COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS European Union Disaster Resilience Goals: Acting together to deal with future emergencies
Date: 2023-02-08
Institutions: Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), European Commission
Subjects: EU alert system, aid to disaster victims, civil defence, disaster area, disaster resilience, emergency aid, environmental risk prevention, man-made disaster, natural disaster

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 8.2.2023  COM(2023) 61 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS European Union Disaster Resilience Goals: Acting together to deal with future emergencies  
 
 
I. 

The  European  Union  in  a  changing  risk  landscape:  preparing  for  the 
unknown  

The EU is confronted by multiple, simultaneous challenges and threats, some of which would 
have been considered unthinkable until very recently. It needs to anticipate these challenges 
and be better prepared. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has rocked the continent 
and  shows  our  responsibility  to  strengthen  civilian  emergency  preparedness  for  multiple 
threats,  both  man-made  and  natural,  in  the  increasingly  unsettled  global  security  context. 
Nuclear  risk,  disruption  of  energy,  transport  and  food  supplies,  interruption  of  medical 
treatment, destruction of health infrastructure and mass population movements within Europe 
highlight the importance of maintaining the essential services that underpin our society.  

While a war is raging on our Eastern border, the EU continues to deal with the consequences 
of  the  COVID-19  pandemic.  Pandemics  featured  among  the  top  identified  risks  in  the 
national risk assessments of several European countries prior to the emergence of COVID-19. 
Yet,  risk  identification  had  not  translated  into  specific  emergency  planning  and  disaster 
prevention efforts that could have better protected our citizens. Based on this lesson learned, 
the Union strengthened its health security framework, notably through the EU Health Union. 

While we are dealing with these crises, the heavy impact of climate change is increasingly 
apparent  in  our  daily  lives  and  further  exacerbates  Europe’s  vulnerability  to  crises1. 
Temperatures in Europe have increased by more than twice the global average over the past 
30  years  –  the  highest  of  any  continent  in  the  world2.  This  warming  trend  has  serious 
consequences.  In  2022,  drought  affected  nearly  two  thirds  of  the  EU  territory3,  which 
reduced  river  flows,  water  reservoirs  and  ground  water,  impacting  health,  energy,  water 
supplies,  transport  and  agricultural  production.  Heatwaves  pose  a  serious  risk  to  life  and 
human health. Repeated prolonged periods of drought are increasing the geographical scope, 
frequency  and  intensity  of  wildfires  across  the  entire  EU.  The  2022  fire  season  was  the 
second worst in the EU and recorded a 250% increase over the average burnt area in the past 
15  years4.  The  devastating  floods  that  hit  several  European  countries  in  July  2021  are  an 
equally  stark  reminder  that  extreme  weather  events  claim  lives,  damage  homes  and  cause 
significant economic losses. Environmental degradation caused by pollution, deforestation, 
and other human activities increases ecosystems’ vulnerability and amplifies the impacts of 
climate change. Over half of the EU Member States consider earthquakes to be a main risk. 
Extreme  weather  aggravates  the  seismic  vulnerability  of  Europe’s  ageing  infrastructure, 
including  transport  infrastructure,  hospitals,  fire  stations,  and  energy  production  and 
distribution facilities.  

In  the  aftermath  of  a  disaster,  civil  protection5  is  the  lifeline  for  affected  populations. 
Through  the  Union  Civil  Protection  Mechanism  (‘Union  Mechanism’)6  the  EU  has  been 
stepping up its emergency readiness at all levels. When a crisis overwhelms the capacity of a 

1 The State of the Climate in Europe report, World Meteorological Organization 2022. 
2 European Environmental Agency, Global and European temperatures, 2022, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/ims/global-and-european-temperatures 
3 JRC, Drought in Europe August 2022, https://edo.jrc.ec.europa.eu/documents/news/GDO-
EDODroughtNews202208_Europe.pdf  
4 Since satellite-based EU-level recording of fires started in 2006. 
5 Civil protection consists of emergency assistance provided under the auspices of government authorities in 
preparation for, or immediate aftermath of, a disaster in Europe and worldwide. 
6 The 27 Member States and 8 third countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Montenegro, North 
Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Türkiye) are part of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. In 2022, Ukraine 
and Moldova formally requested to become Participating States of the Union Mechanism. 

1 

 
                                                           
single  country,  the  Union  Mechanism  provides  the  operational  backbone  for  Europe’s 
collective response both within the Union (including the EU outermost regions), and outside 
the  Union.  Between  2020  and  2022,  the  Union  Mechanism  was  activated  over  3207  times, 
including  more  than  100  times  by  the  Member  States.  This  is  five  times  more  than  the 
average of the previous 10 years.  

In  the  context  of  Russia’s  war  of  aggression  against  Ukraine,  the  Union  Mechanism  has 
provided  life-saving  assistance  with  the  largest  and  most  complex  EU  civil  protection 
operation since its establishment. It has delivered over 80,000 tonnes of in-kind assistance to 
Ukraine and its neighbouring countries, worth some EUR 500 million.  

Delivery of rescEU power generators to Ukraine  
© Departamentul pentru Situaţii de Urgenţă, 2022 

At  the  early  stage  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic,  the  Union  Mechanism  established  the  first 
strategic  rescEU8  stockpile  of  medical  countermeasures  which  contributed  to  saving 
thousands of lives across  Europe.  It facilitated the  repatriation of over 100,000 EU citizens 
stranded abroad during the pandemic and the distribution of 40 million vaccine doses to 49 
countries worldwide in line with the EU Vaccine strategy. 

The  Union  Mechanism  channelled  collective  European  solidarity  that  enabled  a  strong 
response  to  massive  wildfires  during  the  summer  of  2022:  airplanes  and  helicopters  were 
mobilised  for  38  EU  firefighting  operations,  in  addition  to  nearly  400  firefighters  and  100 
vehicles deployed under the EU flag to save lives and prevent European forests from burning.  

7 While the activation from Ukraine in 2022 related to the war was counted only once, this includes more than 
120 updated requests for assistance. 
8 European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, rescEU Factsheet, https://civil-protection-
humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/resceu_en 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
 
 
For over two decades the Union Mechanism has also supported and complemented Member 
States’  efforts  for  disaster  prevention  and  preparedness.  In  the  face  of  the  evolving  risk 
landscape, such efforts have to be reinforced. Effective prevention and preparedness need to 
be based on forward-looking scenarios that reach beyond the civil protection system, across 
different  socio-economic  sectors  and  include  our  cultural  heritage.  The  complexity  and 
interdependency of risks the EU faces shows the importance of identifying vulnerabilities in 
critical  sectors,  anticipating  hazards  and  threats  and  reinforcing  collective  action  to  better 
prevent and prepare for disasters.  

II. 

Five disaster resilience goals to strengthen the EU overall resilience 

The convergence of multiple, simultaneous risks that ripple across national borders calls for a 
change  of  mindset  at  all  levels.  National  disaster  risk  identification  and  planning  quickly 
reaches  its  limits  when  threats,  vulnerabilities  and  interdependencies  are  cross-border  and 
Europe-wide.  While  acknowledging  sector-specific  measures,  prevention  and  preparedness 
need to adapt accordingly and become multisector, multi-layered and pan-European.  

Therefore,  as  required  by  the  legal  framework  establishing  the  Union  Mechanism9,  the  EU 
and  the  Member  States  have  collectively  identified  five  disaster  resilience  goals  which 
address the areas where the need to strengthen Europe’s resilience to disasters and crises is 
the  greatest.  Such  goals  are  a  common  baseline  to  support  prevention  and  preparedness 
actions for disasters capable of causing multi-country transboundary effects. They are set out 
in a Commission recommendation10 accompanying this Communication. Each with specific 
objectives,  the  goals  set  a  common  agenda  to  strengthen  the  EU’s  collective  capacity  to 
withstand  the  impacts  of  future  disasters,  and  to  protect  citizens,  livelihoods  and  the 
environment.  

The five goals are as follows:   

1.  Anticipate  -  Improving  risk  assessment,  anticipation  and  disaster  risk  management 

planning; 

2.  Prepare - Increasing risk awareness and preparedness of the population; 
3.  Alert - Enhancing early warning; 
4.  Respond - Enhancing the Union Civil Protection Mechanism response capacity; 
5.  Secure - Ensuring a robust civil protection system. 

9 Article 6(5) of Decision No 1313/2013/EU.  
10 Commission Recommendation on European Union disaster resilience goals, C(2023) 400. 

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Figure 1: The goals strengthen the disaster prevention-preparedness-response cycle 

Anticipate 

Improving risk 
assessment, anticipation 
and disaster risk 
management planning 

Secure 

Ensuring a robust  
civil protection  
system 

Prepare 

Increasing risk 
awareness and 
preparedness of the 
population 

Respond 

Enhancing the Union 
Civil Protection 
Mechanism response 
capacity

Alert 

Enhancing early  
warning 

The disaster resilience goals strengthen the EU’s efforts to make resilience a new compass for 
EU  policymaking.11  The  Commission’s  Strategic  Foresight  Agenda  and  the  disaster 
resilience  goals  share  a  common  objective,  namely  placing  resilience  at  the  heart  of  EU 
policymaking.  Both  look  at  the  future  to  inform  present  decisions,  drawing  upon  research, 
scenarios,  trends  analysis  and  other  tools  to  increase  Europe’s  resilience.  The  disaster 

11 The Commission has developed the resilience dashboards to provide a holistic assessment of resilience in the 
EU and its Member States. The indicators in the dashboards span across four dimensions: social and economic, 
green, digital, and geopolitical. https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/strategic-planning/strategic-foresight/2020-
strategic-foresight-report/resilience-dashboards_en  

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resilience  goals  will  therefore  support  the  implementation  of  the  Commission’s  Strategic 
Foresight  Agenda  by  translating  an  anticipatory  approach  to  emergency  management  into 
concrete  actions.  While  the  primary  responsibility  lies  with  Member  States,  all  layers  of 
decision-making and society need to be involved to support resilience action. 

Societal resilience depends on the cooperation of a number of actors with civil protection. In 
some cases, such as terrorism, war and other intentional threats, the mandate for prevention 
and  preparedness  measures  lies  with  the  wider  emergency  management  system  of  each 
Member State. This includes the security forces and the military. While remaining specific to 
the area of civil protection, the disaster resilience goals complement and strengthen the EU’s 
toolbox for resilience in several domains. 

transport12  and 
Essential  services  such  as  energy,  water  and  health  provision, 
telecommunications are key to ensuring the well-being of people, as well as to the emergency 
response  itself.  These  services  need  to  remain  operational  during  and  after  a  disaster. 
Therefore, civil protection authorities should be closely engaged with efforts to strengthen the 
resilience  for  entities  that  operate  critical  infrastructure  to  deliver  essential  services.13 
Preparedness  efforts must also  take into account  the increasing  incidence of  cyber-attacks, 
including emergency scenarios where cyber-attacks disrupt essential services.  

Preparedness for future pandemics and other health threats requiring attention at Union level 
has increased with the adoption of the EU Health Union and the establishment of the Health 
Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA). The disaster resilience goals will 
contribute to strengthening the identification of serious cross-border threats to health. This 
includes  measures  to  enhance  surveillance  and  early  warning,  as  well  as  stockpiling  of 
medical countermeasures.14  

In the event of trade restrictions or any other crisis impacting the free movement of goods, 
services and persons, as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic, the proposed Single 
Market Emergency Instrument (SMEI),15 includes a specific focus on disaster resilience. The 
new  instrument  would  ensure  the  free  flow  and  availability  of  crisis-relevant  goods  and 
services  during  an  emergency  impacting  the  Single  Market,  hence  also  supporting  civil 
protection workers. 

Investing  in  resilience  unlocks  social,  economic  and  environmental  benefits  that  outweigh 
the cost regardless of whether and when a disaster materialises. When investments integrate 
"smart" prevention features, the return on investment is highest. Such features include for 

12 To strengthen the resilience of EU transport in times of crisis, the Commission adopted a Communication on 
Contingency Plan for Transport (COM/2022/211 final). See also the Action Plan on Military Mobility 2.0: 
https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/action-plan-military-mobility-20_en 
13 In line with Directive (EU) 2022/2557 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 
on  the  resilience  of  critical  entities  and  repealing  Council  Directive  2008/114/EC  (OJ  L  333,  27.12.2022,  p. 
164),  Directive  (EU)  2022/2555  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  14  December  2022  on 
measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union, amending Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 
and  Directive  (EU)  2018/1972,  repealing  Directive  2016/1148  (OJ  L  333,  27.12.2022,  p.  80),  and  Council 
Recommendation on a coordinated approach by the Union to strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructure 
(OJ C 20, 20.1.2023, p. 1–11). 
14 For an overview of the EU’s preparedness for health emergencies, please see 
https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/state-health-preparedness-report_en   
15 COM (2022) 459 final, COM (2022) 461 final, COM (2022) 462 final.  

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
instance  multi-hazard  early  warning  systems  or  nature-based  solutions  (green  roofs,  ponds, 
wetlands) to  prevent  heat  islands, forest  fires,  and floods. For example,  in Europe,  extreme 
heat early warning systems save lives and are proven to bring more than 130 EUR in benefits 
for  every  1  EUR  spent16.  Stronger  synergies  among  the  climate,  environmental  and  civil 
protection communities can foster better prevention and yield benefits for both the population 
and the planet. The disaster resilience goals will facilitate such synergies and will contribute 
to  the  objectives  of  the  European  Green  Deal,  particularly  on  climate  adaptation  and 
biodiversity protection and restoration. 

To  promote  investments  that  support  resilience,  the  Member  States  should  seize  the  wide 
support available from EU financing such as: the Resilience and Recovery Facility, Cohesion 
Policy Funds, Agriculture and Rural Development Fund, the LIFE programme, the Technical 
Support Instrument (TSI), and the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change. Technical 
assistance  support  from  the  Union  Mechanism  is  available  to  design  “smart”  prevention 
investments  that  will  help  protect  citizens  from  disasters,  adapt  to  climate  change,  avoid 
environmental degradation and advance the green transition. Private citizens and business in 
the  EU  are  exposed  to  losses  from  climate-related  disasters.  The  Climate  Resilience 
Dialogue17 identifies ways, for example through insurance, to cover climate-related risks. In 
addition,  the  EU’s  classification  system  for  sustainable  investments  (EU  Taxonomy)  helps 
channel  private  investment  into  economic  activities  that  contribute  to  climate  change 
adaptation  and  will  include  criteria  for  disaster  risk  management  by  emergency  services. 

Disaster  resilience  also  depends  on  effective  crisis  management.  The  EU  has  been 
instrumental  in  ensuring  that  cross-sector  and  transboundary  impacts  from  COVID-19, 
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and other large-scale crises and emergencies are 
addressed.  The  Emergency  Response  Coordination  Centre  (ERCC)  has  developed  into  the 
EU’s  operational  crisis  management  hub.  It  now  operates  with  enhanced  anticipatory  and 
analytical  capacity,  coordinating  amongst  sectors,  and  linking  demand  with  response  from 
Member States, third countries and private sector actors. Moreover, it works in coordination 
with the Integrated Political Crisis Response (IPCR) in the Council and, when facing security 
and consular crises outside the EU, also with the European External Action Service (EEAS) 
Crisis Response Centre. To deal with possible future crises, the ERCC will further strengthen 
its role as a central hub in a network linking all crisis management actors, respecting existing 
competencies  and  in  line  with  the  recommendations  of  the  “Scientific  Opinion  on  Crisis 
Management18”. 

Disasters  may  require  the  adoption  of  extraordinary  emergency  measures.  While  being  a 
legitimate instrument, they need to be justified, limited in time, and proportionate. They need 
to have a solid legal foundation and allow for checks and balances to uphold the rule of law. 

16 The World Bank, Economics for Disaster Prevention and Preparedness. Investments in Disaster Risk 
Management in Europe Makes Economic Sense, 2021, 
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2021/06/04/economics-for-disaster-prevention-and-preparedness-
in-europe   
17 https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/adaptation-climate-change/climate-resilience-dialogue_en 
18 Scientific Advice Mechanism, Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, Strategic crisis management in the EU : 
improving EU crisis prevention, preparedness, response and resilience, Publications Office of the European 
Union, 2022, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/517560 

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Emergency Response Coordination Centre in Brussels 

© European Union, 2018 

III.  The Union disaster resilience goals  

Goal 1: Anticipate - Improving risk assessment, anticipation and disaster 
risk management planning 

Good  decisions  need  reliable  and  timely  information.  Current  prevention  and  preparedness 
measures under the Union Mechanism need to be based on Union-wide assumptions used to 
prioritise  capacity  and  investments,  at  both  national  and  European  level.  In  particular,  this 
concerns  disasters  and  crises  of  a  cross-sectoral  and  transboundary  nature,  which  are 
becoming increasingly common. Both the Union and the Member States need to keep abreast 
of  new  and  emerging  threats  and  improve  the  understanding  of  their  potential  impacts.  A 
regional approach can complement national and European level anticipation of the risks and 
their possible transboundary impacts. To turn the assessment of future risks into information 
that  can  trigger  early  action,  the  Commission  intends  to  further  improve  the  Union-wide 
scenario-building  capability,  the  assessment  of  risk,  the  anticipatory  capability,  risk 
management planning, with a view to developing preventative actions.  

Flagship: Europe-wide disaster scenarios  
By  the  end  of  2023,  the  Commission  intends  to  finalise  the  development  of  key 
transboundary,  cross-sectoral  scenarios  covering  16  main  hazards  and  possible  cascading 
effects to which Europe is exposed, as set out in Figure 2. Such initiative aims at improving 
Europe’s  collective  capability to  anticipate future crises,  prioritise  prevention  measures and 
adapt risk management planning accordingly. 

As the impact  of  large-scale disasters  goes  beyond national  borders, Member States should 
contribute  fully  to  ensure  that  national  scenario  planning  feeds  into  Europe-wide  disaster 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
scenarios  and  informs  subsequent  disaster  preparedness.  Beyond  2023,  scenarios  will  be 
updated and expanded as needed, following a continuous dialogue with the Member States. 

Figure 2: the 16 hazards upon which the disaster scenarios will be developed 

Earthquake

Flood

Heatwave / 
cold wave

Major storm

Health threats 
including 
pandemics

Tsunami

Volcanic 
eruption

Wildfire

Blackout and 
energy 
disruption

Effects of an 
armed conflict

Effects of a 
cybersecurity 
incident

Effects of a 
terrorist attack

Industrial 
emergencies

Marine pollution

Nuclear 
emergencies

Population 
displacement in 
emergencies

Goal 2: Prepare - Increasing risk awareness and preparedness of the 
population 

When a disaster strikes, people in the affected area need to know how to react to protect their 
own lives and assets as well as those of other community members. As disaster response is 
always  local  at  first,  adequate  knowledge  of  how  to  prevent,  prepare  for  and  respond  to 
disasters must reach all segments of the population. 

Today,  although  the  risks  and  impacts  of  disasters  can  be  high,  about  60%  of  the  EU 
population  is  aware  of  the  risks  in  their  region,  with  large  variations  observed  between 
Member  States19.  All  members  of  a  community, 
including  people  with  specific 
vulnerabilities,  should  be  actively  engaged  in  preparedness  and  prevention  efforts,  helping 
authorities map risks and complement scientific knowledge with their everyday experience of 
the  territories  where  they  live.  Ensuring  that  no  one  is  left  behind  when  promoting  risk 
awareness  and  disaster  prevention  measures  is  key  to  making  all  citizens  active  actors  in  a 
resilient society. 

To make EU citizens risk-aware and prepared, the Commission will support Member States 
to  increase  the  overall  level  of  risk  awareness,  improve  public  access  to  disaster  risk 

19 European Union, Special Eurobarometer 511b: EU Civil Protection, 2021, 
https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2264 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
information  in  an  accessible  format20,  increase  adoption  of  risk  prevention  and 
preparedness  measures  and  enhance  the  culture  of  risk  prevention  amongst  the  EU 
population.  

Flagship: “preparEU”, a pan-European awareness programme for disaster resilience 

Knowing what the main risks are and the actions to take during disasters that may occur in 
areas where people live or travel to, can help save  lives. Member States, with support from 
the  Commission,  should  embark  on  a  public  communication  effort  to  bring  disaster 
prevention and preparedness awareness to the everyday life of EU citizens, promoting civic 
engagement  and  volunteer-based  initiatives  for  disaster  prevention  and  preparedness,  as 
encouraged by the European Parliament.21 

The tools to be developed could include: 
- disaster risk “icons” and visuals for schools, public places (including transport hubs) and 
tourist  hotspots  that  communicate  safe  and  resilient  behaviours  and  which  can  be  easily 
understood across all Member States, languages, cultures and by people with disabilities. 
- a “European Risk Atlas”  to make EU citizens aware of what their main risks are on the 
basis of sound scientific evidence22, dispelling fake news and disinformation. 
-  a  “month  of  disaster  preparedness”,  during  which  activities  at  Union  level  are  linked  
with  similar  initiatives  of  the  Member  States  to  sensitise  people  about  resilience  at  the 
household  level  and  in  everyday  decisions,  promoting  risk-aware  behaviour  and  disaster 
preparedness checklists and drills. 

The  Commission  and Member  States  should  harness  the  potential  of  Artificial  Intelligence, 
new  technologies,  user  friendly  applications  and  augmented  reality  to  support  awareness, 
preparedness and training. 

Goal 3: Alert - Enhancing early warning 

Recent disasters have shown that warning local populations in due time remains a challenge. 
Establishing  an  effective institutional  setup  that ensures the timely  transmission of warning 
messages across the national, regional and local levels is critical. The Commission intends to 
support Member States to identify and address the weak links of their national early warning 
systems.  Moving  rapidly  towards  so-called  “impact-based  forecasting”,  a  type  of  weather 

20 Member States  should provide accessible disaster risk information in line with the Union’s and Member 
States’ obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Council Decision of 26 
November 2009 concerning the conclusion, by the European Community, of the United Nations Convention on 
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (OJ L 23, 27.1.2010, p. 35). 
21  European  Parliament  Resolution  of  15  September  2022  on  the  consequences  of  drought,  fire,  and  other 
extreme weather phenomena: increasing the EU’s efforts to fight climate change (2022/2829 [RSP]). 
22 Including from, among others, the upcoming “Drought Risk Atlas” to be released in 2023 by the European 
Drought Observatory for Resilience and Adaptation (EDORA).  

9 

 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
                                                           
forecasting  messages  that  already  point  to  the  potential  impact  of  a  severe  weather  event, 
would also help those at risk to take action more quickly.  

When crafting warning messages, Member States should take the specific needs of people in 
vulnerable  situations,  those  with  disabilities  and  children  into  account.  Warning  messages 
should be accessible, clear and actionable and, to the extent possible, should be provided in 
several languages to make sure they reach all segments of the population including tourists, 
seasonal residents and migrants. Finally, complex transboundary disasters highlight the need 
for a wide-spectrum early warning system at Union level. The Commission intends to explore 
with  Member  States  how  national  early  warnings  could  be  made  more  accessible  to  all 
citizens  of  the  Union,  including  travellers,  tourists  and  communities  in  cross-border  areas, 
across the territory of the Union.  

To  enhance  early  warning  systems  in  the  EU,  the  Commission  intends  to  improve 
forecasting, detection and monitoring capability and enhance public warning systems. 

Flagship: Linking global early warning to local action in Europe 

The  ERCC  has  developed  a  range  of  automated  European  and  global  early  warning  and 
detection  systems  through  which  it  monitors  events  in  and  outside  the  Union  territory.  To 
translate  warnings  and  alerts  from  those  systems  into  user-targeted  information  for 
emergency response, the Union Mechanism  supports  European scientific  partnerships23  that 
provide a 24/7 service for rapid impact assessments for detected or forecast events.  

To better support Member States in rapidly interpreting warnings of local events, the ERCC 
will expand such early warning and analytical capacity into a specific programme for national 
authorities  offering  a  pro-active  and  on-demand  early  assessment  service.  The  ERCC  will 
also  develop  a  multi-hazard  “dashboard”  that  provides  European  situational  awareness  to 
emergency  managers.  Interoperability  with  other  sectoral  systems  and  civil/military 
authorities will be promoted to enhance the situational awareness and consequently products 
of the ERCC24. 

For Europe-wide early warning to be truly effective, Member States are encouraged to review 
the early warning chain, making sure key information gets to disaster-prone areas at the right 
time  to  save  lives  and  assets.  Whilst  Member  States  are  responsible  for  national  early 
warning,  targeted  technical  support  can  be  made  available  under  the  Union  Mechanism  to 
help  identify  gaps  in  their  early  warning  systems  and  build  capacity  to  strengthen  the 
dissemination of warnings to the local level.  

23 Including the European Natural Hazard Scientific Partnership. See: https://civil-protection-humanitarian-
aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/early-warning-and-information-systems_en  
24 An example of that is, in the maritime domain, the Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE) which 
is currently under development. 

10 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Goal 4: Respond - Enhancing the Union Civil Protection Mechanism 
response capacity 

In a crisis situation, the emergency services of Member States must be ready to respond to the 
needs of the population. When the capacity of a country is overwhelmed, EU response assets 
and teams can intervene to fill critical gaps and avoid a further deterioration of the situation. 
Emergency  situations  are  becoming  more  frequent,  more  complex  and  of  increasing  scale. 
That in turn means that the Commission will have to mobilise more frequently EU capacities 
from the rescEU strategic reserve. Therefore, this disaster resilience goal sets concrete targets 
to  strengthen  the  EU’s  ability  to  respond  to  a  request  for  assistance  under  the  Union 
Mechanism  and  help  Member  States  respond  to  future  emergencies.  The  EU  response 
capacity needs will be regularly reviewed through “capacity gap” reports. 

The type and number of response capacities will build on evidence and scenarios, drawn from 
Goal 1 – Anticipate, that will allow the EU to define collective minimum response capacity 
needs.  Goal  4  –  Respond  -  defines  a  first  set  of  concrete,  qualitative  and  quantitative 
performance targets  for  capacities  – including transport and logistics capacities  –  under the 
Union  Mechanism  to  respond  to  disasters  and  crises  involving  floods,  search  and  rescue 
operations, wildfires, emergency health needs, as well as radiological and nuclear events. In 
turn,  Member  States  are  encouraged  to  provide  up-to-date  information  related  to  their 
National  Emergency  Plans  that  should  integrate  specific  provisions  to  respond  to  identified 
EU-wide risks. This disaster resilience goal sets concrete targets to ensure Europe’s ability to 
respond to a request for assistance under the Union Mechanism in the following emergencies: 
wildfire,  flood,  search  and  rescue,  Chemical,  Biological,  Radiological  and  Nuclear 
(CBRN), and health.  

Flagship: Scaling up the rescEU strategic reserve  

rescEU  has  become  a  cornerstone  of  the  EU’s  response  to  large-scale  emergencies  that 
overwhelm Member States and their direct neighbours. Europe’s forest fires, the COVID-19 
pandemic and the effects  of  Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine  have instigated the 
rapid  development  and  mobilisation  of  rescEU  emergency  capacities  in  the  area  of  aerial 
firefighting,  medical  aid,  shelter,  energy  supplies  and  countermeasures 
to  CBRN 
emergencies.  Today’s  crises  show  the  importance  of  enhancing  that  strategic  reserve, 
including  through  EU  policies  that  address  the  broader  question  of  EU’s  open  strategic 
autonomy for essential supplies used in emergencies response, to ensure the safety of EU and 
its  citizens.  Under  the  Union  Mechanism,  the  Commission  intends  therefore  to  continue  to 
build up the rescEU reserve with Member States and to regularly review overall capacity at 
the  European  level.  For  example,  the  consequences  of  Russia’s  war  of  aggression  against 
Ukraine and other  crises have demonstrated that  a strategic reserve of medical  capacities is 
essential not only in response to a pandemic.  

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Following  the  2022  State  of  the  Union  Speech  of  the  President  of  the  Commission25,  the 
Commission  intends  to  double  the  rescEU  aerial  firefighting  fleet  by  2023  with  up  to  3 
helicopters and 12 light aircrafts in addition to fill the identified gap. Together with enhanced 
prevention  measures  and  pre-positioning  of  fire-fighters,  this  increase  should  help  face  the 
next  forest  fire  season  in  Europe,  including  areas  in  Central  and  Northern  territories  of  the 
Union  which  now  face  large  wildfires  more  frequently.  Wildfire  response  capacities  are 
expected to considerably increase with the procurement of 9 helicopters between 2023-26 and 
12 airplanes as of 2026 under the rescEU’s permanent fleet. Whilst rescEU provides a bigger 
safety net, Member States must also continue to invest at the national level in their response 
capacities, in trained-personnel and in wildfire prevention measures.  

Goal 5: Secure - Ensuring a robust civil protection system 

Civil  protection  authorities  need  to  remain  operational  during  and  after  a  disaster,  when 
society  needs  them  the  most.  This  goal  aims  to  ensure  that  the  ERCC  and  the  emergency 
operation centres of the civil protection authorities in Member States remain operational at all 
times.  Actions  to  be  taken  include  the  periodic  revision  of  business  continuity  plans  and 
procedures,  and  the  systematic  identification  and  implementation  of  lessons-learnt  in  the 
aftermath of disasters.  

In  the  current  landscape  of  risk,  civil  protection  authorities  cannot  work  in  isolation.  The 
Commission  and  the  Member  States  are  increasing  their  collaboration  across  borders  and 
with multiple stakeholders in emergency management, including essential services operators. 
To  secure  business  continuity  of  emergency  operation  centres  in  the  Member  States  and  at 
EU-level,  the  Commission  intends  to  improve  plans  and  procedures,  cross-sectoral  and 
cross-border  coordination,  communication  and 
the 
implementation of lessons learnt.  

information  management  and 

Flagship: Stress-testing the emergency operation centres across Europe  
A  pilot  pan-European  civil  protection  disaster  preparedness  ‘stress  test’  will  check  the 
business  continuity  of  emergency  operation  centres  in  a  simulated  black-out  scenario  that 
could  simultaneously  affect  several  sub-regions  of  Europe.  Such  a  simulation  should    be 
coherent with the ongoing critical infrastructure stress-test activities at EU-level. All Member 
States should commit to participating in the  civil protection disaster preparedness stress test 
and to ensuring follow-up on its recommendations. This pilot, to be planned in the course of 
2023, will provide results and lessons to feed into future editions. 

25 European Commission, 2022 State of the Union Address by President von der Leyen, 2022, 
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_22_5493  

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IV.  Disaster resilience goals in the global resilience context 

Disasters  do  not  stop  at  the  EU  borders.  Achieving  disasters  resilience  also  requires  broad 
partnerships  with  decision-makers  and  stakeholders  at  the  global  level.  Strengthened 
cooperation  on  resilience  with  key  partners,  neighbouring  and  other  third  countries  is 
therefore  essential.  The  resilience  of  entities  operating  critical  infrastructure  as  well  as  the 
ability to counter hybrid threats and cyber-attacks, including by promoting synergies with the 
NATO seven baseline requirements for civil preparedness,26 will help preserve European 
core  values.  Further,  the  disaster  resilience  goals  complement  the  EU’s  commitment  under 
the Strategic Compass for Security and Defence27 to improve the civil-military cooperation 
in support of the civilian disaster relief efforts. 

Regional cooperation can promote the disaster resilience goals as the “EU model” for cross-
border risk management, disaster preparedness  and collective response  in other parts of the 
world. With the Union Mechanism membership expanding into the Western Balkans and the 
Neighbourhood,  the  disaster  resilience  goals  should  become  a  reference  point  to  steer  and 
advance policy dialogue on disaster risk management, climate adaptation and environmental 
protection.  Extending  early  warning  systems  globally28  and  promoting  disaster  risk  finance 
strategies  alongside  financial  and  technical  assistance  for  strengthening  civil  protection 
systems in partner countries will increase resilience beyond the EU. 

The disaster resilience goals can also strengthen the EU’s role as a reliable and responsible 
global actor. They will contribute towards the priorities and targets of the Sendai Framework 
for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. The high-level meeting of the General Assembly in 
New York on 18-19 May 2023 on the mid-term review of the Sendai Framework will be an 
occasion to present the goals and promote them at the global level. They will also contribute 
to the Sustainable Development Goals and to the implementation of the Paris Agreement.  

V. 

An evolving approach - conclusions and next steps 

The disaster risk landscape will continue to evolve as its components are shaped by human 
activities, global trends and multiple shocks. Therefore, the disaster resilience goals should 
also  stay  dynamic,  undergo  a  periodic  fitness  check  and  evolve  over  time.  These  goals 
also  need  significant  sustained  commitment  by  Member  States  to  ensure  they  leverage  the 
necessary investments  for strengthened disaster prevention and preparedness.  It  is  therefore 
critical  that  the  Commission  and  Member  States  regularly  review  together  the  disaster 
resilience goals and assess the progress made.  

In 2023, the work to operationalise the recommendations should start at both EU and national 
levels.  This  will  include  taking  concrete  steps  for  the  implementation  of  the  proposed 
flagships  but  also  disseminating  the  disaster  resilience  goals,  with  outreach  to  key 

26 Roepke, W-D., Thankey, H., Resilience, the first line of defence, NATO Review, 2019, 
https://www.nato.int/docu/review/articles/2019/02/27/resilience-the-first-line-of-defence/index.html 
27 A Strategic Compass for Security and Defence - For a European Union that protects its citizens, values and 
interests and contributes to international peace and security, adopted by the General Affairs Council on 21 
March 2022 (7371/22).   
28 In line with the objectives of the UN Secretary General’s “Early Warnings for All” initiative. 

13 

 
 
  
 
 
 
                                                           
stakeholders in Member States, and building effective linkages with EU and global resilience 
initiatives.  

During 2024, the evidence provided by the new disaster scenarios and orientations provided 
by the upcoming European climate risk assessment29 will be reflected in a disaster resilience 
goals recommendation. A comprehensive exercise for peer reviewing the implementation 
of the disaster resilience goals at country level should be launched. Finally, the progress of 
goals implementation will also be reviewed during the next Civil Protection Forum in 2024. 

In  its  broader  efforts  to  strengthen  resilience,  the  Commission  intends  to  support  capacity 
building  and  sharing  of  good  practices  in  the  areas  covered  by  the  disaster  resilience  goals 
among Member States, including through peer reviews, financial and technical assistance and 
with  the  support  of  European  and  global  partners.  The  Union  Civil  Protection  Knowledge 
Network30  will  provide  the  one-stop-shop  for  practitioners,  researchers  and  civil  society 
actors to connect, share knowledge and together engage on the disaster resilience goals. 

29 https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/en/eu-adaptation-policy/key-eu-actions/climate_risk_assessment 
30 European Union, Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network, https://civil-protection-knowledge-
network.europa.eu/ 

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