Enhancing cross-border preparedness through shared management of emergency stock in South East Europe (X-STOCK)

South East Europe is seeing an increase in frequency, unpredictability and intensity of disasters. Most hazards have the potential to become transboundary events for which regional collaboration is key. The ongoing global health emergency (COVID-19) has shown how easily national and regional markets for essential stocks can collapse and how important it is to have adequate cross-border stockpiling and transportation strategies in place.

The specific objective of the X-STOCK project is to enhance cross-border emergency management in Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia by enhancing cross-border preparedness through shared management of emergency stock.

The X-STOCK project will identify existing gaps of cross-border emergency response regarding policies, emergency stocks and cross-border agreements for support with emergency items. Recommendations for improvements of procedures, policies and agreements will be outlined. National pre-disaster agreements on emergency stocks between Civil Protection Authorities, Red Cross and others will be revised. A cross-border agreement on joint stock management will be drafted.

A regional stock management strategy and a software application for joint regional stock record/management with interfaces to all partners' databases will be developed & tested. Recommendations for replication and scale-up in neighbouring countries will be formulated. The improved and shared management of a joint emergency stock together with the development of national and regional agreements and procedures will facilitate smooth and accelerated relief and response operations involving national civil protection authorities and Red Cross partners (= target groups), as well as other national actors.

As a result, the cross-border interoperability regarding set-up and use of emergency stocks between the 5 participating countries will be significantly increased and thus response times for disaster affected population (21 million in all five countries) reduced.

Consortium Coordinator

OSTERREICHISCHES ROTES KREUZ (AutRC) - AT
Address: Wiedner Hauptstraße 32, AT-1041 Vienna
Website: https://www.roteskreuz.at

Consortium Partners

Macedonian Red Cross (RCRNM) - MK
https://ckrm.org.mk/

DIREKCIJA ZA ZASTITA I SPASUVANJE NA REPUBLIKA MAKEDONIJA (PRD NRM) - MK
https://dzs.gov.mk/

CRVENI KRST CRNE GORE (RCM) - ME
http://ckcg.me/

Ministry of Interior (MoI-DEM) - ME
http://www.mup.gov.me/ministarstvo

CRVENI KRST SRBIJE (RCS) - RS
https://www.redcross.org.rs/

HRVATSKI CRVENI KRIZ UDRUGE (CroRC) - HR
https://www.hck.hr/

BULGARIAN RED CROSS (BRC) - BG
https://en.redcross.bg/

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies - Regional Office for Europe (IFRC) - HU
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/
http://voroskereszt.hu/