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European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations

The national disaster management system

View of a lake, in the foreground an aid worker carrying a vest with the european emblem.
© European Union 2019 (photographer: Christian Jepsen)

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism brings together a total of 37 countries: 27 EU Member States and 10 participating states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine).

This European Civil Protection “family” shares operational challenges and similar approaches to managing disaster, while the structure and composition of emergency services in the 37 countries varies considerably from country to country.  

National civil protection systems are underpinned by European solidarity in action. Under the Mechanism, countries stand ready and prepared to help each other when national resources for disaster response are overwhelmed or need to be reinforced. This section provides an introductory overview of key elements of the national disaster management system of the different countries.

Disclaimer: Member States and Participating States are responsible for the accuracy of the content and for keeping it up to date.

As of 2021, EU legislation does no longer apply to the United Kingdom. In any event, similar to any other third country affected by a disaster, the UK will always be able to call upon EU international assistance under the Mechanism.

Find out more on the National Disaster Management System of: