2 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................05 II. COMMUNITY COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF CIVIL PROTECTION ........07 II.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................08 II.2 The Objectives........................................................................................................08 II.3 Overview: Civil protection in the European Union................................................09 II.4 Management Committee & Permanent Network of National Correspondents.....09 II.5 Main activities in Community co-operation...........................................................09 II.6 Community Action programme.............................................................................10 II.6.1 Major projects II.6.2 Other specific projects II.6.3 Training workshops II.6.4 Simulation exercises II.7. Mutual assistance and operational instruments......................................................12 II.7.1 Operational manual II.7.2 24h/24h Operational structure II.7.3 Secondment of experts II.8. Other activities .......................................................................................................14 II.8.1 International co-operation. II.9.2 Single European Emergency call number: 1-1-2 II.9. Conclusion .............................................................................................................15 III. TYPES, MAIN CHARACTERISTICS AND DISASTERS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION...........................................................................................16 III.1 Types of Major Disasters........................................................................................17 III.2 Characteristics of Major Disasters..........................................................................17 A. Natural Disasters B. Civil Protection Aspects of Technological Disasters C. Environmental Aspects of Disasters III.3 Disasters in the European Union since 1950 .........................................................22 IV. METHODOLOGY OF EMERGENCY PLANNING....................................................40 IV.1 Planning Principles................................................................................................41 IV.2 Types of Emergency Plan.......................................................................................43 IV.3 Emergency Planning..............................................................................................44 3 V. MULTILATERAL AND BILATERAL AGREEMENTS.............................................45 V.1 Multilateral Agreements ........................................................................................46 V.2 Bilateral Agreements on General Hazards.............................................................46 VI. NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF CIVIL PROTECTION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION...........................................................................................48 VI.1 Austria....................................................................................................................49 VI.2 Belgium..................................................................................................................53 VI.3 Denmark ................................................................................................................55 VI.4 Germany.................................................................................................................58 VI.5 Spain ......................................................................................................................61 VI.6 Finland...................................................................................................................65 VI.7 France.....................................................................................................................68 VI.8 Greece ....................................................................................................................71 VI.9 Ireland....................................................................................................................74 VI.10 Italy ........................................................................................................................77 VI.11 Luxembourg...........................................................................................................81 VI.12 Netherlands............................................................................................................84 VI.13 Portugal..................................................................................................................88 VI.14 Sweden...................................................................................................................91 VI.15 United Kingdom.....................................................................................................94 VII. LEGAL FOUNDATIONS RELATING TO THE ORGANIZATION OF INTERVENTION IN AN EMERGENCY ................................................................97 VIII. DOCUMENTATION CENTRES ...................................................................................120 IX. LIST OF TEXTS CONCERNING COMMUNITY COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF CIVIL PROTECTION.................................................................................122 X. ANNEX : NUCLEAR EMERGENCIES.....................................................................124 4 PART I INTRODUCTION 5 I. INTRODUCTION 1. The purpose of this Vade-mecum is to give a general overview of the measures taken by the Member States as well as at Community level in order to deal with disasters. It covers topics which are mainly of interest : - to responsible officials working in the field of civil protection at the national, regional and local level, particularly in the area of preparedness for emergencies, - to volunteers and non-governmental organizations, - to interested members of the general public. This includes the description of disasters, the emergency plan anticipating disasters, as well as the organization of intervention in the Member States and a summary of the agreements signed between Member States. It also presents the progress achieved by the European Commission together with the national services in setting up cooperation in the field of civil protection. 2. This Vade-mecum is not primarily concerned with: - the management of nuclear accidents already covered by other Community arrangements and by cooperation within the framework of the Euratom Treaty. A brief outline of the National Emergencies arrangements are presented in an annex to the present document, - the management of major marine pollution accidents, already covered by a specific Community Action Programme, including the Community Information System, and by several bilateral and multilateral agreements (cf., inter alia, Council Resolution of 26 June 1978, OJ N° C 162 of 8/7/78, p. 1 concerning the setting up of an action programme of the European Communities on the control and reduction of pollution caused by hydrocarbons discharged at sea). 6 PART II COMMUNITY COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF CIVIL PROTECTION II.1 INTRODUCTION In May 1985, a first ministerial meeting held in Rome, laid the foundations for Community co-operation in the field of Civil Protection. Between 1985 and 1994 six resolutions were adopted. Implementation of these resolutions resulted in the creation of several operational instruments covering both the preparedness of those involved in civil protection and the response in the event of a disaster. All Civil Protection initiatives at Community level are implemented on the basis of the subsidiarity principle laid down in the Treaty. In fact the Commission’s aim has been to support and encourage efforts made at national, regional and local level. At the end of 1997 the Council improved the foundations for co-operation still further, by adopting a Decision establishing a Community action programme in the field of civil protection. The Action Programme's implementation is the main priority of the Commission in the field of Civil Protection from now on. Finally, meetings of directors-general for civil protection in the Member States of the European Union, the objective of which is to give the major policy orientation to this co- operation, are held annually. The directors-general from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway also take part to these meetings. II.2 THE OBJECTIVES The objectives of Community co-operation in the field of Civil Protection are to help ensure better protection for people, the environment and property in the event of natural and technological disasters. More specifically, it has the following objectives: · to support and supplement efforts at national, regional and local level with regard to disaster prevention, the preparedness of those responsible for civil protection and the intervention in the event of disaster; · to contribute to the information of the public with a view to increasing the level of self-protection of the European citizens · to establish a framework for effective and rapid co-operation between national civil protection services when mutual assistance is needed; · to enhance the coherence of actions undertaken at international level in the field of civil protection especially in the context of c-ooperation with the candidate Central and Eastern European countries in view of enlargement and with the partners in the Mediterranean