European Commission and Europe's local governments strengthen ties to combat natural disasters
The European Commission and regional and local authorities took the first steps towards a stronger alliance to counter natural disasters. The European Committee of the Regions' (CoR) Commission for Natural Resources (NAT) held a debate on the role of local and regional authorities in disaster prevention and agreed, together with EU Commissioner Stylianides, that disaster management in Europe is a collective responsibility.
EU local and regional authorities and the European Commission agreed to work more closely together to develop quick and efficient protection strategies to cope with disasters. Hosted by José Luis Carneiro (PES), Leader of Baião Town Council in Portugal and Chair of the NAT Commission together with Christos Stylianides, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid & Crisis Management, the participants at the event " European Regions at the Forefront of Disaster Management? " emphasised that this was the beginning of a much closer cooperation towards disaster prevention and management.
José Luis Carneiro, "Europe needs to strengthen its system of individual and collective civil protection. There are increasingly more disasters that overwhelm local, regional and national capacities and we need better instruments of response so fewer lives are lost and less damage inflicted". To mitigate and prepare for future natural disasters he called for an EU framework to improve collaboration and capacity building as, "Disaster risk reduction everyone's business. We all have a role to play: us at the local and regional level, in the national ministries and the European institutions".
Commissioner Stylianides openly recognised that local and regional governments are usually at the forefront of disaster management and so their role was crucial, "especially in the first stages". Being on the front line EU regions "need to work more closely together with neighbour regions to deliver efficient local solutions to the problem" Stylianides said. He added that disaster management "is not a choice, but the true meaning of European solidarity". The Commissioner called for deepening the partnership with regions stating that, "Locally-driven solutions are crucial for lessening disaster risks. I want us to become more involved amongst local, regional, national and European partners in making our continent a safer place to be".
Participants also discussed the CoRs' ongoing work on managing natural disasters. Cllr Siggs (ECR/UK), who recently attended a UN global conference on the topic, remarked, "The best way to minimise the devastation of disasters is by empowering local and regional authorities and allowing them to build resilient communities. They are often responsible for civil protection yet are often not given the right resources. We need to empower our local and regional authorities and work with the private sector through public-private partnerships in well-defined areas with agreed goals .
Participants discussed new opportunities for cities and regions to engage within the EU Civil Protection Mechanism - launched to enable coordinated assistance from the participating states to victims of disasters - and shared good practices. Mark Weinmeister (EPP), Secretary of State for Federal and European Affairs in Hessen and a member of the CoR, explained that, "In Germany tackling a disaster not a competition between the authorities - It is more about joined cooperation". He emphasised the important role of transport. "Regions might have the expertise and the necessary professionals, but it is equally important to be able to quickly bring this help to the affected areas". Adam Banaszak (ECR), CoR rapporteur on the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and Member of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Regional Assembly in Poland, agreed and called on the EU institutions to give the regions greater support to coordinate the response to disasters.
Further information
CoR Opinion:Post 2016 Hyogo Framework for Action
CoR opinion: Union Civil Protection Mechanism
Event agenda : European Regions at the Forefront of Disaster Management