EUROPEAN COMMISSION
EXTERNAL RELATIONS DIRECTORATE GENERAL
DIRECTORATE A – Crisis Platform - Policy Coordination in Common
Foreign Security Policy
Crisis Response and Peace Building unit
Commission’s crisis management response: a wide variety of tools
The Commission has at its disposal a number of tools deployable in response to
crises. These tools include:
1) Humanitarian assistance is delivered through DG ECHO, the single largest
provider of humanitarian assistance, which can react immediately (same day) to
humanitarian emergencies through its network of partners: NGOs, UN agencies and
the Red Cross Movement (ICRC, IFRC). DG ECHO's mandate is to save and preserve
life, to reduce of prevent suffering and safeguard the integrity and dignity of third
country populations affected by humanitarian crises. Decisions taken are determined
solely by the assessment of humanitarian needs and are not guided or subject to
political considerations other than the affirmation of the EU’s solidarity with people in
need. EC humanitarian aid is not a crisis management tool.
DG ECHO also works at promoting disaster preparedness and risk reduction – as
part of an overall Commission Disaster Prevention and Preparedness approach – in
order to reduce both, vulnerability and exposure of people to risks and disasters as
well as to reduce the economic costs of such disasters.
DG ECHO can rapidly mobilise funding to support emergency actions of major
international agencies and NGOs through the adoption of primary emergency
decisions of up to 3 M€, which can be adopted within hours of a disaster occurring,
Combined with a 24H duty system, this fast-track decision making procedure allows
DG ECHO's above- mentioned implementing partners to immediately respond and
start operations.
DG ECHO has a network of 100 DG ECHO experts that are based in DG ECHO field
offices and in 6 regional offices in Africa, Latin America and Asia, which can be
quickly deployed in case of new emergencies. All are experts in humanitarian
assistance, some generalists, others are sectoral specialists, and many have been
trained in UNDAC, FACT or CIMIC techniques.
2) Civil Protection Mechanism, managed by DG ENV, was established in 2001 to
support and facilitate the mobilisation and coordination of EU MSs civil protection
assistance in the event of major disasters inside and outside the EU. The Monitoring
and Information Centre (MIC) of the European Commission is the operational hub,
available on a 24/7 basis, which links the civil protection authorities of the 27 EU
Member States and three additional participating countries (Norway, Iceland and
Liechtenstein). Upon request from an affected country, the MIC pools the in-kind
assistance of the EU Member States in a collective effort to maximise the protection
of people, property and the environment in the event of major disasters. The MIC
can mobilise and dispatch within a few hours search and rescue, fire rescue,
engineering, construction, flood fighting and rescue, earthquake relief teams, specific
civil protection expertise, EU MSs aid in kind etc., as well as small teams of experts
to assess the specific needs on site and to coordinate the civil protection assistance
operations. The MIC is also organising training courses, exercises and an exchange of
experts system to ensure the effectiveness of the European response.
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Commission européenne, B-1049 Bruxelles / Europese Commissie, B-1049 Brussel - Belgium.
Telephone: (32-2) 299 11 11.Office: 12/113 telephone: direct line (32-2) 296 (50771. Fax: (32-2) 299 08 73.
E-mail: alessandro.villa@ec.europa.eu
3) Instrument for Stability (IfS), implemented by the Commission’s Crisis
Platform within DG RELEX, under which financing can be adopted within days, to
undertake any action in third countries eligible under other EC instruments, to the
exception of humanitarian assistance or actions of a military nature. The IfS has a
wide scope and is designed to address global challenges, from preventing conflict,
supporting post conflict political stabilization and to ensuring early recovery after a
natural disaster. It is a political instrument and it focuses on re-establishing the
critical functions of the state in post-crisis situation. It can only be triggered in a
situation of crisis or emerging crisis and it plays a complementary role to long-term
programmes under relevant geographic financing instruments. The IfS can provide
support in two phases: emergency response measures and interim response
programmes, both with a duration limited to 18 months. The budget for 2008 for
crisis response measures is €140 million. This figure will rise progressively over the
financial perspective, averaging €227 million per annum.
The Crisis Platform also ensures the political coherency of the Commission and
facilitates an efficient exchange of information on crises, inside and between
services. It supports the representative of the Commission in the Political and
Security Committee and, generally speaking, is an interface with the Council and the
CFSP’s authorities. Lastly, it brings expertise to the services of the Commission and
in support of the European Union actions.
The Crisis Platform is itself endowed with a Crisis Room, which monitors crises and
crisis risks around the world, notably through semi-automatic open source
intelligence systems, and puts up to date telecommunication technologies at the
disposal of the Commission services and delegations. Due to a permanence system,
the Crisis Room can be reached 24/7 in case of crisis.
DG RELEX also works at promoting disaster preparedness and risk reduction
through its development cooperation and long term part of the Instrument for
Stability.
4) The Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) is increasing providing the
necessary in-house scientific and technical support for the implementation of these
tasks. Through specific inter-service agreements with all three services above
(ECHO, RELEX, MIC), the JRC develops tools relevant inter-alia to monitoring, alert,
satellite-based mapping and analysis, information exchange etc.
Other Community research programmes (such as GMES) will provide further support
once the planned operational services are deployed.
5) In case of major disasters the Commission can also mobilize long term
reconstruction and stabilization programmes under the new EC external relations,
enlargement and development cooperation instruments, whether thematic or
geographic DCI, ENPI, IPA or the 10th EDF including the Food Security Thematic
Programme.
Alessandro Villa
CHAR 12/113 - Rue de la Loi 170, 1049 Brussels
0032 2 2950771
Fax 0032 2 2990873
email alessandro.villa@ec.europa.eu
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