EU programme marks four years of successful action in boosting disaster response in Eastern Partnership countries

The third phase of the EU-funded project on ‘Prevention Preparedness and Response to Natural and Man made Disasters in the Eastern Partnership countries’ (PPRD East) has come to an end, marking four years of successful implementation through joint efforts to enhance and strengthen civil protection capacities.

During a two-day closing conference hosted by the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations of the Ministry of Interior in Moldova, programme partners focused on key achievements and tangiable results, including improved cross-border cooperation, bringing partner countries closer to the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, cross-cutting issues and technology for early warning systems. 

Throughout the programme, significant progress has been made in disaster preparedness, response capabilities, and civil protection development, leading to enhanced regional resilience, mutual knowledge exchange, and alignment with EU civil protection standards, and ultimately fostering a safer and more prepared region. 

This four-year programme aimed to enhance resilience and response capacity to catastrophic events through an integrated approach combining training, practical exercises, technological development, and innovations in risk management policies.

The conference brought together 40 participants from partner countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, Consortium partners led by Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, together with the Emergency Services Academy Finland, the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic – Section of Crisis Management, the Centro Internazionale in Monitoraggio Ambientale and the Italian Red Cross (CRI), other regional programmes and the EU.

Paule Gailiunaite, Programme Manager of PPRD East 3, Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, said the programme had established itself as the backbone for enhancing partner countries’ resilience to natural and human-induced disasters: “The third phase of PPRD East has proved instrumental in bringing Eastern Partnership countries closer to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and significantly increased countries’ capacities to prevent, prepare and response to disasters.”

She added that the EU would continue supporting national civil protection authorities and continue good cooperation. 

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