Responding with the EU Civil Protection Mechanism

When major disasters strike – be they man-made or natural – the scale of the emergency often surpasses the response capacity of an individual country. National services and resources can be stretched to breaking point as efforts are made to save and protect people, property and the environment from the worst consequences of a crisis. In such a situation, the EU can offer rapid and coordinated assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (EU CPM).

The EU CPM brings together all the EU Member States, as well as Iceland, Norway, Montenegro, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. These countries pool their national, regional and local resources to tackle emergencies – both in Europe and throughout the world, whenever assistance is requested. The EU CPM members work together to assess risks, train staff and respond jointly to help people in disaster areas. All EU CPM operational activities are brought together under the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC).

To increase response and effectiveness, the EU has established the European Emergency Response Capacity, which gathers a range of relief team experts and equipment voluntarily precommitted by the Member States and ready to be deployed in EU civil protection operations across the world. The European Medical Corps is part of this. It establishes the framework to mobilise medical and public health experts and teams for operations inside and outside the EU.