European Union
it was established by the Council Decision of 23 October 2001.
A Recast of this Council Decision was adopted on 8 November
2007, which in effect seeks to enhance the overall effectiveness of
the EU’s response capability by strengthening the solidarity of its
member states and furthermore to help improve European rapid
response capabilities. The planned improvements will be examined
in more detail later in this article.
In effect, the Mechanism provides a means of facilitating co-
operation between member states in cases of “civil protection
assistance interventions” where a fellow state is affected by a
catastrophic event. It is designed not only to play a response role
Ready for the future.
but also to promote levels of preparedness across participating
states. According to Hans Das, Acting Head of Unit Civil Protection
– Disaster Response at the European Commission: “The role of the
Mechanism is very much a facilitating and co-ordinating role. We
facilitate and co-ordinate at a European level the deployment and
distribution [of assistance] from member states to countries affected
by major disasters.”
Planning today.
Despite the wealth of resources potentially
at its disposal… it is an unwieldy and
often lethargic entity restrained by the ties
of bureaucracy
Learning from the past.
The Mechanism is composed of a series of disaster management
tools, which include: Needhams 1834 builds organisational
The Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) – a
resilience in partnership with clients in all
communication hub which enables both member and non-member
states to appeal to participating states for assistance following sectors within the UK and internationally.
a disaster. Acting as “a one-stop-shop of civil protection means
available”, the MIC matches the needs of the disaster-affected
country with the assistance offered by the various states. Our approach is focussed on:
The Common Emergency and Information System (CECIS) – a
b
web-based, emergency communications platform which facilitates
Plans & processes which are pragmatic & flexible
b
interaction between affected states and those offering assistance,
Training which builds staff confidence & understanding
and provides a means of monitoring ongoing activities in the
b
Exercises which engage & validate
disaster-stricken country.
Civil protection modules – these are composed of a range of
We’re working with clients on:
resources, including equipment and personnel, sourced from
b
Business Continuity (BC) Management
participating member states, which can be mobilised quickly
b
BC Strategy & Policy
(within 12 hours) in the event of a disaster occurring in another
b
Business Impact Analysis
country.
b
Risk Assessment
Training programmes – the Mechanism also offers training to
b
Identification of Mitigating Solutions
enhance the skills of those involved in civil protection assistance
b
Technology Solutions Advisory Role
and to improve co-ordination between member states.
b
Escalation & Command Structures
Speaking in November, Das said that to date the MIC had played
b
BC & Crisis Management Plans
a role in tackling almost 30 emergencies which had involved
b
Staff & Team Training
transporting and co-ordinating resources across three different
b
Desktop and Simulation Exercising
continents. In total, they had deployed some 40 experts from
b
Testing of ICT arrangements
different member states on 14 separate missions.
b
Review, Audit & Gap Analysis
In terms of providing fi nancial assistance in relation to disaster
b
BS 25999, BS 25777 & ISO 27000
management, the EU has two main instruments at its disposal.
The fi rst is in the form of structural funds. Such funds are primarily
designed to reduce the ‘development disparities’ between regions
Contact us today and find out more
and member states. Planned over a seven-year cycle, the total
T +44 (0)20 7353 9498
budget allocated to the structural funds for the current cycle (2007-
E enquiry@needhams1834.com
2013) is €278bn. The fund can be used to provide fi nancial support
1 Hind Court, 149 Fleet Street, London EC4A 3DL
for the development of measures to prevent disasters. According
e
to Rudolf Niessler, Director for Policy Co-ordination – Directorate
General Regional Policy at the European Commission, speaking at
NEEDHAMS
the EU’s Civil Protection Forum, the Commission has set aside some
Business Continuity
€7bn from the fund for the development of preventative measures
and, in addition, investment in operating systems designed to
and Risk Management
©istockphoto.com/lorrainedark
gather information relating to disaster preparation.
www.nee
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