Disasters: Protecting and responding together - 4th European civil protection forum

The 4th European Civil Protection Forum is a unique opportunity for civil protection professionals to come together and advance the debate on the EU's increasing role in disaster management – by discussing best practices, recent developments and new ideas. The last Forum brought together more than 600 participants from politics, academia, civil protection services and international organisations.

This year's Forum will focus on how governments and civil society can work together to create stronger, better and more efficient disaster prevention, preparedness and response policies in the EU and beyond. Decision-makers and civil protection experts will be discussing and brainstorming about disaster risk management, financing, response planning and coordination, solidarity and responsibility as well as prospects for the future. Besides various panels and plenary debates, there will also be an indoor-exhibition with innovative technologies, modules, training centres and international partners.

The opening of the Forum will be preceded by an official opening of the new Emergency Response Centre, the European Commission's central platform for disaster response.

Draft Programme

The European Civil Protection Forum organised by the European Commission takes place for the fourth time this year, following successful editions in 2002, 2007 and 2009.

This major event will be preceded by the official opening of the new EU Emergency Response Centre, the Commission's central hub connecting 32 Participating States through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Ms Kristalina Georgieva, Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, will open the European Civil Protection Forum which includes not only a conference but also an indoor and outdoor exhibition. This year's edition will focus on the challenges faced by the civil protection community in the current context of economic crisis.

Conference

The conference will feature:

- Two high-level debates: a plenary panel on the future of civil protection on the European and international stages and a panel with high-level Member States representatives focusing on their expectations from the EU.

- Six panel discussions on aspects and new challenges of the three major phases of disaster management (prevention, preparedness and response).

- Special addresses from Ms Cecilia Malmström, Commissioner for Home Affairs and from Ms Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for Climate Action.

Exhibition

An indoor and outdoor exhibition takes place throughout the conference. The indoor exhibition on the ground and second floor of the Charlemagne building features innovative technology projects and civil protection training centres.

An outdoor exhibition simulating an On-Site Operation and Coordination Centre (OSOCC) after severe floods affecting large areas of EU Members States and third countries is organised on Rond-Point Schuman. The OSOCC will be composed of European Civil Protection Experts and Technical and Administrative Support Teams from Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, as well as UN Disaster and Coordination Experts and International Humanitarian Partnership experts as associated members. The OSOCC will act as in a real situation and be linked with the Emergency Response Centre via the satellite communication system provided by emergency.lu – a project funded by Luxembourg.

Wednesday 15 May 2013

Debates taking place in all three conference rooms will be live streamed.
13:00 – 14:30
Registration and opening of the indoor and outdoor exhibition

Opportunity to visit an On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC) as well as an indoor exhibition featuring innovative technology projects and the work of training centres in the field of disaster management.

14:30 – 15:00

Opening address by Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response

Impressions of the inauguration of the Emergency Response Centre and the address by José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission

Room GASP – Interpretation: EN-FR-DE-IT-ES-PL

15:00– 16:15

Plenary session: The European and international framework for disaster management: Prospects for the future

Elisabetta Gardini, Member of the European Parliament

Michèle Striffler, Member of the European Parliament

Fergus O'Dowd, Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Ireland

Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNISDR

Rudolf Müller, Deputy Director and Chief, Emergency Services Branch, UN OCHA Geneva

Kristalina Georgieva, Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, European Commission

Moderator: Laura Shields, The Media Coach

Room GASP – Interpretation: EN-FR-DE-IT-ES-PL

16:15 – 16:45 Coffee Break
16:45 – 18:15
Panel 1: Better disaster response coordination – Support from the Union

Participants will discuss the potential benefits and actual challenges of the Emergency Response Centre and its expanded role in implementing the innovative elements of the new Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

Bruno Maestracci, Head of the COGIC, General Directorate for Civil Protection and Crisis Management, France

Arabela Vahtaric, Head of International Relations, National Protection and Rescue Directorate, Republic of Croatia

Mariusz Feltynowski, Deputy Director, National Center for Rescue Coordination and Civil Protection, Poland

Adelina Kamal, Head of Disaster Management and Humanitarian Division, ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Department, ASEAN Secretariat

Klaus Rösler, Director of Operations Division, FRONTEX

Florika Fink-Hooijer, Director for Strategy, Policy and International Cooperation, DG ECHO, European Commission

Moderator: Shada Islam, Friends of Europe

Rapporteur: Branko Dervodel, Deputy Director General, Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, Ministry of Defence, Slovenia

Room GASP – Interpretation: EN-FR-DE-IT-ES-PL

Panel 2: Disaster management finance – Available funding in times of economic crisis

Participants will assess the availability of disaster management finance, public and private, for all phases of the disaster management cycle.
Raed Arafat, Secretary of State, Ministry of Health, Romania

Jack Radisch, Risk Policy Analyst, OECD Directorate for Public Governance and Territorial Development

Reto Schneider, Director and Head of Emerging Risk Management at Swiss National Reinsurance Company

Peter Glerum, Glerum Consultancy

Harald Schölzel, Water Sector Specialist, European Investment Bank

Normunds Popens, Deputy Director General, DG REGIO, European Commission

Moderator: Jacki Davis, Meade Davis Communications

Rapporteur: Andreas Frantzis, Senior Civil Defence Officer, Cyprus Civil Defence HQ

Room JENK – Interpretation: EN-FR

Panel 3: Risk management – Enhancing our capability to understand risks at all levels

Participants will debate advances and challenges in risk management, both in the scientific field and at all levels of government.

Debarati Guha-Sapir, Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), University of Louvain, Belgium

Felicity Oswald-Nicholls, Deputy Director: Risks, Infrastructure, High Impacts; Civil Contingencies Secretariat, Cabinet Office, UK

Scira Menoni, Associate Professor for Urban and Regional Planning, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

Tone D. Bergan, Senior Advisor, Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) and Task Leader, Council of the Baltic Sea States

Delilah Al Khudhairy, Head of Unit, Global Security and Crisis Management, Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen (IPSC), European Commission Joint Research Centre

Franco Gabrielli, Head of Civil Protection Department, Italy

Moderator: Anya Sitaram, Rockhopper TV

Rapporteur: Simon Søborg Agger, Chief Adviser, Ministry of Defence Emergency Planning Division, Denmark

Room MANS – Interpretation: EN-FR-IT

18:30 – 20-00 Walking dinner
Thursday 16 May 2013

Debates taking place in all three conference rooms will be live streamed.
09:30 – 10:15

Special address by Cecilia Malmström, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs

"The Internal Security Dimension"

Special address by Connie Hedegaard, EU Commissioner for Climate Action

"The Adaptation Strategy as a Contribution to Risk Management in Europe"
10:30 – 12:00

Panel 4: Disaster response planning – Procedures, plans, people, practice

Disaster response planning must ensure that in case of emergency, the right people react, properly aware of each other’s roles, according to appropriate plans and procedures that have been practiced in well-designed trainings and exercises. Participants will review the contributions of different levels of government and other decision-makers (local, regional, national, EU) to disaster response planning.

Helena Lindberg, Director General of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), Sweden

Timothy Manning, Deputy Administrator for Protection and National Preparedness, FEMA

Alexey Avdeev, Deputy Director, International Cooperation Department, EMERCOM

Wolfgang Krajic, Synergies, Slovenia

Paul Matthews, Commander Royal Navy, Action Officer, EU Movement Planning Cell, EU Military Staff, European External Action Service

Moderator: Anya Sitaram, Rockhopper TV

Rapporteur: Attila Nyikos, Head of International Department, National Directorate General for Disaster Management, Hungary

Room GASP – Interpretation: EN-FR- DE-IT-ES-PL

Panel 5: Solidarity and responsibility in the EU – Tackling costs of disasters

Drawing on experience from around the world, participants will explore different cost-sharing models for common assets in the field of disaster management. In this context, the tricky question of "who pays what" has to be nuanced between disaster prevention, preparedness and response actions.

Dr. Herbert Trimbach, Head of Public security and order, police, public order law, fire and civil protection, Ministry of the Interior of Brandenburg

Luigi D'Angelo, Head of International Relations Unit, Italian National Civil Protection Department

Kim G. Connors, Director, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC)

Mark Jones, Chief Fire Officer of the Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service (UK) and participating expert in the International Working Group on Cooperation in Wildfire Preparedness and Response

Bernd Bluhm, Head of Unit, Pollution Response Services, European Maritime Safety Emergency (EMSA)

Dr. Laurens M. Bouwer, Senior Advisor Risk Analysis, Deltares

Moderator: Oliver Wates, The Media Coach

Rapporteur: Brian Kenny, National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Ireland

Room MANS– Interpretation: EN-FR-DE-IT

Panel 6: Future Disaster Management – A global responsibility

This panel will look beyond the immediate challenges into the future disaster risk management frameworks emerging at international level and the contribution that science and technology can make.

Alicia Dela Rosa Bala, Deputy Secretary General, ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, ASEAN

Tomoo Inoue, Director for Water Management Coordination International, Water and Disaster Management Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan

Lee Howell, Managing Director, Member of the Managing Board, World Economic Forum and Editor-In-Chief, Global Risks 2013

Rowan Douglas, CEO Global Analytics, Willis Group & Chairman, Willis Research Network

Maxx Dilley, Team leader, Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery, Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, UN Development Programme

Ian Clark, Head of Unit, DG ECHO.A3, European Commission

Moderator: Laura Shields, The Media Coach

Rapporteur: Sara Myrdal, Strategic adviser to the Director General, International Affairs, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB)

Room JENK – Interpretation: EN-FR

12:00 – 12:20

Coffee Break

12:20 – 13:00
Highlights from the panel sessions (plenary)

Room GASP – Interpretation: EN-FR-DE-IT-ES-PL

13:00 – 14:45

Buffet lunch

14:45 – 16:15

Plenary Session: The European and international framework for disaster management: Perspectives from the Member States
Panel Discussion with Directors-General of Civil Protection

Helena Lindberg, Sweden

Norbert Seitz, Germany

Michel Papaud, France

Piotr Kwiatkowski, Deputy DG, Poland

Raed Arafat, Secretary of State, Romania

Pentti Partanen, Finland

Jérôme Glorie, Belgium

Claus Sørensen, DG ECHO, European Commission

Moderator: Shada Islam, Friends of Europe

Room GASP – Interpretation: EN-FR-DE-IT-ES-PL

16:15 – 16:30

Closing remarks by Claus Sørensen, Director-General of DG ECHO, European Commission

Room GASP – Interpretation: EN-FR-DE-IT-ES-PL