Скачать или смотреть RescEU: The European system to tackle Civil disasters.

The European Commission revealed ambitious new plans to strengthen Europe's ability to deal with natural disasters.

the European Commission has decided to create a strategic rescEU stockpile of medical equipment such as ventilators and protective masks to help EU countries in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Ursula von der Leyen said: “With the first ever common European reserve of emergency medical equipment we put EU solidarity into action. It will benefit all our Member States and all our citizens. Helping one another is the only way forward.”

Medical equipment part of the stockpile will include items such as:
intensive care medical equipment such as ventilators,
personal protective equipment such as reusable masks,
vaccines and therapeutics,
laboratory supplies.

Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič said: "The EU is taking action to get more equipment to Member States. We are setting up a rescEU stockpile to rapidly get the supplies needed to fight the coronavirus. It will be used to support Member States facing shortages of equipment needed to treat infected patients, protect health care workers and help slow the spread of the virus. Our plan is to move ahead without delay.”

The Commission is taking all necessary steps to ensure adequate supply of protective equipment across Europe. Given current global shortages, the Commission launched an accelerated joint procurement procedure with 26 Member States. As a further safety net, the Commission is adopting an extension to the existing implementing act under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (rescEU) for the Union to buy such equipment. This could lead to first purchases by beginning of April, if approved by Member States. The Commission is also putting forward a Commission Recommendation on the conformity assessment and market surveillance procedures within the context of the COVID-19. This will enable, in particular, to increase the supply of certain types of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as disposable facemasks to civil protection authorities, even if it is not CE-marked, without compromising our health and safety standards.

The Commission is in contact with Member States and industry in order to have reliable information on the supply of protective equipment. The Commission has requested to receive information on a weekly basis on the available stock of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the available production capacity on territories and anticipated needs.

The Commission is also discussing other alternatives with industry, such as textile companies reconverting to produce protective equipment.

Strengthening European response capacities: rescEU

An EU civil protection response reserve of civil protection assets will be established to assist Member States in responding to disasters, when national capacities are overwhelmed. This reserve will be called rescEU and will include assets, such as firefighting aircraft and water pumping equipment, which will complement national capacities. All costs and capacities of rescEU would be fully covered by EU financing, with the Commission retaining the operational control of these assets and deciding on their deployment.

In parallel, the Commission will assist Member States in boosting their national capacities, by financing the adaptation, repair, transport and operation costs of their existing resources – whereas today only transportation costs are covered. These assets would become part of a shared pool of emergency response resources under the European Civil Protection Pool, and would be made available for deployment when disaster strikes.

The Commission is fully aware of the critical situation in Italy. The violent spread of the virus determined the current lack of availability of necessary medical protective equipment. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that several Member States have adopted/are adopting national measures, such as export bans, which seriously disrupt the already strained supply chain. The Commission has therefore insisted that Member States refrain from adopting/implementing such untargeted national measures and requested that they cooperate for implementation of an effective EU-wide approach, based on solidarity among Member States.

rescEU is part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism which strengthens cooperation between Participating States in the field of civil protection, with a view to improving prevention, preparedness and response to disasters. The proposal upgrades the EU Civil Protection Mechanism's rescEU reserve of assets that already includes firefighting planes and helicopters. Through the Mechanism, the European Commission plays a key role in coordinating the response to disasters in Europe and beyond.

When the scale of an emergency overwhelms the response capabilities of a country, it can request assistance via the Mechanism.