22 November 2024
Dear Members of the European Parliament,
The recent floods in Spain have once again highlighted shortcomings in disaster risk management strategies across EU Member States. It is clear that while the EU has made progress in some areas, such as by implementing mobile based public warning technologies, there remains an urgent need for a more robust European conversation on developing coherent strategies on Resilience, Disaster Management, and Civil Protection. Without a stronger, platform for debate on disaster risk management at the European level, critical lessons learned in one Member State are not being shared with others, leading to repeated, preventable failures in disaster risk management, and losses in life.
This is not a technical issue, but a political one, as politicians across all EU Member States are not having the right conversations on resilience, disaster risk management and civil protection until they face a mass causality event.
As a result, EENA calls for the establishment of a European Parliament Intergroup dedicated to Resilience, Disaster Management, and Civil Protection.
Such a forum would enable informal exchanges of views across political groups, drawing in members from different parliamentary committees and promoting collaboration between Members of Parliament and civil society. We believe this dedicated space would significantly enhance awareness and foster effective risk management strategies throughout the EU.
The floods in Spain serve as yet another reminder of the high cost of inaction. The EU can no longer afford to delay addressing the gaps in cooperation and coordination in disaster risk management. It is imperative that we take concrete steps to ensure that our citizens are better protected against future crises.
Kind regards,
Demetrios G. Pyrros, MD, EMDM
President of EENA