Civil

protection
at a glance

© European Union/ECHO
Humanitarian
Aid and Civil
Protection

RESPONDING
TO DISASTER,
GLOBALLY
Mission: prevent, prepare and respond
The severity and frequency of natural and man-made
disasters are on the rise. To help people caught up
in crises, the European Union supports rapid and
coordinated disaster response as well as disaster
prevention and preparedness activities, both in Europe
and globally. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism (EU CPM)
thus helps provides a coordinated response to better
protect people, their environment, property and cultural
heritage in the event of major disasters.
A cooperative approach
The EU Civil Protection mechanism brings together the
28 EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, Montenegro,
Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
© European Union/ECHO
Response
The EU CPM coordinates the provision of civil protection assistance,
based on resources made available by the participating states. Such
assistance may include search and rescue, medical teams, shelter,
water purification units and other relief items, as required. The
mechanism can, for example, be activated to fight forest fires, to
assist communities hit by flooding and storms, to rescue survivors of
earthquakes, or to help in the aftermath of industrial disasters.
Bringing it all together: ERCC
The operational heart of the EU CPM is the Emergency Response
Coordination Centre (ERCC), which operates on a 24/7 basis. The ERCC
monitors the evolution of disasters, matches offers of assistance
to the needs of the disaster-affected people and coordinates the
transport and delivery of aid. It also acts as a communication hub
between the participating states, the affected country and the
deployed field experts.

These countries work together at national, regional and

local levels. They assess risks, train their civil protection
personnel together, pool and share resources, and
jointly respond to the needs of the populations affected
by disasters.
 hit
ntry ster
ou dis
a ER Since 2001, the EU CPM has reacted to more than
200 disasters worldwide, including: Hurricane

C
by
Katrina (United States, 2005), earthquakes (Italy,

CC
2009; Haiti, 2010; Turkey, 2011; Japan, 2011;
Nepal, 2015), tsunamis (Japan, 2011), the
RESPONS need for evacuation assistance (Libya, 2011),
ammunition explosions, (Democratic Republic

nt a tin g
of the Congo, 2012), typhoons, flooding, forest

rie s
fires and tropical storms (Pakistan, 2011;

ou icip
El Salvador, 2011; the Philippines, 2011,
E

rt
pa c
ERCC
2013; Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2013 , 2014;
Serbia, 2014), extreme weather (Slovenia, 2014),
the Ebola outbreak (2014), the conflict in Ukraine
(2014) and the refugee crisis in Europe (2015).

Prevention and preparedness

Investing in risk prevention and preparedness before a
disaster strikes pays significant dividends compared to facing
the costs of relief, recovery and reconstruction afterwards.
The EU complements national efforts by focusing on areas
where common European action is more effective than
separate national approaches.
Since 2007, numerous prevention and preparedness activities
have been co-financed by the EU:
Training helps to improve the skills and knowledge of
experts, while EU-supported field exercises simulate
crises and realistically test the compatibility of teams from
different participating states.
Civil protection modules, i.e. standardised units of
personnel and equipment, along with pre-established
response plans for various disaster scenarios allow for
interventions at very short notice.
Awareness-raising is key to preventing disasters or
minimising their impact and are often carried out through
cooperation projects involving several EU Member States.
EU support for the development of innovative technologies
and early warning tools further strengthens European civil
protection.

An all-round European response

The EU responds to disasters worldwide by deploying its two main tools designed for this purpose: humanitarian aid and
civil protection. In humanitarian aid, its unrivalled international network of field-based experts and humanitarian partner
organisations enables the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Office to channel emergency assistance
and relief to victims of natural disasters or armed conflicts globally. In complex disasters, which require the mobilisation of both
instruments, the Emergency Response Coordination Centre acts as a global hub for effective and rapid action.

Balkans Floods 2014
In May 2014, the region’s worst flooding in
a century hit Bosnia and Herzegovina and
Serbia. It affected an estimated 3 million
people and displaced thousands.
The EU Civil Protection Mechanism
(CPM) was immediately activated. The
Commission’s Emergency Response
Coordination Centre coordinated and
supported the rapid deployment of
over 600 relief workers and other
crucial assistance provided by nearly all
Member States, including rescue and
evacuation helicopters, motor boats,
generators, sandbags, tents, blankets and
humanitarian aid kits.
‘Almost half of the country was severely
affected by a devastating
combination of flash
floods and landslides and
large quantities of water,’
said Ionut Homeag, a
Romanian expert in the
EU civil protection team
deployed to Bosnia and
Herzegovina. He explained:
KR-02-15-972-EN-C
‘Our efforts were concentrated on saving
lives and putting people in safe places. We
worked closely with the Bosnian authorities
at the central level as well as on the
ground in the affected areas. The response
from the Member States was absolutely
great, a true expression of solidarity and
support.’
More than 1 700 people were rescued
© European Union/ECHO/EEAS/Delegation BiH
from the waters by the team, large-
scale pumping capacity was deployed
and dozens of tonnes of food, water and
medicines were delivered to isolated
communities.
For further information:
Tel. +32 22954400
E-mail: echo-info@ec.europa.eu
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/echo
https://www.facebook.com/ec.humanitarian.aid
© European Union
https://www.twitter.com/eu_echo/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/69583224@N05/
http://www.youtube.com/user/HumanitarianAidECHO
Publications Office of the European Union, 2015
ISBN 978-92-79-53547-5,
doi:10.2795/84622
© European Union, 2015
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
Printed in Luxembourg.