History
The European Civil Protection Mechanism [2] (UCPM) was established in 2001, by the Euratom Decision of 23 October 2001 [3] , with the objective of providing participating countries in the mechanism with the means to provide mutual assistance or lend assistance to third countries when a disaster occurs.
In 2013, European legislation on civil protection (Decision of 17 December 2013 of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union [4] ) significantly modified the organization of the UCPM and strengthened its role:
- by focusing its activities on disaster prevention and preparedness as well as risk management assessment and planning;
- by establishing the Emergency Response Coordination Centre [5] (ERCC), which is operational 24/7 and has the capacity for disaster monitoring and coordination of interventions. It works directly with the contact points of the participating states and can respond to multiple requests simultaneously.
Mode of operation
This mechanism primarily aims to protect people, but can also cover the environment, property and cultural sites.
When the scale of an emergency situation exceeds national response capacities in civil protection, the UCPM enables the organization of a coordinated intervention through the effective pooling of resources offered by participating states (human, technical and material means). The mechanism can thus avoid duplication of efforts and provide assistance that precisely meets the real needs of the affected country.
Any country in the world, the United Nations and its agencies, and certain international organizations can request assistance through the UCPM.
Currently, thirty-seven states participate in the UCPM [2] : the twenty-seven member states of the European Union as well as ten other European countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine).
Emergency situations can occur as a result of disasters of natural origin (for example, forest fires, earthquakes, floods or epidemics) or human origin (conflicts, industrial accidents, etc.).
Furthermore, emergency situations related to marine pollution (oil spills, leakage of hazardous products into rivers, etc.) can also trigger the UCPM. In this case, the work is carried out in collaboration with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) [7] .
European Civil Protection Pool
In 2013, to improve the effectiveness of the response of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, both in terms of coordination and reduction of intervention times, a reserve of various resources was established. Medical resources are grouped within the European Medical Corps [8] .
When activated, the transport and deployment costs of the pool's modules are covered up to 75% by the European Commission [8] .
Assistance provided to affected countries
The assistance is composed of resources provided by the states participating in the UCPM. It includes material assistance, expertise, the dispatch of field teams and intervention modules, as well as the delivery of specific equipment.
In order to assess needs and ensure coordination with local authorities and international organizations, experts can also be sent on site. They can also carry out advisory missions to countries on prevention and preparedness aimed at reducing the impact of disasters.
Funding
The participating states provide the majority of the funding for the UCPM.
The European Commission provides financial support for the general functioning of the ERCC, the sending of expert teams, the co-financing of the logistical transport of means, studies and surveys, the funding of a training and exercise program, and the funding of public awareness and information operations.
For the period 2014-2020 [17] , the European budget allocated to the implementation of the UCPM amounts globally to €368.4 million, divided as follows:
- €223.7 million are usable for disaster prevention, preparedness and response purposes within the European Union;
- and the remainder is reserved for similar actions outside the European Union.
This budget is supplemented by additional contributions from countries participating in the UCPM that are not members of the European Union.
Furthermore, when European civil protection assistance is requested by third countries, it is usually accompanied by humanitarian aid.
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