RescUE, the Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism, aims to further strengthen cooperation between the EU and the Member States and to facilitate coordination in the field of civil protection in the prevention, preparedness and response to natural and man-made disasters. It focuses on direct crisis response capabilities. It has an important medical component.
Objective
To provide assistance in overwhelming situations where overall existing capacities at national level and those pre-committed by Member States to the European Civil Protection Pool are not able to ensure an effective response to the various kinds of disasters.
Priorities
- To ensure a high level of protection against disasters by preventing or reducing their possible effects, promoting the development of a culture of prevention and improving cooperation between civil protection and other relevant services
- To improve preparedness at Member State and EU level to deal with disasters
- To promote the implementation of a rapid and effective response when a disaster occurs or is imminent, including by taking measures to mitigate the immediate consequences of disasters
- To strengthen citizens’ awareness and preparedness for disasters
- To increase the availability and use of scientific knowledge on disasters
- To intensify cooperation and coordination activities at cross-border level and between Member States exposed to similar types of disasters
Financed actions
- Definition of the rescEU capacities by the European Commission taking into account identified and emerging risks, overall capacities and gaps at Union level, in particular in the areas of aerial forest fire fighting, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents, and emergency medical response
- Acquirement, renting or leasing of rescEU capacities by EU Member states
- Deployment, demobilisation and coordination of rescEU capacities for response operations in Member States or third countries
