1999/847/EC: Council Decision of 9 December 1999 establishing a Community action programme in the field of civil protection
Date: 1999-12-09
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU programme, action programme, aid to disaster victims, civil defence, public safety

21. 12. 1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 327/53

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL DECISION

of 9 December 1999

establishing a Community action programme in the field of civil protection

(1999/847/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Article 308 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2),

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee (3),

Having regard to the opinion of
Regions (4),

the Committee of

the

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

The actions taken by the Community in this field since
1985 must be continued with a view to strengthening
the cooperation between the Member States; the Resolu-
tions adopted since 1987 (5) and Council Decision 98/
22/EC of 19 December 1997 establishing a Community
Action Programme in the field of Civil Protection (6)
constitutes the basis for this cooperation;

The individual actions undertaken by the Community to
implement the programme contribute to the protection
of persons, environment and property in the event of
natural and technological disasters, and a greater aware-
ness of the interrelationship between human activities
and nature, which in the future may make it possible to
prevent many disasters,

including floods;

(1) OJ C 28, 3.2.1999, p. 29.
(2) OJ C 279, 1.10.1999, p. 210.
(3) OJ C 169, 16.6.1999, p. 14.
(4) OJ C 293, 13.10.1999, p. 53.
(5) OJ C 176, 4.7.1987, p. 1; OJ C 44, 23.2.1989, p. 3; OJ C 315,

14.12.1990, p. 1; OJ C 313, 10.11.1994, p. 1.

(6) OJ L 8, 14.1.1998, p. 20.

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

The Community programme of policy and action in
relation to the environment and sustainable develop-
ment (7) presented by the Commission foresees that the
Community's activities will be stepped up in particular
in the field of environmental emergencies; the same
programme calls for these activities to take account of
scientific research and technological development;

The Community Action Programme will continue to
help to develop cooperation in this field even more
effectively; the programme should be based to a large
extent on experience already gained in this field;

In accordance with the principle of
subsidiarity,
Community cooperation supports and supplements
national policies in the field of Civil Protection in order
to make them more effective; pooling of experience and
mutual assistance will help to reduce the loss of human
life, injuries, material damage and economic and envir-
onmental damage throughout the Community, making
the objectives of social cohesion and solidarity more
tangible;

The isolated and outermost regions of the Union have
special characteristics because of their geography, terrain
and social and economic conditions which have an
adverse effect and make it difficult to deliver aid and
means of assistance in the event of major danger;

The Community Action Programme will provide trans-
parency as well as consolidate and strengthen the
different actions in continued pursuit of the objectives of
the Treaty;

(7) OJ C 138, 17.5.1993, p. 5.

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

L 327/54

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

21. 12. 1999

Action to prevent risks and damage as well as provide
information and prepare those responsible for and
involved in Civil Protection in the Member States is
important and increases the degree of preparedness for
accidents; it is also important to undertake Community
action to improve techniques and methods of response
and immediate aftercare after emergencies;

This programme excludes any measures aimed at the
3.
harmonisation of the laws and regulations of the Member
States or of the organising of the national preparedness of the
Member States.

Article 2

It is also important to undertake action targeted at the
general public so as to help European citizens to protect
themselves more effectively;

The Commission shall implement the actions under this

1.
programme.

The Permanent Network of National Correspondents on
Civil Protection will continue to play an active role for
matters relating to civil protection;

The measures necessary for the implementation of this
Decision are to be adopted in accordance with Council
Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down
the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers
conferred on the Commission (1);

(12)

The provisions of this Decision take over from 1 January
2000,
from the action programme set up through
Decision 98/22/EC and ending on 31 December 1999;

(13) A financial reference amount, within the meaning of
point 34 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May
1999 between the European Parliament, the Council and
the Commission on budgetary discipline and improve-
ment of the budgetary procedure (2), is included in this
Decision for the entire duration of
the programme,
without thereby affecting the powers of the budgetary
authority as they are defined by the Treaty;

(14)

The Treaty does not provide, for the adoption of this
Decision, powers other than those of Article 308,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

2.
A three-year rolling plan to implement this programme,
to be reviewed annually, shall be adopted, in accordance with
the procedure laid down in Article 4(2).

The financial reference amount for the implementation of

3.
this programme shall be EUR 7,5 million.

The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the budgetary
authority within the limits of the financial perspective.

Actions under this programme and financial arrange-
4.
ments for Community contribution are set out in the Annex.

Article 3

The rolling plan to implement

1.
contain the individual actions to be undertaken.

this programme shall

Individual actions shall be selected primarily on the basis

2.
of the following criteria:

(a) contribution to preventing the risks and damage to
in the

persons, property and in so doing environment,
event of natural and technological disasters;

(b) contribution to increasing the degree of preparedness of
those involved in civil protection in the Member States, in
order to increase their ability to respond to an emergency;

(c) contribution to detecting and studying causes of disasters;

(d) contribution to improving the means and methods of fore-
and

and methods of

casting,
immediate aftercare after emergencies;

techniques

response

A Community action programme in the field of civil
1.
protection (hereinafter called this ‘programme’) is hereby estab-
lished for the period 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2004.

This programme is intended to support and supplement
2.
Member States' efforts at national, regional and local levels for
the protection of persons, property and in so doing environ-
ment,
in the event of natural and technological disasters,
without prejudice to the internal division of competence in
Member States. The aim is also to facilitate cooperation,
exchange of experience and mutual assistance between Member
States in this field.

(1) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.
(2) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1.

(e) contribution to public information, education and aware-
ness, so as to help citizens to protect themselves more
effectively.

Each individual action shall be implemented in close

3.
cooperation with the Member States.

4. Where relevant, actions under this programme should
aim to contribute

— to the integration of civil protection objectives in other
Community and Member States policies and actions,
in
particular including risk evaluation when assessing the
impact of installations and activities,

— as well as to the consistency of this programme with other

Community actions.

21. 12. 1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 327/55

Each action shall

the results of
5.
Community and national research in the relevant fields.

take account of

the

September 2002 and 31 March 2004 to the European Parlia-
ment and the Council.

1.

The Commission shall be assisted by a committee.

This Decision shall apply with effect from 1 January 2000.

Article 4

Article 6

2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 4 and
7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply.

The period laid down in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC
shall be set at three months.

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Article 7

3.

The Committee shall adopt its own rules of procedure.

Done at Brussels, 9 December 1999.

Article 5

The Commission shall evaluate the implementation of this
programme at mid-term and before its end, and report by 30

For the Council

The President

O. HEINONEN

L 327/56

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

21. 12. 1999

ANNEX

Action (1)

Financial arrangements

A. Major projects of general interest

Major projects of general interest for all Member States or a number
of them and involving a process for enhanching civil protection
capablities for dealing with disasters in certain significant aspects, such
as:

— prevention,
— preparedness,
— response,
— immediate aftercare,
— detection and study of the causes of disasters (analysis of risks and

vulnerability),

— analysis of the socio-economic implications of disasters,
— improving the means and methods of forecasting.

B. Training

1. Workshops and courses (2)

Organisation of workshops or training courses bringing together
experts, technical specialists and technicians from the Member
States permitting, within each discipline, the mutual sharing of
experience by means of discussions in specific terms of
their
methods, techniques and means with a view to:

— increasing their degree of preparedness
— creating the conditions for the establishment of a human
network permitting more effective operational cooperation
between Member States in case of emergency.

2. Exchange of experts and technicians

the secondment of experts to the emergency
Organisation of
services or other relevant bodies of another Member States in order
to allow the experts to gain experience or appraise different tech-
niques used or to study the approaches taken within other emer-
gency services or other relevant bodies.

Organisation of exchanges of Member States experts, specialists
and technicians enabling them to present or to follow short
training courses.

3. Exercises (2)

The exercises are intended to compare methods,
to stimulate
cooperation between Member States and to back-up progress in
coordination of the national civil protection services, with a view
to improving inter alia the effectiveness and speed response in case
of emergency.

C. Other actions

1. Pilot projects (2)

Projects designed to increase the capacity for and speed of
response in the initial stages of crises in the different regions of
Member States. These projects are aimed mainly at improving
means, techniques and procedures also in the isolated and outer-
most regions or islands. Their scope and content should be such as
to interest all or several Member States and it is intended to give
them the maximum dissemination and demonstration throughout
the Union for their implementation.

The greatest possible encouragement should be given to multi-
national projects.

Maximum Community financial contribution: 75 % of the total cost of
the action.

Maximum Community financial contribution: 75 % of the total cost of
the action, with a ceiling of EUR 75 000 per action.

Maximum 75 % of the experts travel and subsistence expenses and 100 %
of the costs of coordinating the system.

Maximum Community financial contribution: 50 % of the costs of partici-
pating observers from other Member States and for organising the asso-
ciated workshops, preparing the exercise and the final report, etc.

Maximum Community financial contribution: 50 % of the total cost of
each pilot project, with a ceiling of EUR 200 000 for each project.

21. 12. 1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 327/57

Action (1)

Financial arrangements

2. Support actions (2)

Support actions such as preparatory work related to new areas or
one-off follow-up actions for other projects, workshops or exer-
cises.

Maximum Community financial contribution: 50 % of the total cost of
each action, with a ceiling of EUR 30 000 per action.

3. Conferences and events

Conference and other civil protection events,
Member States.

involving several

Maximum Community financial contribution: 30 % of the total cost of
the arrangement with a ceiling of EUR 50 000 per action.

4. Information

— Actions to improve public information, education and aware-
ness, so as to help the citizens to protect themselves more
effectively wherever they may be in the Community as well as
to contribute to safety of citizens within the Community

— Distribution of information, publications and production of
exhibition material on the Community cooperation in the field
of civil protection.

5. Other actions

— Other actions aiming to a better appreciation of the results of
the cilvil protection activities, such as statistics, economic
analysis

— Evaluation of the programme
— Circulation of information on actions decided, in the language
of the Member States concerned by the topic of these actions.

D. Mobilisation of expertise

Mobilisation of expertise to intervene in the event of an emergency
situation to reinforce the system set-up by the authorities of a
Member State or a third country facing natural or technological
disasters.

Maximum Community financial contribution: 75 % of the total cost of
the action.

Community financial contribution: 100 % of the costs.

Community financial contribution: 100 % of the costs.

Community financial contribution: 100 % of the costs for the experts
mission.

(1) The only eligible actions must be in accordance with the priorities yearly defined within the management committee.

Specific actions eligible to other Communty instruments will not be financed in the framework of this programme. As regards item D, this will mean that actions eligible,
inter alia, to ECHO may not be financed in the framework of this programme.

(2) The only eligible actions are those interesting all Member States or a significant number of them.