Council Conclusions of 27 November 2003 on strengthening Community cooperation in the field of civil protection assistance
Date: 2003-11-27
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: European cooperation, civil defence, state of emergency

30.12.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 317/1

I

(Information)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS

of 27 November 2003

on strengthening Community cooperation in the field of civil protection assistance

(2003/C 317/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

1. RECALLING the recent exceptional events and occurrences
and in particular the large forest fires that occurred during
summer 2003 in many Member States, together with their
tragic human toll — including casualties for fire-fighters
and members of rescue teams and forestry services — as
well as their damage to health, environment, infrastructure
and property;

2. HAVING REGARD to the Resolution of

the European
Parliament, of 4 September 2003, on the effects of the
summer heatwave, which contains important elements
relevant to civil protection;

3. SALUTES the dedication of the volunteers and fire-fighters
that were involved in missions to combat and respond to
the forest fires and other disasters and serious accidents;

4. WELCOMES the unprecedented manifestations of concrete
the Member States during summer
solidarity amongst
2003,
i.a. by the dispatch of both aerial and terrestrial
means, which resulted in the largest number of mutual
assistance interventions ever performed in the Community;

5. CONSIDERS this solidarity to be in line with the outcome of
the European Convention on the introduction into the
draft Constitutional Treaty of provisions related to Civil
Protection;

6. NOTES the positive impact of the Council Decision estab-
lishing a Community action programme in the field of
civil protection (1) on the cooperation between Member
States and the Commission, i.a. in making available fora
for a still closer and more developed cooperation between
Member States and the Commission;

7. RECOGNISES the positive contribution of the Community
Civil Protection Mechanism established under Council

Decision 2001/792/EC, Euratom (2) and especially of the
Commission's Monitoring and Information Centre estab-
lished under that Decision;

8. WELCOMES the efforts by the Commission to implement
the tasks imposed by the Community Mechanism and to
improve
and
information centre in facing emergencies of an exceptional
magnitude;

the monitoring

capabilities

the

of

9. WELCOMES the announcement by the Commission that it
will examine, in the framework of the existing instruments,
its present capabilities for dealing with natural and tech-
nological disasters and accidents and TAKES NOTE that, if
appropriate, it will propose new instruments;

10.

INVITES the Commission to present within the shortest
time-span the appropriate proposals to achieve the devel-
opments referred to in paragraph 9 and soon to inform
the Council of their form and timetable;

11. WELCOMES the intention of

the Commission in the
meantime to enable the Monitoring and Information
Centre to play a dynamic and proactive supporting role
with a view to facilitating Member States' coordination in
any forthcoming emergency or threat and to that end:

— to identify the needs, and to examine ways and means
to provide it with the necessary adequate resources,

— to continue its efforts aiming at further improving the
functioning of the Monitoring and Information Centre
and at eliminating difficulties in its operation and to
amend its procedures as necessary;

12. Also INVITES the Commission as soon as possible to
the announced communication on a common

present
approach to the prevention of risks.

(1) Council Decision 1999/847/EC of 9 December 1999 establishing a
Community action programme in the field of civil protection (OJ
C 327, 21.12.1999, p. 53).

(2) Council Decision 2001/792 EC, Euratom of 23 October 2001
establishing a Community mechanism to facilitate cooperation in
civil protection assistance interventions (OJ L 297, 15.11.2001,
p. 7).