The EUCENTRE Foundation is proud to announce its pivotal role as a partner in the DG-ECHO-funded project “Multi-Country Study: Comprehensive Analysis of Disaster Risk Landscape and Capacity to Respond.” This significant European initiative, coordinated by the Italian Civil Protection Department (DPC), began in April 2023 and will run until April 2026.
The project is a testament to the collective effort of a consortium of esteemed partners, including the International Center for Environmental Monitoring (CIMA), the Romanian Department for Emergency Situations (DSU), the Geological Survey of Slovenia (GeoZS), the Fire University in Poland (APoz), and the APELL National Center for Disaster Management Foundation (CN APELL-RO) in Romania.
The main objectives of the project are:
- Produce country-specific risk management analyses based on guidelines and methodologies developed in the project. These analyses will cover all phases of disaster risk management and reduction, including identifying and mapping major risks, mapping response capacities, and identifying capacity gaps. Analyses will focus on civil protection with a cross-sectoral cooperation component, including detailed analyses of similar initiatives.
- Support disaster risk management capacity building in beneficiary countries using the guidelines and methodologies developed to ensure the sustainability of knowledge transfer.
- Promote the development of existing and potentially new regional civil protection cooperation structures that are complementary or similar to the Union of Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) model.
The project is currently in the start-up phase, which includes Fact Finding Missions (FFM) in the 22 countries involved in the project divided into three areas: IPA Partners (Balkans and Eastern Europe), Near East Partners and North African Partners.
EUCENTRE has already participated in FFMs in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, meetings were held in March with representatives of the Ministry of Security, the Civil Protection Directorates of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Turkey, meetings were held in late April at AFAD headquarters in Ankara with representatives of AFAD and the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change – Directorate General of Spatial Planning.
These missions aim to gather comprehensive information on the assessments carried out on identified risks and operational capabilities, the status of practices and capacity development needs. The results will support future projects in each country, improving regional civil protection cooperation and disaster risk management capabilities.
EUCENTRE is excited about the future of this crucial project and is committed to continuing its contribution, promoting resilience and effective disaster risk management across Europe.
