Union Civil Protection Mechanism and Union support for health emergency preparedness and response
PURPOSE: to provide for the Union Civil Protection Mechanism for the period 2028-2034.
PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.
BACKGROUND: on 16 July 2025, the Commission unveiled its proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 (MFF), a budget of almost EUR 2 trillion between 2028 and 2034 designed to strengthen Europe's sovereignty, competitiveness, and resilience. This proposal is part of a set of sectoral regulations governing programmes under the next MFF.
Given the significant increase in the number and severity of natural and human-induced hazards in recent years, enhanced cooperation in the field of civil protection at Union level is necessary to create a resilient Union with the necessary capacities to anticipate and manage such risks and threats, whatever their nature of origin. The Union Civil Protection Mechanism should fulfil this role by strengthening cooperation and coordination between Member States in order to improve the overall capacity to prevent, prepare for and respond to them.
CONTENT: the proposed regulation provides for the Union Civil Protection Mechanism and sets out Union support for health emergency preparedness and response. It defines the objectives, the budget for the period 2028-2034, the forms of Union financing, and the rules for granting that financing.
General objective
The proposed regulation aims to ensure the protection of people, the environment and property, as well as cultural heritage, against all types of natural and human-induced disasters, including serious cross-border threats to health. It will allow for cross-sectoral coordination in situations where other EU crisis response or risk management mechanisms are applied.
The indicative financial envelope for the implementation of the regulation for the period 2028-2034 is set at EUR 10 675 000 000 in current prices.
The specific objectives pursued are as follows:
- strengthen understanding and anticipation of disaster risks and threats, including those related to climate change and public health, and work proactively to prevent or mitigate their potential impacts, foster prevention and preparedness, and enhance collaboration between civil protection, health and other relevant authorities;
- facilitate capacity building at Union and Member State level, including by encouraging and increasing the uptake and use of research and innovation results in disaster and crisis response, by providing and implementing capacity building programmes such as training and exercises, peer reviews and deployment of experts;
- strengthen preparedness at Member State and Union level, including at all levels of society by: (i) supporting the development of early warning systems to detect and communicate imminent threats of disasters, (ii) promoting the integration of disaster risk reduction and preparedness considerations into policies and financial frameworks at national and Union level, (iii) facilitating preparedness and resilience of all actors and stakeholders, including all levels of government, civil and military authorities, civil society and the private sector;
- facilitate a rapid and effective response within the Union as well as outside the Union, following a request for assistance;
- support the preparedness and response of Member States and the Union to cross-sectoral crises;
- strengthen capacities for prevention, preparedness and rapid response to serious cross-border threats to health and improve the supply of medical countermeasures.
The Commission should work with the High Representative to help develop measures to improve civil-military preparedness and response coordination within the Union, in consultation with Member States.
Emergency Response Coordination Centre
Coordination efforts will be strengthened and further refined through the capacity building of the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) and the establishment of a dedicated Crisis Coordination Hub to help Member States anticipate and manage the consequences of crises across all sectors.
The co-financing rates and operational rules established in Decision No 1313/2013 and under the EU4Health programme will be simplified to allow for more efficient and flexible implementation in the event of a fast-evolving crisis.