Albania,

Belgium,

Tunisia,

Slovenia,

Italy,

Türkiye,

Canada,

Greece.

These are just a few countries

that were recently hit

by natural disasters,

and the European Union was by their side,

providing vital support,

sometimes just hours after disaster hit.

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism provides

a coordinated emergency response to any state in the world

hit by disaster.

This building

just behind me

is hosting the Emergency Response Coordination Center.

Let's go inside the operations room

and see what's happening during a crisis.

We are the operational heart

of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

Earthquakes,

floods,

forest fires,

pandemics.

We help countries with

protective equipment,

with intensive care medical equipment.

And we distributed millions of COVID-19 vaccines.

The largest Union Civil Protection Mechanism operation

is undoubtedly

the response to calls of assistance from Ukraine.

We established logistical hubs

to be able to deliver

the much needed assistance into Ukraine.

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism

has channeled support

to all parts of the continent and beyond.

Our teams were at work to rescue people and clear the rubble

just hours after deadly earthquakes ravaged Albania, Croatia and Türkiye.

They were quick with support on the ground

following the devastating floods

in Belgium, Germany, Italy or Slovenia.

Our firefighting fleet

has helped battle wildfires

from Greece to Portugal,

from France to Albania

and across the Atlantic too.

In a historic first,

Canada turned to Europe for support when it was hit

by the worst forest fires in recent times.

And Europe answered the call.

Hundreds of European firefighters combated the violent fires

which ravaged Canada's forests.

But the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events,

as well as the pandemic, have shown that we need to step up our game.

as well as the pandemic, have shown that we need to step up our game.

as well as the pandemic, have shown that we need to step up our game.

This is why we created rescEU, a common reserve of European resources.

This includes a fleet of firefighting planes

and helicopters,

medical evacuation planes

and stockpiles of medical items.

It is a real European safety net

for emergencies.

In the last five years, we've bolstered supplies of vital equipment

for handling chemical,

biological,

radiological

and nuclear incidents.

Since 2020,

we coordinated more than 230 humanitarian

air bridge operations,

responding to 12 crises worldwide.

Most recently, the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Since 2019,

we have provided over €3 billion through the EU Solidarity Fund

to EU countries and accession countries

hit by natural disasters and public health emergencies.

When disaster strikes, we are now better prepared than ever

to support Europeans and the rest of the world.

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