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European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations

Civil protection

Civil protection assistance consists of governmental aid delivered in preparation for or immediate aftermath of a disaster in Europe and worldwide.

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European Union Civil Protection exercise in Austria: rescue teams looking for survivors of the disaster.
© European Union

Aid takes the form of in-kind assistance, deployment of specially-equipped teams, or experts assessing and coordinating support right in the field. When a disaster overwhelms a country’s ability to contain it, other participating states step in and provide assistance.

All EU Member States, as well as 10 participating states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Türkiye, and Ukraine), are taking part in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Related links

European Civil Protection Forum

EU Civil Protection Knowledge Network

The Knowledge Network connects civil protection practitioners, policy makers and researchers to share skills and good practices. It makes knowledge and expertise in Civil Protection and Disaster Risk Management grow, improving prevention, preparedness and response.

EU Civil Protection Mechanism

In October 2001, the European Commission established the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The Mechanism aims to strengthen cooperation between the EU countries and 10 participating states on civil protection to improve prevention, preparedness, and response to disasters.

European Early Warning and Information Systems

The EU’s early warning and information systems help the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) monitor the global situation. These include hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires and tropical cyclones.

Emergency Support Instrument

The Emergency Support Instrument (ESI) enables the EU to support its Member States when a crisis reaches unprecedented scale and impact, with wide-ranging consequences on the lives of citizens.

European Civil Protection Pool

The EU established the European Civil Protection Pool to advance European cooperation in civil protection. It aims to enable a faster, better-coordinated, and more effective European response to human-induced disasters and natural hazards.

European Medical Corps

The European Medical Corps enables quick medical assistance and public health expertise from all EU Member States and Participating States to a health emergency inside and outside the EU.

rescEU

rescEU was established as a reserve of European capacities, fully funded by the EU. It includes a fleet of firefighting planes and helicopters, medical evacuation planes, and a stockpile of medical items and field hospitals that can respond to health emergencies.

Wildfires

Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that occur in nature and are often harshened by climatic conditions. Long dry spells particularly increase the risk of wildfires breaking out, but other factors also have a huge impact, such as rain and wind, vegetation, the layout of the terrain, and forest manageme

Peer Review programme

A peer review of disaster risk management and civil protection systems provides a country or a region with a unique opportunity to reflect on its readiness to cope with natural hazards and human-induced disasters and to identify ways of strengthening its prevention and preparedness.