CIVIL PROTECTION : NEW EUROPEAN DISASTER RESPONSE MECHANISM.

• Position: Brief article

The EU's new civil protection mechanism came into force on 1 January. With a budget of almost 370 million for the period 2014-2020, this mechanism aims to prevent, prepare for and respond to both natural and human disasters in Europe and in the rest of the world. It covers forest fires, floods, marine pollution and acts of terrorism.

One of the major changes introduced by the mechanism concerns evaluation and the pooling of response capacities. The European Commission will finance up to 20% of the necessary investment to fill the jointly identified gaps.

Concerning prevention, training programmes will continue. Exercises take place regularly. In December 2013, civil protection teams from four European countries participated...