In a recent own-initiative opinion, the EESC proposed establishing a European agency to make up for the shortcomings of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which no longer seemed capable of responding to climate change-related disasters and multiple catastrophes, such as the current war in Ukraine. 

The agency, as proposed by the EESC, would link civil protection and humanitarian aid more consistently, and could pave the way for stronger foreign policy action.

Despite the reinforcement and legal adaptation of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) in May 2021, the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the urgent need to further improve the mechanism and connect civil protection and humanitarian aid in a more coherent way.

Christophe Quarez, rapporteur for the opinion on Consolidating EU Civil Protection, commented: With all these new challenges, and especially with the war in Ukraine, we feel that the mechanism does not have enough or sufficiently efficient tools. The proposal for the creation of a European civil protection and humanitarian aid agency will help the Ukrainian population and it will better address other issues related to disasters and humanitarian crisis situations.

Violeta Jelić, co-rapporteur for the opinion, added: Civil protection needs to be better recognised and valued by all participant countries in this pure act of solidarity and sense of belonging.

The EESC also considers that the diplomatic dimension of EU civil protection is not sufficiently developed. Given that the European Union has been a leader in sending humanitarian aid to neighbouring countries, the civil protection mechanism can become a powerful tool in the EU's foreign policy toolbox.

The EESC has also proposed a legislative amendment to authorise automatic and immediate responses under the mechanism in the event of a man-made disaster or crisis, whether inside or outside EU territory. (at)