Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on reinforcing the Union's disaster response capacity
Date: 2008-03-05
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, EU action, EU policy, European security, civil defence, environmental risk prevention, health risk, man-made disaster, natural disaster

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 5.3.2008 
COM(2008) 130 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 

on Reinforcing the Union's Disaster Response Capacity 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
  
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 

on Reinforcing the Union's Disaster Response Capacity 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The  purpose  of  this  Communication  is  to  make  proposals  to  reinforce  the  EU's 
disaster  response  capacity,  building  on  what  has  already  been  achieved.  These 
proposals are a first step on the road to a comprehensive and integrated EU response 
and  are  aimed  at  reinforcing  and  creating  synergies  between  existing  instruments, 
and at strengthening coordination between them. 

This  Communication  uses  the  notion  'disaster'  in  a  broad  sense  to  cover  not  only 
natural or man-made disasters but also conflict-related complex emergencies, taking 
place  within  and/or  outside  the  EU.  In  response  to  a  request  from  Council  and 
Parliament,  a  specific  annex  on  forest  fires  is  attached  to  illustrate  how  further 
prevention, preparedness, response and recovery measures could be combined to deal 
with a disaster at the magnitude of the one that struck Europe last summer. 

The Commission will work together with the Council, the Member States and other 
stakeholders  on  the  first  steps  proposed  in  this  Communication,  and  examine 
progress  regularly  with  a  view  to  taking  further  steps  towards  a  more  integrated 
disaster response for the EU. 

2. 

THE NEED FOR A STRONGER EU CAPABILITY 

Major challenges ahead – within and outside the EU. Major disasters —natural, 
man-made,  or  a  mix  of  both—  such  as  the  2004  Tsunami  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  the 
2006 war in Lebanon, marine pollution episodes in third countries or more recently 
the  forest  fires  and  floods  in  Europe  in  the  summer  of  2007  have  led  to  increased 
calls  to  improve  the  effectiveness  of  the  existing  EU  disaster  response  capacity.  In 
addition, the number of disasters related to climate change is increasing in frequency. 
This will also affect the Union's neighbourhood. 

Strong demand. European citizens expect the Union to protect their lives and assets 
inside the EU, and at the same time deliver effective disaster assistance in other parts 
of  the  world  as  an  important  expression  of  European  solidarity.  Organisations 
ranging  from  the  UN  to  NGOs  and  the  EU's  third-country  partners  have  high 
expectations of the role the EU can play in disaster relief. The European Parliament 
as  well  as  the  European  Council  of  December  2007  invited  the  Council  and  the 
Commission  to  make  the  best  use  of  the  Community  Civil  Protection  Mechanism, 
along  with  the  civil  protection  Financial  Instrument,  to  help  cope  with  major 
emergencies  in  the  future  and  to  further  strengthen  co-operation  with  and  between 
Member States. Likewise, the European Parliament and the European Council have 
signed  in  December  2007  the  European  Consensus  on  Humanitarian  Aid,  a 
comprehensive framework for improved delivery of humanitarian aid at EU level. In 

EN 

2 

   EN 

 
its resolution  on the EU Consensus  on Humanitarian Aid, the European Parliament 
has  called  for  a  strong  EU  commitment  to  adequate  provision  of  humanitarian  aid 
coupled  with  adequate  predictability  and  flexibility  in  funding,  through  adequate 
annual up-front budgetary provisions. 

Challenges inside and outside the EU are often similar. Today's disasters are often 
of  a  cross-border  nature  and  require  multilateral  and  coordinated  responses.  At  the 
same  time  boundaries  between  internal  and  external  disasters  are  increasingly 
blurred:  the  Indian  Ocean  tsunami  affected  European  tourists  as  well  as  the  local 
populations,  floods  and  fires  affect  both  EU  Member  States  and  neighbouring 
countries, and epidemics can spread from one continent to another, European citizens 
need to be evacuated from crisis areas, etc. Often the same instruments – in particular 
civil  protection  assets  –  are  deployed  by  the  Community  and  Member  States  to 
respond to the same needs within the Union and beyond EU borders, either as a stand 
alone disaster response contribution or as a complement to humanitarian aid. Any EU 
response  to  a  given  disaster  has  to  make  use  of  the  most  appropriate  components 
available on the basis of needs. In addition, aspects such as speed, effectiveness and 
cost-efficiency need to be taken into account. 

Addressing  the  overall  challenge  of  disaster  prevention,  mitigation  and 
response. The complexity and scope of these multidimensional challenges require a 
comprehensive  approach  by  the  EU  to  the  continuum  of  disaster  risk  assessment, 
forecast,  prevention,  preparedness  and  mitigation  (pre-  and  post-disaster),  bringing 
together the different policies, instruments and services available to the Community 
and Member States working as a team. This helps to balance national responsibility 
and  European  solidarity.  The  existing 
links  between  civil  protection  and 
environmental  policies  should  be  reinforced  in  order  to  take  full  advantage  of  the 
preventive measures included in environmental legislation and ensure an integrated 
EU  approach  to  disaster  prevention  and  mitigation.  In  addition,  cost  effectiveness 
concerns  and  resource  constraints  call  for  a  managed,  coordinated  and  integrated 
response.  When  providing  assistance  to  people  affected  by  disasters  outside  its 
borders,  the  EU  response  should  be  an  integrated  part  of  the  overall  international 
response. 

3. 

TOWARDS A STRONGER EU RESPONSE TO DISASTERS 

3.1. 

Gradual build-up of a more integrated coordination 

A  diversity  of  European  players  and  policies.  In  the  field  of  disaster  response, 
decision-making  processes  vary  from  one  policy  or  instrument  to  another  and 
determine whether these capacities can be mobilised inside or outside the EU. 

The European Commission is responsible for a wide range of response instruments, 
along with alert and coordination mechanisms: 

–  It  manages  many  Rapid  Alert  Systems  (‘RAS’)  to  provide  swift  and  efficient 
responses  to  specific  sectoral  disasters,  ranging  from  bio-chemical  attacks  to 

EN 

3 

   EN 

 
communicable  epidemics  and  animal  diseases,  oil  spills  or  marine  pollution  to 
critical infrastructure protection1. 

–  It decides on Community humanitarian assistance (through its Humanitarian Aid 
Department DG ECHO). The Commission has provided humanitarian assistance, 
relief and protection to the victims of conflicts or disasters in third countries and is 
also heavily engaged in disaster preparedness. 

–  It also facilitates and coordinates the use of Member States civil protection assets 
through the Community Civil Protection Mechanism created in 2001 to respond to 
disasters that occur within the EU and outside the EU. 

–  The  Instrument  for  Stability  provides  for  ‘exceptional  assistance  measures’  to 

enable timely responses to disasters in addition to political crises.  

–  Various  geographic  instruments  for  external  assistance  also  have  emergency 
reserves  which  can  be  mobilised,  under  certain  circumstances  and  following 
specific decision making procedures, for short to medium term disaster response 
measures. 

–  Other  instruments  available  to  the  EU  and  the  Member  States  include  the 
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF), 
the  funds  available  for  Rural  Development,  the  Civil  Protection  Financial 
Instrument  (CPFI),  and  LIFE+.  The  EUSF  can  help  to  alleviate  the  financial 
burden on Member States or countries involved in accession negotiations with the 
EU  affected  by major natural  disasters through refinancing emergency operation 
cost incurred by the public authorities. The ERDF can co-finance the preparation 
and implementation of measures to prevent and cope with natural risks, as well as 
reconstruction  measures  after  natural  disasters.  Rural  Development  funds,  the 
CPFI and LIFE+ can be used by the Member States to finance disaster prevention 
measures. 

–  Since  June  2006,  the  Commission  has  developed  an  internal  coordination 
mechanism (known as ARGUS) to help it respond effectively to multidimensional 
disasters and crises within its remit and also to make an active contribution as part 
of EU Crisis Coordination Arrangements (CCA).  

–  The  RELEX  Crisis  Platform,  established  after  the  2004  Tsunami,  contributes  to 
the  political  coordination  between  the  Commission  and  Member  States  during 
external crisis situations. 

1 

For example, ECURIE (Community arrangements for the early exchange of information in the event of 
radiological  emergency),  ADNS  (Animal  Disease  Notification  System),  RAS  BICHAT  (Rapid  Alert 
System  in  relation  to  Biological  and  Chemical  Attacks  and  Threats),  EWRS  (Early  Warning  and 
Response System to alert public health authorities and the Commission to outbreaks of communicable 
diseases), HEOF (Health Emergency Operational Facilities), RAPEX (Rapid Exchange of Information 
System,  system  for  the  rapid  exchange of  information  on  measures  relating  to  serious  and  immediate 
risks  posed  by  non-food  consumer  products),  RASFF  (Rapid  Alert  System  for  Food  and  Feed,  rapid 
alert system for the notification of risks to human health from food and feed productions), RAS-CHEM 
(Rapid  Alert  System  CHEMicals  –  in  development),  CIWIN  (Critical  Infrastructure  Warning 
Information Network). 

EN 

4 

   EN 

 
                                                 
Close  co-operation  and  co-ordination  with  the  Presidency  of  the  Council,  Member 
States and the General Secretariat of the Council, particularly regarding consular co-
operation, the use of EU Member States’ military assets and capabilities to disaster 
response have to be ensured continuously. The Presidency has the responsibility for 
(1) assessing whether an EU civil protection operation outside the EU falls within the 
crisis  management  provisions  of  the  treaties  or  not  prior  to  the  activation  of  the 
Mechanism  by  the  Commission,  and  (2)  ensuring  the  political  coordination  of 
European civil protection operations in third countries. 

Efforts  have  been  made  recently  to  improve  the  coordination  of  disaster 
response instruments: 

•  Following  a  Commission  proposal  tabled  in  2005  and  the  May  2006  Barnier 
report  on  setting  up  a  European  Civil  Protection  Force,  the  Council  adopted  a 
revised legislative framework entrusting new tasks to the Commission in the area 
of Civil Protection. In addition, the Commission reviewed its internal coordination 
mechanisms. 

•  The European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid adopted by the Member States, the 
European  Parliament  and  the  Commission  in  December  2007  is  the  first  to 
provide  an  explicit  EU  declaration  of  the  shared  objectives  and  principles  that 
underpin  EU  Humanitarian  Aid.  It  underlines  the  need  for  strengthened 
coordination  between  Community  and  Member  States'  responses  to  major 
disasters, and in the domain of humanitarian aid policies. 

•  EC  Delegations  in  third  countries  have  reorganised  themselves  so  that  they  can 
play  their  full  role  in  the  event  of  disasters.  For  example,  as  a  pilot  phase,  six 
Delegations will specialise in disaster response, and each of the 130 Delegations 
around the world has a 'crisis correspondent' to act as the local contact point for 
disasters  and  political  crises  vis-à-vis  Commission  Headquarters,  neighbouring 
EC Delegations and partners on the ground. 

•  The  Commission  has  adopted  in  20072  an  Action  Plan  on  consular  protection 
aimed at translating into practice the principle of art. 20 TEC according to which 
every  citizen  of  the  Union  shall  —in  the  territory  of  a  third  country  in  which 
his/her  Member  State  is  not  represented—  be  entitled  to  protection  by  the 
diplomatic or consular authorities of any Member State under the same conditions 
as nationals. It proposes a series of actions to increase awareness, to strengthen the 
scope  of  consular  protection  and  to  enhance  consular  cooperation  between 
Member States. 

•  The Commission is working to improve its delivery in cooperation with Member 
States, the UN and other international actors (e.g. through the development of Post 
Crisis Damage and Needs Assessments methodologies for post disaster scenarios - 
PDNA)  and  by  providing  support  to  the  response  capacity  of  key  humanitarian 
actors  such  as  UN  and  the  Red  Cross  movement  for  their  pre-positioning  of 
humanitarian  relief  items  that  can  be  rapidly  and  cost-efficiently  drawn  upon  in 
disasters. 

2 

COM(2007) 767. 

EN 

5 

   EN 

 
                                                 
Greater  coherence,  effectiveness  and  visibility  are  still  needed  to  achieve  the 
objective of a more integrated EU disaster response capacity: 

•  The  Commission  is  committed  to  improving  the  effectiveness  of  its  action  in 
cooperation with Member States, international, national and local stakeholders, in 
particular through synergies and better coordination of training, needs assessment, 
planning and operations.  

the  Presidency, 

the  Member  States  and 

•  In  particular  for  larger  scale  natural  disasters,  'horizontal'  coordination  between 
the  Commission, 
the  High 
Representative/Secretary-General  could  be  further  streamlined  both  in  Brussels 
and  on  the  ground  for  crises  involving  both  Community  instruments  and  CFSP 
instruments.  Improvements  could  be  made  in  the  real  time  exchange  of  factual 
information  and  analytical  reporting  at  all  stages  (planning,  coordination  of 
interventions  and  exchange  of  best  practices,  backed  by  the  corresponding 
technical  infrastructure)  and  include  the  establishment  of  joint  planning  and 
operational  teams  where  feasible.  Different  and  more  multifaceted  scenarios 
should  be  identified  in  advance  so  that  standing  operational  procedures  can  be 
developed for each main category of disaster and geographical area so as to foster 
true  contingency  planning  at  EU  level.  Improved  contingency  planning  will 
facilitate rapid engagement while allowing for adjustments to be made during the 
acute phase of the disaster. 

•  Existing  resources  need  to  be  pooled  more  efficiently  between  EU  level  and 
Member States instruments, and between EU/Community instruments. There is a 
need  for  improvement  in  the  'vertical'  coordination  between  the  EU  level  and 
Member  States.  This  coordination  should  be  optimised  as  the  differences  in  the 
respective  mandates  of 
the  various  Member  States  and  humanitarian 
services/agencies have an impact on the Commission's response. 

As  part  of  its  contribution  to  improved  EU  disaster  response  capacity,  the 
Commission  intends  to  introduce  the  following  improvements,  drawing  notably  on 
suggestions  from  the  Barnier  report.  To  fully  achieve  the  objective  of  a  more 
integrated  disaster  response  capacity  will  require  a  long-haul  effort  from  the 
Commission,  the  EU  and  its  Member  States;  the  improvements  suggested  in  this 
Communication  represent  a  further  step  in  the  rationalisation  of  disaster  response 
instruments.  Some  concern  the  functioning  of  existing  instruments  (3.2  and  3.3), 
while  the  development  of  cross-cutting  tools  is  a  new  step  which  will  ensure  more 
effective coordination (3.4). 

3.2. 

Reinforcing the Community Civil Protection Mechanism 

In the area of civil protection the Commission proposes to improve the EU's and the 
Commission's capacity through the following measures. 

–  Building up the Monitoring and Information Centre so it can play the role of 
operational centre for European civil protection intervention. This requires a 
qualitative  shift  from  information  sharing/reacting  to  emergencies  towards  pro-
active  anticipation/real 
time  monitoring  of  emergencies  and  operational 
engagement/coordination. This includes early warning systems, performing needs 
assessments,  identifying  matching  resources,  and  providing  technical  advice  on 

EN 

6 

   EN 

 
lessons 

learned  assessments; 

response  resources  to  the  Member  States;  developing  scenarios,  standard 
the 
operating  procedures  and 
Commission  competencies  to  pool  available  transport  and  provide  co-financing 
for  transport;  increasing  training  and  exercise  activities  for  Member  States  and 
other  experts; and helping  the Member States to set up common resources. This 
implies also the use of monitoring capabilities such as those developed under the 
Global  Monitoring  for  Environment  and  Security  (GMES)  initiative  or  enabling 
tools like GALILEO (the European radionavigation programme). 

implementing 

–  Improving  the  European  civil  protection  response  capacity.  Following  the 
disasters  that  struck  Member  States  during  the  summer  of  2007,  the  European 
Parliament  has  called  for  a  European  civil  protection  force  and  the  Council  has 
asked  the  Commission  to  present  proposals  on  the  response  to  disasters.  Apart 
from  the  area  of  marine  pollution,  where the  European  Maritime  Safety  Agency 
keeps  available  EU  pollution  response  vessels  at  the  request  of  the  affected 
country  to  complement  its  national  resources,  the  response  to  other  types  of 
disasters, such as floods and forest fires, which are the most frequent disasters that 
hit  Member  States,  can  only  come  from  national  sources  at  present.  Gaps  in 
response  resources  should  be  identified  and  options  for  filling  them  assessed, 
including  developing  reserve  resources  available  for  European  civil  protection 
operations. These could be built on two main components – standby modules and 
complementary  European  resources,  while  avoiding  duplication  with  existing 
response  capacities.  Funds  made  available  as  a  pilot  project  and  a  preparatory 
action  by  the  European  Parliament  in  the  2008  budget  will  be  used  to  test  such 
arrangements. 

3.3. 

Reinforcing European Humanitarian Aid 

The  European  Consensus  on  Humanitarian  Aid  is  a  comprehensive  framework  for 
improving  humanitarian  aid  delivery.  In  the  area  of  humanitarian  aid,  the 
Commission  proposes  to  improve  the  EU's  and  the  Commission's  capacity  through 
the following measures. 

–  The Consensus foresees inter  alia the identification of existing  delivery gaps  on 
the EU  and  international level,  through a mapping study on logistical  capacity, 
including  stockpiling,  procurement  and  transport  to  the  area  of  final  use  of 
humanitarian  goods,  with  the  aim  of  identifying  potential  response  gaps.  In  a 
second stage, initiatives should be taken to fill potential gaps. The study will serve 
to  provide clear guidance on which  of the various tools available is best placed, 
most appropriate and cost-efficient to be used in a given context. 

–  The  further  strengthening  of  rapid  assessment  and  response  capacity  at  the  field 
level through the ECHO field offices and field experts: 6 regional ECHO offices 
are progressively staffed with multi-sector teams of experts that can be deployed 
immediately  in  case  of  sudden-onset  disasters.  This  'surge  capacity'  can  conduct 
rapid  on-the-spot  need  assessment  in  order  to  guide  donors'  humanitarian 
assistance  and  contribute  to  early  field  coordination  between  the  various  relief 
organisations present. 

–  Liaison with various actors. In view of the growing diversity of actors involved 
in  the  global  crisis  response,  and  with  the  view  to  be  able  to  use  all  available 

EN 

7 

   EN 

 
instruments  in  responding  to  disasters  in  third  countries,  the  Commission  will 
engage in dialogue with these actors on the principles of humanitarian aid.  

–  Strengthening  the  global  response  capacity,  the  Commission  will  continue  its 
support to the response capacity of key humanitarian actors such as UN and the 
Red  Cross  movement  for  their  pre-positioning  of  humanitarian  relief  items  that 
can be rapidly and cost-efficiently drawn upon in disasters.  

–  Other  initiatives  include  the  development  of  local  humanitarian  response 
capacities;  support  to  the  reform  undertaken  under  UN  leadership  and  the 
development and dissemination of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) as well 
as humanitarian principles among EU institutions and other actors. 

3.4. 

Capacity building across Community policies and instruments  

In  addition  to  reinforcing  the  Community  Civil  Protection  Mechanism  and 
implementing  the  European  Consensus  on  Humanitarian  Aid,  a  further  set  of 
measures might be considered: 

–  Creating a European Disaster Response Training Network. High standards of 
preparedness,  self-sufficiency  and  interoperability  call  for  increased  European-
level  training.  This  could  be  best  implemented  by  a  structured  network  building 
on  the  experience  of  the  Member  States  and  scientific  knowledge  acquired  at 
national and European level through the Framework Programme research projects 
dealing  with  natural  hazards  and  disasters  issues.  A  Disaster  Response  Training 
Network would link existing centres of excellence in the Member States and offer 
a  wide  range  of  activities,  including  training  courses,  exercises  and  exchange  of 
experts. The Training Network would develop agreed curricula to be delivered by 
a  network  of  selected  centres  of  excellence,  set  quality  standards  and  explore 
synergies  across  the  various  training  programmes.  Using  complementarity 
between  the  areas  of  civil  protection  and  humanitarian  aid  in  particular,  the 
training  network  could  also  develop  expertise  in  sectors  such  as  logistics,  crisis 
communication,  water,  food,  healthcare,  public  health,  protection  and  shelter  by 
building  on  capacity  available 
through  NOHA,  academic  humanitarian 
programmes in the Member States and on other training networking experiences, 
such as the European Group on Training (EGT). 

–  Improved disaster preparedness measures, early warning systems and use of 
the single European emergency number "112". The Commission is preparing 
initiatives on the prevention of disasters both within the EU and in third countries. 
Early warning systems exist for most of the main natural hazards in Europe, but 
the lack of systems of this kind for tsunamis in the Mediterranean is a significant 
gap. Early warning systems can also benefit from the information made available 
by  citizens  through  emergency  calls,  notably  through  the  single  European 
emergency  number  "112".  In  addition,  European  exchange  of  experience  on 
organising  and  providing  emergency  response  will  contribute  to  improving  the 
handling  of  112  calls.  The  lack  of  common  alert  signals  and  protocols  is  also  a 
major concern in view of the growing mobility of citizens across Europe and third 
countries. The enhancement of broadband and mobile communications for public 
protection  and  disaster  relief  services,  as  well  as  the  opportunity  to  enable  EU-
wide interoperability, should also be examined. 

EN 

8 

   EN 

 
–  Disaster  preparedness  in  third  countries.  The  majority  of  natural  disasters  do 
not trigger an  international disaster response. Where an international response is 
initiated,  it  will  often  take  12-72  hours  before  external  assistance  reaches  the 
disaster site. For these reasons it is important to have an active expert presence in 
the field and ensure that vulnerable communities and local authorities in disaster-
prone  countries  have  the  capacity  to  provide  an  immediate  response.  Disaster 
preparedness  is  of  key  importance  as  climate  change  will  continue  to  affect 
weather patterns and increase the number of natural disasters - particularly sudden 
on-set  disasters  affecting  vulnerable  populations.  The  Commission  will  propose 
an EU Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction in Developing Countries, which will, 
inter  alia,  provide  the  strategic  framework  for  scaling  up  support  for  disaster 
preparedness  capacities  in  third  countries  facing  high  levels  of  risk.  A  closer 
relationship  should  be  pursued  with  Candidate  Countries,  potential  Candidate 
Countries and the countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy.  

4. 

ACTION PLAN 

In line with the steps outlined above that it plans to take, the Commission proposes 
that  the  following  actions  be  considered  and/or  implemented  by  the  end  of  2008 
(unless otherwise indicated): 

4.1. 

Towards better inter-institutional cooperation 

It  is  proposed  that  the  Commission,  the  Council  and  Member  States,  within  their 
respective competences, should: 

–  define multifaceted scenarios for disaster relief operations inside and outside the 

EU for each main category of disaster and main geographical area; 

–  launch  a study on global logistical capacity for disaster response, ensuring close 
linkage with relevant work in the area of international humanitarian aid, and with 
the  identification  of  gaps  in  disaster  response  resources  in  the  area  of  European 
civil protection. Where needed, efforts will be made to address existing gaps, so 
as to come up with protocols for contingency planning at EU level, using the most 
appropriate  tools,  and  to  establish  standard  operating  procedures  for  the 
Commission  response  to  disasters  inside  and  outside  the  EU;  this  kind  of 
improved  planning  would  facilitate  rapid  engagement  while  allowing  for 
adjustments to be made during acute phases of an emergency; 

–  ensure close linkage between the mapping of logistical capacity, underway in the 
area of international humanitarian aid, with the process of identification of gaps in 
disaster  response  resources,  to  be  launched  in  the  area  of  European  civil 
protection. Where needed efforts will be made to address existing gaps; 

–  deploy,  where  appropriate,  joint  planning  and  operational  teams  to  deal  with 
particular  disasters  involving  both  Community  instruments  and  Council  action, 
and building, for the assessment phase, on the joint EU, UN and World Bank post 
disaster needs assessment methodology; 

EN 

9 

   EN 

 
–  develop  exchanges  of  factual  information  and  analytical  reporting  (to  be 
supported  by  the  corresponding  technical  infrastructure)  and  situation  awareness 
tools; 

–  continue 

to 

invest 

in  research  and  pilot  projects  on  Information  and 
Communication  Technologies  improving  emergency  and  disaster  warning  and 
response systems. 

4.2. 

European Humanitarian aid capacity should be reinforced 

To this end the Commission will: 

–  launch a mapping study on logistical capacity, including stockpiling, procurement 
and  transport  to  area  of  final  use  of  humanitarian  goods,  with  the  aim  of 
identifying potential response gaps. In a second stage, initiatives should be taken 
to fill potential gaps; 

–  provide  a  comprehensive  capacity  building  programme  to  continue  development 

of standby capacities of both the UN and Red Cross movement; 

–  implement immediately the Consensus' call for better operational coordination of 
EU humanitarian aid, for example through the timely distribution of DG ECHO's 
situation reports from field experts to focal points in EU Member states, both in 
capitals and in the field; 

–  together  with  development  actors,  develop  further  the  strategic  framework  for 
disaster  preparedness  initiatives  aiming  at  strengthening  local  capacities  in 
disaster prone countries. 

4.3. 

European civil protection should be geared up 

To this end the Commission will: 

–  develop  the  Monitoring  and  Information  Centre  into  an  Operations  Centre  for 

European civil protection intervention; 

–  identify gaps in disaster response resources and, where gaps are identified, present 
proposals for improving the European civil protection response capacity based on 
two components: 

– 

– 

a voluntary pool of key standby civil protection modules to be available 
for deployment at any time; and 

additional 
responses to major disasters such as forest fires and flooding. 

reserve  capacities  designed 

to  complement  national 

EN 

10 

   EN 

 
4.4. 

Strengthening capacity across Community policies and instruments  

To this end the Commission will: 

–  submit  proposals  for  a  European  Disaster  Response  Training  Network  by  mid-
2009,  building  on  the  experience  acquired  by  the  Community  Civil  Protection 
Mechanism and on synergies between existing training initiatives; 

–  finalise proposals for a European integrated approach to the prevention of natural 
disasters  and  for  an  EU  strategy  for  disaster  risk  reduction  in  developing 
countries; 

–  help the Member States to develop common early warning signals. In particular, 
the Commission urges the Member States to step up their efforts to create an early 
warning system for tsunamis; 

–  increase  the  provision  of  information  in  support  of  preparedness,  early  warning, 
response and recovery phases of disasters., including through its GMES initiative; 

–  consider reserving bandwidth for communicating in emergency situations. 

The  concrete  proposals  in  this  Communication  constitute  a  first  step  towards 
strengthening  the  Union's  disaster  response  capacity.  This  will  be  achieved  while 
taking due account of the need to explore opportunities for rationalisation as part of 
the ongoing screening of Commission resources. 

EN 

11 

   EN 

 
ANNEX  

FOREST FIRES 

The  2007  summer  season  witnessed  dramatic  forest  and  other  wild  fires  across  Southern 
Europe,  which  affected  Greece  in  particular.  Large  fires  fanned  by  strong  winds  devoured 
hundreds of thousands of hectares of land and claimed many lives of civilians and dedicated 
fire fighters. 

The  Community  Civil  Protection  Mechanism  was  activated  12  times  over  a  period  of  11 
weeks,  a  five-fold  increase  compared  to  previous  years,  by  Bulgaria,  Cyprus,  Greece,  Italy, 
Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. 

Whenever possible, the Member States provided assistance in the form of aerial fire fighting, 
fire-fighting  equipment,  protective  clothing  and  expertise.  However,  the  level  of  assistance 
provided was limited as fires were raging at the same time in several Member States and the 
risk of fires was high in other Member States. Therefore, only a limited part of the available 
fleet could be mobilised to assist the Member States most affected, which limited in particular 
the assistance that could be sent to Bulgaria. 

Forest fires and other wild fires are a recurrent phenomenon. The frequency and intensity of 
hot and dry summers and water scarcity3 in south-east and south-west Europe is expected to 
worsen due to climate change4 despite the EU's mitigation efforts, thus increasing the risk of 
forest and other wild fires. However, the occurrence of such fires varies from year to year in 
intensity  and  in  geographical  location.  The  average  yearly  area  burnt  is  between  450  and 
600 000 hectares and Member States are occasionally hit by disastrous fires burning areas of 
up to four times the yearly average. Experience has shown that such events do not affect all 
the Member States concerned the same year or at the same time during a summer season. In 
2003,  the  worst  fires  concerned  the  south-west  of  the  EU;  Portugal  was  most  affected  and 
nearly  5%  of  its  national  territory  burned.  In  2007,  it  was  south-eastern  Europe  that  was 
affected by one of the worst forest fire seasons on record with over 810 000 hectares burned, 
of which 68.2% was on forest land, 31% on agricultural land and 0.8% in urban and industrial 
areas5. 21.9% of the 465 000 hectares burned in the EU Mediterranean countries was located 
in Natura 2000 sites6. 

The regions affected are often among the most vulnerable areas to climate change in Europe 
due  to  the  combined  effect  of  high  temperature  increases  and  reduced  precipitation  in  areas 
already  facing  water  scarcity.  Under  a  changing  climate,  the  role  of  European  forests  as 
providers  of  environmental  and  ecosystem  services  will  further  gain  in  importance.  Forests 
play a major role in ensuring efficient water retention in dry regions, protecting water courses 
against  excessive  nutrient  inflow,  improving  flood  management,  and  maintaining  and 

3 
4 
5 

6 

COM(2007) 414. 
COM(2007) 354. 
12.3  million  tonnes  of  CO2  equivalent  were  emitted  this  summer  by  forest  fires  in  the  whole  of  the 
affected  area,  of  which  6.9  million  tonnes  in  the  EU  Member  States  concerned,  which  amounts  to 
around 0.4% of their yearly emissions (source: JRC). 
Minimum provisional estimates based on satellite images provided by EFFIS, the European Forest Fire 
Information System managed by the Joint Research Centre. This information covers Bulgaria, Cyprus, 
France,  Italy,  Portugal  and  Spain,  as  well  as  Croatia,  Bosnia-Herzegovina,  the  former  Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia and Serbia. 

EN 

12 

   EN 

 
                                                 
restoring  multifunctional  landscapes.  Protecting  forest  ecosystems  against  forest  fires  and 
promoting  climate-resilient  forest  management  measures  in  Europe  is  key  to  increasing  the 
capacity of these areas to adapt to climate change. 

The occurrence of forest and other wild fires is influenced by a series of factors, including: 

–  management practices of agricultural land and forests; 

–  climatic conditions: hot, windy and dry weather as well as lightning; 

–  lack  of  enforcement  of  rules  for  clearing  vegetation  around  settlements  and 

buildings; 

–  human action, by negligence or fault, including acts of arson; 

–  economic  drivers  and  inadequate  legal  framework,  which  may  influence  profits 
resulting  from  acts  of  arson  and/or  reduce  the  incentive  to  protect  forests 
effectively. 

As requested by the Council and Parliament, the issue of forest and other wild fires therefore 
requires comprehensive scientific knowledge and policies covering prevention, preparedness, 
response and recovery. 

–  Prevention:  It  is  one  of  the  prime  responsibilities  of  the  Member  States  to 
implement  forest  fire  prevention  policies  and  the  Commission  encourages  the 
Member  States  to  screen  national  legislation  to  identify  any  perverse  effects  on 
the  occurrence  of  acts  of  arson.  In  this  context,  the  Commission  would  look 
favourably  on  the  widening  of  its  proposal  on  environmental  crime  to  cover 
significant  destruction  of  forests7.  The  Community  disposes  of  a  number  of 
financial  instruments  to  support  the  efforts  of  the  Member  States  to  reinforce 
national  prevention  policies.  These 
to  national 
programming.  To  make  it  easier  to  include  the  prevention  of  forest  fires  in 
national  programmes,  the  Commission  will  provide  the  Member  States  with  a 
breakdown of the relevant instruments. Furthermore, the Commission is assessing 
the need for a European integrated approach to the prevention of natural disasters. 
Two  ongoing  studies  are  focusing  (1)  on  the  Community  situation,  the 
identification  of  potential  gaps,  and  the  need  for  Community  action,  and  (2)  on 
identifying  good  practice  of  the  Member  States.  This  will  provide  the  basis  for 
proposals to be developed by the end of 2008. In addition, the ongoing study on 
the factors leading to forest deterioration, including forest fires, will feed into the 
development of Community guidelines for the prevention of forest fires based on 
Member State best practice. 

instruments  are  subject 

–  Preparedness:  The  Community  supports  activities  aimed  at  enhancing  Member 
States' civil protection preparedness, notably through financial support (exchange 
of  experts,  exercises  and  preparedness  projects),  providing  courses  intended  for 
national  experts,  development  by  the  Joint  Research  Centre  of  the  European 
Forest  Fire  Information  System  (EFFIS),  and  financing  projects.  For  example, 
FIRE 4 is a pilot project on the response to forest fires and earthquakes whose aim 

7 

COM(2007) 51. 

EN 

13 

   EN 

 
                                                 
is to develop  cooperation between four Member States (France, Italy, Spain  and 
Portugal).  Six  other  Member  States  (Cyprus,  Greece,  Hungary,  Malta,  Slovakia 
and the Czech Republic) are closely associated in the activities undertaken in this 
project  (workshops,  training  and  field  exercises)  and  Greece  has  recently 
announced  that  it  will  become  a  full  member  of  the  project.  The  Commission 
proposes  the  creation  of  a  Disaster  Response  Training  Network  linking  existing 
centres  of  excellence  of  the  Member  States  to  further  enhance  both  the 
preparedness  of  civil  protection  services  and  the  capacity  of  teams  and  modules 
from different Member States to work together. 

–  Response:  This  summer  fires  raged  at  the  same  time  in  several  Member  States 
while  the  risk  of  fires  was  high  in  other  Member  States.  In  this  situation  only 
limited aerial fire fighting assistance was provided by the Member States and the 
assistance provided to the countries affected was uneven. This indicated that there 
may  not  be  sufficient  capacity  to  aid  Member  States  hit  by  major  catastrophes 
where other Member States are unable to assist because they are facing fires or a 
high risk of fires in their own countries. If this apparent gap is confirmed by a full 
assessment,  the  Commission  may  consider  proposing  the  financing  of  EU-level 
equipment  to  supplement  national  resources.  The  EU  already  has  capacities 
available  in  the  area  of  response  to  maritime  pollution8.  European  reserve 
capacities  should  be  ready  to  fight  major  fires  that  rarely  occur  in  just  one 
Member State and are not a rarity in the region as a whole. Potentially, future EU 
reserve  capacities  could  include,  although  not  necessarily  exclusively,  high-
capacity fire-fighting aircraft adapted to a variety of geographical conditions. 

–  Recovery:  The  Commission  will  continue,  upon  request,  to  use  the  Solidarity 
Fund as effectively as possible to assist regions in distress, and urges the Council 
to resume negotiations on the revision of the Solidarity Fund Regulation in order 
to  make  its  use  more  effective.  The  Member  States  are  encouraged  to  use  the 
available Community instruments to support their recovery from disastrous fires, 
including  the  European  Union  Solidarity  Fund  and  the  Rural  Development 
Regulation. To assist the Member States in the national programming of the use of 
these  instruments,  the  Commission  will  provide  a  breakdown  of  the  various 
Community  instruments  that  may  provide  such  support.  The  Commission 
considers  that  Community  support  for  the  restoration  of  forests  should  include 
preventive measures put in place by the requesting Member State and measures as 
part  of  recovery  programmes  to  increase  the  capacity  of  new  forests  to  adapt  to 
climate  change.  In  this  context,  the  Commission  will  look  further  into  how  the 
existing  financial  instruments  might  be  improved,  for  example  through  the 
inclusion  a  conditionality  clause  linked  to  effective  preventive  measures,  and  at 
whether the Community should assume a greater role in financing the restoration 
of forests.  

8 

The European Maritime Safety Agency may, on request, support the pollution response mechanisms of 
the Member States with additional European resources that are on standby. 

EN 

14 

   EN