Union Civil Protection Mechanism Exercises

Date de clôture : 20 mai 2016  
APPEL À PROJET CLÔTURÉ

The call for proposals for Civil Protection Mechanism Exercises 2016 refers to action 2.6 of the Work Programme 2016  and aims to support exercises simulating the situation and conditions of major emergencies (due to natural and man-made disasters). It will require the activation of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, and the involvement of participating States, enlargement countries not participating in the Mechanism, or countries under European Neighbourhood Policy, through the ERCC, mainly with deployment of intervention teams (including modules), teams of experts, national key contact point staff, officials of the Institutions and other intervention support.

The target group, which in line with Chapter 9, Article 32(3) (a) of the Implementing Decision includes the response capacity of Member States, in particular with regard to teams and other assets provided in assistance interventions under the Union Mechanism.

The aims of the exercise programme defined in Chapter 9, Article 32(3) are reproduced below:

"The exercise programme shall in particular aim at:

(a) improving the response capacity of Member States, in particular with regard to teams and other assets provided in assistance interventions under the Union Mechanism;

(b) improving and verifying the procedures and establishing a common approach for the coordination of assistance interventions under the Union Mechanism and reducing the response time in major disasters;

(c) enhancing cooperation between the civil protection services of Member States and the Commission;

(d) identifying and sharing lessons learnt;

(e) testing the implementation of lessons learnt."

The maximum EU co-funding rate is established in 85% of eligible costs of proposals, with a maximum of Euro 1.000.000 for each proposal financed.

The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of projects is EUR 4 800 000.

EUR 3 600 000 have been reserved for exercises involving only the Participating States (and international organisations) and EUR 1 200 000 for exercises with the involvement of one or more enlargement countries which are not Participating States to the Mechanism or countries under the European Neighbourhood Policy (for more information see the WP 2016).

The objectives are:

To improve civil protection preparedness and response to all kinds of disasters, including marine pollution, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear disasters, as well as combined disasters and disasters simultaneously affecting a number of countries (inside or outside the Participating States of the Mechanism) by providing a testing environment of established and/or new operational concepts and procedures of the Mechanism and a learning opportunity for all actors involved in civil protection assistance interventions under the Civil Protection Mechanism.

The expected results are:

• Improving the response capacity of Member States, in particular with regard to teams and other assets provided in civil protection assistance interventions.
• Improving and verifying the procedures and establishing a common approach for the coordination of civil protection assistance interventions and reducing the response time in major disasters.
• Enhancing cooperation between the civil protection and marine pollution services of Member States, the Commission and other relevant actors.
• Identifying and sharing lessons learned.
• Testing the implementation of lessons learned

The following types of activities are expected:

• Plan, conduct and evaluate exercises with scenarios simulating the situation and conditions of all types of disasters for the activation of the Mechanism, including marine pollution, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear disasters, as well as combined disasters and disasters affecting simultaneously a number of countries (inside or outside the participating states of the Mechanism). The plans for the exercises should also take into account the results of evaluations of previous exercises as well as lessons learned from civil protection actions. Needs of vulnerable groups with disabilities should also be taken into consideration.
• The exercises can be full scale exercises, command post exercises with limited deployment, and table top exercises. A combination of two or three of these exercise concepts is considered as strength. The involvement of Member States is ensured through the ERCC, according to established procedures (e.g. use of CECIS, and activation of the Mechanism) and deployment of exercise participants as defined in Art. 32 of Commission Implementing Decision 2014/762/EU, i.e. intervention teams (including modules), teams of assessment and/or coordination experts (EUCP team), national key contact point staff, other intervention support resources and officials of the EU Institutions, including humanitarian aid experts (if required by the scenario).

Priority issues to be addressed by the exercise projects shall be:

• Host Nation Support;
• Deployment of assets and teams of the European Emergency Response Capacity ;
• Testing ERCC procedures;
• Information exchange between affected country and Participating States ;
• Crisis communication;
• Use of Mechanism's transport and logistic procedures;