The European Civil Protection Forum is organised by the European Commission, Directorate General Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (DG ECHO) every two years.

It is the largest recurring public event on European civil protection cooperation. The event brings together the European civil protection community with a view to take stock of common achievements in the disaster risk management field, to share best practices and ideas on issues of common European and international interest, and to discuss ways of addressing new challenges together.

The Forum is also an important tool for strengthening cooperation with our strategic international partners and the European neighbourhood. More than 700 participants from politics, academia, civil protection authorities, first emergency responders, international organisations, European Institutions and other stakeholders gathered in the last Civil Protection Forum in 2013. Its success in raising public awareness on the important role of European civil protection cooperation has been noted throughout Europe and beyond, including good media attention.

This year’s Forum takes place on 6-7 May 2015, in Brussels, and will feature a two-day conference and an indoor and outdoor exhibition, all under the central theme of “Partnership and Innovation”. The Partnership theme will include our traditional partners such as representatives of the European and UN institutions and authorities from around the world (i.e. civil protection and emergency response organisations in the EU Member States, the USA Federal Emergency Management Agency, Japan, Association of Southeast Asian Nations – ASEAN, European Neighbourhood countries), but also new partners, such as private companies, NGOs, academia, scientific institutes, European cities and regions, etc.

The Innovation theme will focus on new technologies (e.g. unmanned aerial systems, social media, security, smart cities), as well as the links with research and development, and innovative ways of engaging with communities and various organisations. The Union’s civil protection work is close to the European citizens’ daily lives and security. The vast majority of EU citizens (82%) agree that a coordinated EU action in dealing with disasters is more effective than actions by individual countries1 . The Commission’s work on civil protection receives strong support from all EU Member States and the European Parliament, and is perceived as a positive example of the added value that EU cooperation brings to European citizens. The updated programme is available HERE. On Twitter, you can follow us at: #EUCivPro.