduction in developing countries
SEC(2011) 215 DG DEV

9Addressing Natural Hazards/Disasters
2. Research activities
European Framework Programme

Cooperation––Collaborative
Collaborativeresearchresearch (€32.4(€32.4billion*)billion*)Cooperation
Ideas ––Frontier
FrontierResearchResearch(€7.4(€7.4billion*)billion*)
Ideas
People––Human
HumanPotential
Potential (€4.7(€4.7billion*)billion*)PeopleCapacities––Research
ResearchCapacity
Capacity (€4.2(€4.2billion*)billion*)Capacities+JRC(non-nuclear)(non-nuclear)
JRC
JRC(nuclear)(nuclear)
JRC
Euratom
Euratom*Draft figures10

7th Framework Programme:
Cooperation programme –Thematic areas (€ million)

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Addressing Natural Hazards/Disasters2. Research activities -European Framework Programme

DG Research and Innovation- Programme Environment (including climate change):
Pressures on Environment and Climate, Natural Hazards, EarthObservation (GEO), Environmental Technologies- Programme Infrastructure (Existing infrastructures; new initiatives-ESFRI
DG Information Society and Media-Information and Communication Technologies for the Environment (research on ICT
applications for crisis and emergency management (mainly FP6)
DG Enterprise and Industry- Space and Security programme
GMES (global monitoring for Environment and Security
12Addressing Natural Hazards:
Environment research Programmes● FP5 – Overall support (1998-2002): 48 Mio €● FP6 – Overall support (2002-2006): 58,2 Mio €● FP7- (2007)● FP7- (2008)● FP7- (2009)● FP7- (2010)● FP7- (2011)● FP7- (2012): 13 Mio: 14 Mio: 13 Mio: 11.5 Mio: 18 Mio:?

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Main core areas of « Natural Hazards »in the Work programme● Hazard assessment, triggering factors and forecasting● Vulnerability assessment and societal impacts● Risk assessment and management● Multi-risk assessment and mitigation strategies

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ENV programme FP7 -Sub Activity Natural Hazards
Main areas covered by the work programme calls for proposals
Hazard assessment, triggering factors and forecasting:●●2007 :
2008 :●●●

2009 :
2010 :
2011 :-European storm risk (MICORE)-Methodology and tools for earthquake hazards in Europe(SHARE)-Forest fires in the context of climate and social changes (FUME)-no call-Towards real-time earthquake risk reduction (REAKT)

Vulnerability assessment and Societal impacts

●

2007:

●

2008:

●

2009:

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●

2010 :
2011 :-Frame for better vulnerability assessment (MOVE; ENSURE)-Investigating Europe's risks from drought (XEROCHORE)-Social perception, behaviour and response torisks (CapHazNet)-Costs of natural hazards /Climate related (ConHaz)-Vulnerability of buildings, lifelines,networks,infrastructure related toearthquakes (Syner-G)-Building a culture of risk prevention in Europe (Kulturisk)-Building societal resilience to disasters in Europe (EMBRACE)-Vulnerability and increased drought in Europe

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ENV programme FP7 - Sub Activity - Natural Hazards
Main areas covered by the work programme calls for proposals
Risks assessment and management●●●●●2007: -Assessment and management of volcanic threat (MIAVITA)-Avalanche forecasting and risk mapping
2008: -Prediction of triggering and risk assessment for landslides (SAFELAND)-Risk management for flash floods and debris flow (IMPRINTS)
2009: -Risk prevention and management of urban floods (CORFU)
2010: -Early warning and drought risks in Africa (DEWFORA)
2011: - Risk prevention and management before volcanic eruptions (VUELCO)

Multi risk evaluation and mitigation

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2007: -European multi-hazard database
2008: -Coordinated research strategy between European and national levels
2009: -no open call2010: -New methods for multi-hazard and multi-risk assessments (MATRIX)-Social science, natural hazards and decision making process
2011: - Capacity building in natural hazards risks reduction (CATALYST)

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Addressing Natural Hazards/Disasters
2. Research activities
European Framework Programme
Examples of projects – Field seismic hazard assessment;
engineering/Eurocode 8; systemic vulnerability/..

● The SHARE project (Seismic hazard assessment in Europe) will deliver●●measurable progress in all steps leading to a harmonized assessment of seismic
hazard in the definition of engineering requirements, in the collection of input
data, in procedures for hazard assessment, and in engineering applications ,The SYNER-G project, (systemic seismic vulnerability and risk analysis forbuildings, lifeline networks and infrastructures) proposes to improve theEuropean know-how and to propose a unified methodology for the vulnerability
assessment and loss estimate at system level.
The SERIES project (Seismic Engineering Research Infrastructures for
European Synergies) will network all testing facilities and cooperate in non EU
groups.

17Addressing Natural Hazards/Disasters
2. Research activities
European Framework Programme
Examples of projects – Field Tsunami● The TRANSFER project (Tsunami Risk and Strategies for the European Region)●●●

covered the whole Mediterranean region studying through case studies from thesource origin and detection of the tsunami to the impacts on the coast including
possible inundation maps and strategy for EWS.
NEAREST – (Near Shore Sources of Tsunamis), worked on a pilot region of thegulf of Cadiz studied more in details the phenomena and tested an off shore buoyin the frame of a pre-early warning system.
The SCHEMA GMES FP6 project (Scenarios for Hazard Emergencies
Management), contributed to improve our understanding of tsunami impacts on
the coast using earth observation and developed also some evacuation plans fortest towns.
The DEWS ITC FP6 project (Distant Early Warning Systems), building on thecooperation and results of the German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning
System (GITEWS), focused specifically on developing an advanced interoperable
tsunami early warning capacity in Indonesia which is now working.

18Addressing Natural Hazards/Disasters
2. Research activities
European Framework Programme
Examples of projects – Field seismic risks/EWS..

● The FP6 SAFER (Seismic early warning for Europe) project enabled Europe to●●●make significant progress in improving the scientific basis of earthquake early
warning systems and their applications.
The new project REAKT (Strategies and tools for real time Earthquake riskreduction) , including JMA will further develop early warning applications andreal-time analysis in order to be able to further reduce the reaction time andimprove the warning services
The FP6 NERIES (network of research Infrastructures for EU seismology)
improved e.g. access to databases, protocols & procedures, new tools to improvemonitoring
The new NERA project – the Network of European Research Infrastructures forearthquake risk assessment and mitigation will further integrates the key
research infrastructures in Europe to monitor earthquakes and assess theirhazard and risk, and combines expertise in observational and strong-motion
seismology, modelling, geotechnical and earthquake engineering.

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Addressing Natural Hazards/Disasters
2. Research activities
European Framework Programme
Example of a project – Climate change impacts -Africa● The CLUVA Project aims to develop methods and knowledge to be applied toAfrican cities to manage climate risks, to reduce vulnerabilities and to improvetheir coping capacity and resilience towards climate changes. The project will
explore the issues of climate change vulnerability, resilience, risk management
and adaptation in selected African cities.

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New call – deadline 20 October 2011
« Natural Hazards » Work programme 2012
Challenge 6.4 Protecting citizens from environmental hazards● Improving the resilience of society to catastrophic natural hazards through new●risk-management partnerships
X develop new probabilistic hazards and risk scenarios and improve themethodologies for pan-European risk assessment and for estimating disaster
impacts
X improve risk governance and management responses, with the key goal to
improve or redefine the respective roles or possible forms of partnerships between
the private sector (including the (re) insurance and finance sectors), the relevant
authorities and stakeholders.
Long-term monitoring experiment in geologically active regions of Europe prone
to natural hazards: the Supersite concept (GEO)
X seismic and volcanic reference areas

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European Framework Programme
3. Research related and pre-operational
DG Enterprise and Industry- Global monitoring for Environment and Security- GMES Emergency response
Service http://www.emergencyresponse.eu/gmes/en/ref/home.html
intends to play a role in the European capacity to respond to emergency situations.
It is supported by several ongoing projects funded under FP6/FP7 as the SAFER project
Services and Applications for Emergency response that has a budget of 26 Mio € and runs
from 2009 to end of 2012.
JRC Joint research centre Ispra-Develops research and applications in support to EC policies e.g. MIC. It has developed acommon web-based platform“ Global disaster and alert coordination system GDACS : www.gdacs.org with UN toquickly estimate hazards events and give alerts-Standard setting for structural design codes for buildings in the JRC-ELSA(European Laboratory for Structural Assessments of the Joint Research Centre)
Active collaboration with the Building Research Institute of the Japanese Ministry for
Construction located in Tsukuba
http://elsa.jrc.ec.europa.eu/.

22More information :-DG ECHO/Humanitarian aid & Civil protection :http://ec.europa.eu/echo/civil_protection/civil/index.htm-DG Aidco Development Cooperation
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/index_en.htm-DG Research and Innovation
Calls:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/page/fp7_calls
ENV/ natural hazards research:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/index_en.cfm?pg=hazards
Infrastructures:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/infrastructures/index_en.cfm?pg=projects

New infrastructures : http://www.epos-eu.org/ )-DG REGIO/Interreg :http://www.interreg4c.net/contact.html-DG ENV /Flood-drought:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/flood_risk/index.htm-DG Entreprise and Industry:GMES
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/space/gmes/index_en.htm
DG Climate Action:
http://ec.europa.eu/clima/sites/change
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Thank you

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