These last few month have shown that Europe needs a strong and reinforced Union civil protection mechanism, so that Member States are more adequately prepared and react quickly and effectively to future crises.
Based on the principles of solidarity and shared responsibility, the overall objective is to ensure that the Union is able to provide its citizens with more effective support in crisis and emergency situations.
In his opinion " A reinforced Union civil protection mechanism" that was adopted during the October CoR Plenary Session, rapporteur Alberto Cirio (IT/EPP), underlines the importance of involving European regions and local authorities when it comes to emergency response: "we are always at the forefront when a serious emergency hits our territories, we know the effects and the duty to respond quickly and well. Our voice is of fundamental importance for planning and implementing emergency interventions."
"With my opinion I wanted to underline the importance of a concrete involvement of European states, regions and local authorities in defining the resilience objectives set at European level. I also believe that it is crucial to know how to implement a governance system without dangerous overlaps between the different operational levels, but stronger, more cohesive and more effective." said the rapporteur following the adoption of his opinion.
The adoption of the opinion coincides with the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
During the Plenary Session, Mami Mizutori, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction highlighted that: "The case for prevention and resilience, alongside the critical needs of response and preparedness, is clear. Europe’s solidarity in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic relies more than ever on its cities and regions. The opinion presented goes a long way towards reinforcing this reality and supporting the European Union achieve goals for disaster resilience across the region"