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Civil protection is the protection of people, the environment and property against natural and man-made disasters. The Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) is a highly visible and tangible promise by the European Union (EU) to its citizens to protect them when in need, and to act in solidarity in times of extraordinary suffering. It is a distinctively civilian approach to the problem. On the basis of Articles 196 and 222 (the 'solidarity clause') of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European ...

Draft Amending Budget No 2/2020 (DAB 2/2020) aims to finance proposed action under the Emergency Support Instrument (ESI) and the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (rescEU) to support Member States’ healthcare systems in fighting the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). The European Parliament is expected to vote, under the urgent procedure, on the Council position on DAB 2/2020 during the 16-17 April plenary session.

On 2 April 2020, as part of the EU response to the needs resulting from the coronavirus outbreak, the European Commission proposed to activate the Emergency Support Instrument and reinforce the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (rescEU). Provision of funding for these measures (€3 billion) requires mobilisation of flexibility and last resort mechanisms available under the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). In order to use the global margin for commitments for this purpose, the Commission ...

This briefing is one in a set looking at the Commissioners-designate and their portfolios as put forward by Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen. Each candidate faces a three-hour public hearing, organised by one or more parliamentary committees. After that process, those committees will judge the candidates' suitability for the role based on 'their general competence, European commitment and personal independence', as well as their 'knowledge of their prospective portfolio and their communication ...

The new uncertain geopolitical context has had a far-reaching impact, including on European Union (EU) humanitarian aid. The EU has faced a rising number of terrorist attacks across Europe that has created an atmosphere of fear, while the United Kingdom (UK)'s decision to withdraw from the EU has challenged the European project as we know it. The EU institutions and its Member States, as well as international institutions have been challenged in their response to refugees seeking asylum, and to the ...

Although security cooperation is not yet a well-consolidated priority for the EU in its relations with Latin America, it has acquired increasing importance with the explicit inclusion of citizen security as a new priority area in the 2015 EU-CELAC action plan. The main current areas of EU security-related cooperation with the region are the fight against drugs; violence prevention; conflict resolution in Colombia, with an EU stake in its peace process; and the participation of some Latin American ...

The scenes of devastation caused by recent hurricanes in the Caribbean are a stark reminder of the destructive force of nature. As residents struggle to rebuild their lives following the passage of the latest storms, attention turns to the relief efforts. The EU can help through emergency humanitarian assistance and a variety of funding mechanisms, depending on the status of the territories concerned and their relationship with the EU.

Humanitaire hulp is een specifiek gebied van het externe optreden van de EU, waarbij wordt ingespeeld op behoeften die ontstaan bij door de mens veroorzaakte rampen en natuurrampen. Het directoraat-generaal Europese Civiele Bescherming en Humanitaire Hulp (ECHO) van de Commissie financiert hulpacties en coördineert het beleid en de activiteiten van de lidstaten. Het Parlement en de Raad van de EU dragen als medewetgevers bij aan de invulling van het EU-beleid inzake humanitaire hulp en nemen deel ...

Het ontwikkelingsbeleid is een van de belangrijkste onderdelen van het buitenlands beleid van de Europese Unie. De EU heeft haar oorspronkelijke focus op de landen in Afrika, het Caribisch gebied en de Stille Oceaan geleidelijk uitgebreid en werkt nu samen met zo'n 160 landen wereldwijd. De belangrijkste doelstelling van het ontwikkelingsbeleid van de EU is om armoede uit te bannen. Andere doelen zijn onder meer het steunen van de mensenrechten en de democratie, het bevorderen van gendergelijkheid ...

The signature of the Final Peace Agreement in Colombia on 26 September 2016 brings a successful end to the negotiations between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrilla group. Negotiations between the two sides started in Havana four years ago, and they announced a final peace agreement on 24 August, and the declaration of a definitive ceasefire from 29 August 2016. This has thus raised expectations for a rapid end to the longest-running conflict in modern Latin America. Nevertheless, the ...