European Commissioner for Crisis Management

Last updated

European Commissioner Equality; Preparedness and Crisis Management
Hadja Lahbib - EU2024BE (53539975102) (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Hadja Lahbib
since 1 December 2024
Appointer President of the European Commission
Inaugural holder Robert Lemaignen
Formation1958

The European Commissioner for Crisis Management is a member of the European Commission. The portfolios current title is "Commissioner for Equality; Preparedness and Crisis Management". The post is currently held by Hadja Lahbib.

Contents

The Civil Protection mechanism of the Commission means that the position covers the European Union's disaster response. It provides support if a member state requests aid after a natural disaster. This function has adopted a wider scope in recent years as the Commission increasingly becomes an instrument of support around the world. [1] For example, the Commission provided aid to Morocco when the country was hit by an earthquake in February 2004. More than 1,000 aid workers were also dispatched to the United States after 11 September 2001 terrorist attack.

Louis Michel as commissioner

After the Israeli-Lebanese conflict in 2006 the Commissioner visited Lebanon and called for €30 million to repair the damage there. The Parliament's development committee was cautious though about the expenditure and he was also criticised for his slow response with one MEP comparing him to "a fireman who arrives at the scene after the fire has gone out". In the same debate MEPs attacked the Commissioner for "appearing partial in the Congolese elections" in describing Joseph Kabila as "the hope of Congo". Michel responded by saying he would have said the same about any candidate in the democratic elections.

Louis Michel has caused some mild controversy in 2007 among MEPs when it became known that he is to take leave from his work to compete in Belgian elections. Generally Commissioners are meant to remain above national politics and the European Parliament's development committee asked the Parliament's legal service to assess if his participation violates the treaties. During his absence (12 May 2007 onwards), Commissioner Rehn took over his duties.

European Medical Corps

The European Medical Corps (EMC) is a civilian incident response team that was launched on 15 February 2016 by the European Union to provide an emergency response force to deal with outbreaks of epidemic disease anywhere in the world. [2] The EMC was formed after the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa when the WHO was criticized for a slow and insufficient response in the early stages of the Ebola outbreak. [3]

The framework for the European Medical Corps is part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism's new European Emergency Response Capacity (otherwise known as the 'voluntary pool').

The EMC is part of the emergency response capacity of European countries. [4] Teams from nine EU member states—Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands, Finland, and Sweden – are available for deployment in an emergency. The EMC consists of medical teams, public health teams, mobile biosafety laboratories, medical evacuation capacities, experts in public health and medical assessment and coordination, and technical and logistics support. [5] Any country in need of assistance can make a request to the Emergency Response Coordination Centre, part of the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department. [6]

The first deployment of the EMC was announced by the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection on 12 May 2016, a response to the outbreak of yellow fever in Angola in 2016. [7]

List of commissioners

#NameCountryPeriodCommission
1 Signature of three financing agreements between the EEC and Mali (Robert Lemaignen).tif Robert Lemaignen Flag of France.svg France1958–1962 Hallstein Commission
2 Henri Rochereau (1968).jpg Henri Rochereau Flag of France.svg France1962–1970 Hallstein Commission, Rey Commission
3 Jean-Francois Deniau (cropped).jpg Jean-François Deniau Flag of France.svg France1967–1973 Rey Commission, Malfatti Commission, Mansholt Commission
4 Claude Cheysson par Claude Truong-Ngoc 1981 (cropped).jpg Claude Cheysson Flag of France.svg France1973–1981 Ortoli Commission, Jenkins Commission, Thorn Commission
5 Edgard Pisani.jpg Edgard Pisani Flag of France.svg France1981–1985 Thorn Commission
6 Lorenzo Natali 3.jpg Lorenzo Natali Flag of Italy.svg Italy1985–1989 Delors Commission I
7 Manuel Marin 1996 (cropped).jpg Manuel Marín Flag of Spain.svg Spain1989–1995 Delors Commission II & III
8 Joao de Deus Pinheiro, Member of the EC (1997) (cropped).tif João de Deus Pinheiro Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal1995–1999 Santer Commission
9 Poul Nielson 2001 (cropped).jpg Poul Nielson Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark1999–2004 Prodi Commission
10 Joe Borg2.jpg Joe Borg Flag of Malta.svg Malta2004 Prodi Commission
11 Louis Michel - 2005 (cropped).jpg Louis Michel Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium2004–2009 Barroso Commission I
12 Karel-de-gucht.jpg Karel De Gucht Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium2009–2010 Barroso Commission I
13 Kristalina Georgieva (cropped).jpg Kristalina Georgieva Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria2010–2014 Barroso Commission II
14 (Christos Stylianides) Debate MEPs call for measures against Turkey following military operation in Syria (48948126711) (cropped).jpg Christos Stylianides Flag of Cyprus.svg Cyprus2014–2019 Juncker Commission
15 Hearing of Janez Lenarcic (Slovenia) - Crisis management (48833246092) (cropped).jpg Janez Lenarčič Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia2019–2024 Von der Leyen Commission
16 Hadja Lahbib - EU2024BE (53539975102) (cropped).jpg Hadja Lahbib Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium2024–present Von der Leyen Commission II

See also

Related Research Articles

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Civil defense or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from human-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency management: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation and recovery. Programs of this sort were initially discussed at least as early as the 1920s and were implemented in some countries during the 1930s as the threat of war and aerial bombardment grew. Civil-defense structures became widespread after authorities recognised the threats posed by nuclear weapons.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations</span> European Commission department

The Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, formerly known as the European Community Humanitarian Aid Office, is the European Commission's department for overseas humanitarian aid and for civil protection. It aims to save and preserve life, prevent and alleviate human suffering and safeguard the integrity and dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises. Since September 2019, Janez Lenarčič is serving as Commissioner for Crisis Management in the Von der leyen commission, and since 1 March 2023, Maciej Popowski leads the organisation as the Director-General.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humanitarian crisis</span> Large threat to the health and safety of many people

A humanitarian crisis is defined as a singular event or a series of events that are threatening in terms of health, safety or well-being of a community or large group of people. It may be an internal or external conflict and usually occurs throughout a large land area. Local, national and international responses are necessary in such events.

Humanitarian assistance is aid and action designed to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity during and after man-made crises and disasters. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including providing food, water, shelter, medical care, and protection. Humanitarian assistance is grounded in the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disaster response</span> Second phase of the disaster management cycle

Disaster response refers to the actions taken directly before, during, or immediately after a disaster. The objective is to save lives, ensure health and safety, and meet the subsistence needs of the people affected. It includes warning and evacuation, search and rescue, providing immediate assistance, assessing damage, continuing assistance, and the immediate restoration or construction of infrastructure. An example of this would be building provisional storm drains or diversion dams. Emergency response aims to provide immediate help to keep people alive, improve their health and support their morale. It can involve specific but limited aid, such as helping refugees with transport, temporary shelter, and food. Or it can involve establishing semi-permanent settlements in camps and other locations. It may also involve initial repairs to damage to infrastructure, or diverting it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medair</span> Natural disaster aid organization

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development</span> French humanitarian organization

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Angola and DR Congo yellow fever outbreak</span> Disease outbreak in Africa

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References

  1. Boin, Arjen; Ekengren, Magnus; Rhinard, Mark (2013). The European Union as Crisis Manager: Patterns and Prospects. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 73. ISBN   9781107035799.
  2. "European Commission – PRESS RELEASES – Press release – EU launches new European Medical Corps to respond faster to emergencies". europa.eu. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  3. Moon, Suerie; et al. (28 November 2015). "Will Ebola change the game? Ten essential reforms before the next pandemic. The report of the Harvard-LSHTM Independent Panel on the Global Response to Ebola" (PDF). The Lancet. 386 (10009): 2204–2221. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00946-0 . PMC   7137174 . PMID   26615326 . Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  4. "European Emergency Response Capacity – Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection – European Commission". Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  5. "European Medical Corps part of the European Emergency Response Capacity" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 January 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  6. "Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) – Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection – European Commission". Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  7. "EU sends new medical corps team to Angola yellow fever outbreak". EurActiv.com. Retrieved 13 May 2016.