Interim evaluation of the application of Decision No 1313/2013/EU on a Union Civil Protection Mechanism
Date: 2022-05-05
Institutions: Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), European Commission
Subjects: crisis management



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CALL FOR EVIDENCE 


FOR AN EVALUATION  






This document aims to inform the public and stakeholders about the Commission's work, so they can provide feedback and participate effectively in consultation activities. 


We ask these groups to provide views on the Commission's understanding of the problem and possible solutions and to share any relevant information that they may have.






Title of the evaluation




Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) - evaluation






Lead DG – responsible unit 




ECHO – B.1, Civil Protection Horizontal Issues






Indicative timetable 


(planned start date and completion date)




Q3-2022 - Q3-2023







Additional information




Civil protection (europa.eu)






This document is for information purposes only. It does not prejudge the final decision of the Commission on whether this initiative will be pursued or on its final content. All elements of the initiative described by the document, including its timing, are subject to change.






A. Political context, purpose and scope of the evaluation






Political context






Large-scale and multi-sectoral crises have overwhelmed the civil protection capabilities of individual EU countries, as well as their ability to help each other bilaterally, particularly when several countries are confronted with the same type of emergency simultaneously. 


In these circumstances, action at EU level can ensure a faster and more comprehensive response.


The EU Civil Protection Mechanism aims to strengthen cooperation and coordination among the 27 EU countries and 6 non-EU participating countries in the field of civil protection, to improve the effectiveness of their systems for preventing, preparing for and responding to natural and man-made disasters. 


Decision No. 1313/2013/EU
1
, on which the mechanism is based, requires the European Commission to evaluate the implementation of the mechanism by 31 December 2023. 






Purpose and scope






The results of the evaluation will help the Commission to:


·identify any gaps or shortcomings in the current legislative framework


·improve the implementation of existing rules


·provide input for a possible proposal to amend Decision 1313/2013/EU or acts that implement it


·possibly provide input for a review of the financial breakdown of the civil protection mechanism, as set out by Art.19(5) of the Decision.


Following an initial interim evaluation of the mechanism in 2017, the evaluation will cover:


·all action carried out under the mechanism in the 27 EU countries States and 6 six non-EU participating countries  (North Macedonia, Iceland, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia and Turkey) between January 2017 and December 2022 


·action in the 3 fields of prevention, preparedness and response to natural and man-made disasters. 


As mandated by the Decision, the evaluation will, in particular, assess:


·Article 6(4) of the Decision


·the capacities of rescEU (the reserve of equipment for responding to emergencies across the EU as a last resort) 


·the degree of coordination with other EU policies, programmes and funds (including for medical emergencies), and the benefits derived from this.


It will cover the criteria of effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value, as required by the European Commission's Better Regulations Guidelines. 


The efficiency analysis will consider costs and benefits, and will include an assessment of any unnecessary administrative burden or complexity imposed by the mechanism.






B. Better regulation






Consultation strategy






The objective of the consultation activities will mainly be to gather evidence and opinions from people and organisations on how the Decision has been implemented. 


These activities will consist of interviews, surveys, focus groups and workshops.


An internet-based public consultation will be open for 12 weeks during the course of the evaluation (indicative period: January – March 2023). The questionnaire will be available on the European Commission's central public consultations page ‘Have your Say’. It will be published in English, French and German; replies can be made in any of the 24 official EU languages.


A dedicated webpage will contain information about the consultation activities. A factual summary report of the public consultation and a summary of all the consultation results will be published once the consultation activities have been completed.






Why we are consulting? 






Disasters have affected every region of Europe in recent years, causing hundreds of casualties and billions in damage to infrastructure and the environment. 


The EU plays a key role in coordinating the response to disasters in Europe and beyond. 


As disasters potentially affect every person in the EU, we would like to gather views about the EU's role in civil protection, from both the public at large and the organisations and people involved in the work of the mechanism in a more specialised capacity. 






Target audience






The main stakeholder groups identified for this assessment are:


·National civil protection agencies in EU and UCPM Participating States 


·National contact points for civil protection and maritime authorities 


·Staff such as trainers for the mechanism (including from private contractors), EU Civil Protection Team (EUCPT) team leaders, other participants in the work of the mechanism and experts on civil protection 


·EU agencies, in particular the European Maritime Safety Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control 


·Relevant Commission departments (DG HERA, DG JRC, DG ENER, DG ENV, DG HOME, DG MOVE, DG DEFIS, DG MARE, DG CLIMA, DG RTD, DG REGIO, DG ECFIN, DG SANTE)


·Relevant departments in the European External Action Service; Heads of EU Delegations, DG INTPA and DG NEAR staff from EU Delegations in countries where the civil protection mechanism has been active


·DG ECHO Field Network (Heads of Office, Emergency Response Coordinators, Administration)


·Relevant national authorities of countries outside the EU that activated the civil protection mechanism


·Relevant civil society bodies.






Data collection and methodology






In addition to the data and views that will be gathered in the course of the evaluation, the assessment will also use existing data, namely:


·facts sheets, reports, lessons learned and statistics on activations and activities by the mechanism (published by the European Commission)



·an initial interim evaluation of civil protection mechanism, finalised in 2017 



·the 3rd edition of the Staff Working Document on the ‘Overview of risks that the Union may face’ in 2020.


There are also evaluations on Civil protection prevention and preparedness projects, transport and logistics. 


Several studies have also been carried out:


·study on the training programme for the civil protection mechanism


·study of definitions, gaps and costs of response capacities for the civil protection mechanism


·prospective study on a network of European hubs for civil protection and crisis management. 


The Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre also makes available knowledge and science for the mechanism.











(1)
 Amended by Decision (EU) 
2019/420

and Regulation (EU) 
2021/836