The European Civil Protection Forum is the largest recurring public event on European civil protection cooperation. Following successful editions in 2002, 2007, and 2009, the 4th European Civil Protection Forum took place in Brussels from 15-16 May 2013. It gathered more than 700 participants from politics, academia, civil protection services and international organisations.

The Forum comprised a conference and an exhibition. At this year’s conference, the programme included two high-level debates, six panel discussions on different aspects of disaster prevention, preparedness and response, as well as addresses by EU Commissioners Kristalina Georgieva, Connie Hedegaard and Cecilia Malmström.

This year’s Forum was preceded by the official opening by Commission President José Manuel Barroso of the new EU Emergency Response Centre. The Centre builds on the former Monitoring and Information Centre. It is the Commission’s central hub connecting the Participating States through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

In his speech, Mr Barroso stressed that the Centre will help to better protect European citizens against disasters by bringing the knowledge and capacity of EU Member States as well as of different Commission services together.

Mr Barroso stressed that European solidarity also extends to third countries. He called on both the European Parliament and the Council to swiftly adopt the new civil protection legislation that is currently being negotiated so as to ensure full continuity in the financing of the work of the European Civil Protection Mechanism.