Revamped Union Civil Protection Mechanism presented in ENVI

04-06-2020 - 14:51
An employee checks the monitors in control centre of the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) in Brussels, Belgium on Jun. 19, 2017
Union Civil protection mechanism.jpg © Shutterstock, autor Alexandros Michailidis

At its Committee meeting on 4 June ENVI Members heard from DG ECHO Director General, Michou Paraskevi about the Commission new proposal to reinforce the Union Civil Protection Mechanism for the period 2021-2027 in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Commission proposal will aim to equip the new UCPM and its rescEU instrument with a 3.1 billion EUR revamped budget to tackle health and other emergencies in a more coordinated and speedy manner. ENVI had already adopted its report on the previous Commission proposal on 5 March, but the plenary vote has been put on hold in light of a possible revision by the Commission. The UCPM has proven its worth as an instrument to respond to the pandemic both with respect to the procuring of medical equipment and the repatriation of EU nationals stranded abroad. The publication of the new proposal is expected for 2 June.