A reform of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) was provisionally agreed, aimed at improving prevention, preparedness and response to disasters. https://www.eudebates.tv/debates/eu-policies/regions-and-local-development/eu-strengthens-the-eu-civil-protection-mechanism/
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Parliament and Council agreed to strengthen the existing legal framework on civil protection, in response to the unprecedented experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. New provisions aim to ensure that the EU and member states will be better prepared to respond to large-scale emergencies, especially when these affect several countries simultaneously.
In order to deploy crisis relief more swiftly, the Commission will be able to directly acquire, under specific conditions, the necessary resources under rescEU.
RescEU statement by Nikos Androulakis S&D
Following months of difficult technical and political negotiations, the clear message is that step by step, we build our common future with more prevention, with more solidarity, we create an effective and strong civil protection mechanism for all the European citizens. Rescue means that together we are stronger and under conditions.
We'll use 3.1 billion in the next few years. The European Parliament has made the allocation: 5% on prevention, 85% on preparation %10 on response. We corrected within this unprecedented pandemic the mistakes made on the previous period, where Italy applied for assistance at end of February and aid arrived in April. Now, in extreme crisis conditions, the European Commission can acquire means by itself and to direct them to the Member States in need without delay.
It is also very important that we define a list of cross-border risks and resilience targets, that European states must take into account when drawing up national civil protection plans. For example, one kind of cross-border risk is the pandemic, another is a nuclear accident. Through these reforms we are stronger. Also because funding is now to 100% of European funding, Member States are obliged to inform citizens about the benefits of the civil protection mechanism and not follow the model that Brussels is to blame for all bad things that happen, whereas what is done right is done by the governments. Together, we can achieve a lot more and that was our goal, to build an enhanced European civil protection mechanism.
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1.263 billion EUR will be allocated to the UCPM under the 2021-2027 financing period, supplemented by 2.056 billion EUR from the EU Recovery Instrument, an overall budget that is roughly five times larger than the one available during the previous seven years. Parliament ensured that enough financial resources are allocated to the three pillars (prevention, preparedness and response to disasters) of the mechanism, ring-fencing prevention spending.
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