What is it?
In October 2001, the European Commission established the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The Mechanism aims to strengthen civil protection cooperation between the EU countries and 10 additional participating states to improve prevention, preparedness, and response to disasters.
Any country hit by a disaster, in Europe and beyond, can request emergency assistance through the Mechanism. The Commission plays a key role in coordinating the disaster response and contributing to the transport and/or operational costs of deployments.
Why is this important?
Disasters know no borders and can unexpectedly strike 1 or several countries at the same time. The Commission facilitates a well-coordinated joint response, allowing the authorities of the affected country to communicate through a single point of contact rather than multiple channels.
This joint approach further helps to pool expertise and capacities of first responders, prevents duplication of relief efforts, and ensures that assistance effectively addresses the needs of those affected.
Pooling civil protection resources, tools, knowledge, and skills strengthens and ensures a more coherent response across borders.
In addition to the EU countries, there are 10 more states that participate in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Türkiye, and Ukraine.
Since its launch in 2001, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has responded to over 770 requests for assistance both inside and outside the EU.
The Mechanism also helps coordinate disaster prevention and preparedness activities among national authorities and fosters the exchange of best practices. This facilitates the continuous development of higher common standards, enabling teams from various countries to better understand diverse approaches and work interchangeably when a disaster strikes.
How are we helping?
Following a request for assistance through the Mechanism, the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) mobilises assistance or expertise.
The ERCC monitors events around the globe 24/7 and ensures rapid deployment of emergency support through a direct link with national civil protection authorities.
Specialised teams and equipment, such as firefighting planes, search and rescue and medical teams, can be mobilised at short notice for deployments inside and outside of Europe.
Satellite maps produced by the Copernicus Emergency Management Service also support civil protection operations. The Service provides timely and precise geospatial information useful for delineating affected areas and planning disaster relief operations.
In the most vulnerable regions of the world, civil protection assistance typically goes hand in hand with EU humanitarian aid. Experts in both fields work closely together to ensure the most coherent analysis and response, particularly in complex emergencies.
The most common types of emergencies triggering the Mechanism’s involvement are disease outbreaks, wildfires, floods, tropical cyclones, earthquakes, and conflict.
EU civil protection in action
Any country in the world, as well as the United Nations, its agencies, or any relevant international organisation, can call on the EU Civil Protection Mechanism for help.
In 2024, the Mechanism was activated 59 times to respond to, among other, (i) war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East (ii) floods in France, Czechia, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Spain; (iii) wildfires in Europe and Latin America; (iv) tropical cyclone Chido in Mayotte.
Additionally, EU Member States and participating states can also activate the Mechanism to seek assistance for consular support to their citizens (e.g., in the context of evacuation operations).
In 2024, the Mechanism helped safely evacuate almost 1,400 European citizens from places like Haiti, the Middle East, or Vanuatu.
A strong EU response in times of crisis
In response to a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine, all 27 EU countries and 6 participating states (Iceland, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Moldova and Türkiye), have offered help to Ukraine via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
The assistance includes millions of items such as first aid kits, medical and shelter equipment, water pumps, energy supply, power generators and firefighting equipment.
The coordination represents the largest ever operation of the Mechanism to date. It helps assist people in Ukraine and those who have fled to neighbouring countries such as Poland, Slovakia, and Moldova.
The EU is also coordinating medical evacuations of Ukrainian patients in need of urgent care to hospitals across Europe - via the Mechanism and the medical evacuation hub established in Poland. As of January 2025, over 4,000 patients received treatment as part of the medical evacuations.
To efficiently manage an exceptionally high number of aid deliveries, logistical hubs have been set up in Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, with the support of the ERCC. These hubs gather the assistance offered by EU countries and participating states and dispatch it to Ukraine.
An extra layer of protection
In 2019, the EU upgraded the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and created rescEU, an additional layer of protection complementing offers by EU Member States and participating states, when necessary.
Fully financed by the EU, rescEU strengthens European preparedness to disasters and emerging risks, and boosts the EU’s capacity to respond to emergencies such as wildfires, disease outbreaks, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) incidents, forced displacement, or incidents affecting energy infrastructure.
The rapid deployment of rescEU assets has played a pivotal role in addressing recent crises in Europe, from wildfires to the COVID-19 pandemic, and from earthquakes in Türkiye to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Pooling resources
EU Member States and participating states may commit national resources for emergency response to the European Civil Protection Pool (ECPP).
This Pool allows for better planning and coordination of response activities at European and national levels, which means a faster and more reliable EU response to disasters. The Pool constitutes the backbone of the Mechanism.
Prevention and preparedness
Prevention and preparedness activities help mitigate the effects of disasters. A training programme for civil protection experts from EU Member States and participating states ensures compatibility and complementarity among intervention teams, while large-scale exercises train capacities for specific disasters each year.
The EU supports and complements the prevention and preparedness efforts of its Member States and participating states by focusing on areas where a joint European approach is more effective than separate national actions.
These efforts include risk assessments to identify the disaster risks across the EU, encouraging research to enhance disaster resilience and reinforcing early warning systems.
Watch the explainer video
Last updated: 24/01/2025
Facts & figures
Since 2001, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated over 770 times to respond to emergencies, including 59 times in 2024.
The Mechanism pools response capacities from all EU countries and 10 participating states.
The Mechanism can be deployed inside the EU and around the world, and prioritises joint disaster prevention and preparedness actions.
In response to the war in Ukraine, the EU is implementing its largest emergency operation since the creation of the Mechanism, channelling millions of emergency items to Ukraine and the region.