by Dr Hans Christoph Atzpodien, Managing Director of Bundesverband Deutscher Sicherheits- und Verteidigungsindustrie (BDSV), and Lucas Hirsch, Sustainability Analyst at BDSV, Berlin It was in Paris in 2015 when 196 nations approved a joint commitment (Paris Agreement) to limit global warming to 1.5C and to reach carbon neutrality in the second half of this century…
by Manuel de la Cámara Hermoso, EuroDefense-Spain, Madrid In 1995, the European Union (EU) launched the so-called “Barcelona process”, a comprehensive plan whose objective was to extend the area of stability, prosperity, and development to its southern neighbourhood. In 2004, the Mediterranean partners were included in the “European Neighbourhood Policy” (ENP), which included both the…
Interview with Dr Jan Joel Andersson, Senior Analyst, European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), Paris The European: Mr Andersson, as a Senior Analyst at the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) in Paris, you have been working on the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) over many years and you have analysed the…
A report by Hartmut Bühl, Paris Eager to know how the European Union Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) functions, I was very glad to be invited by Antoine Lemasson, who heads up the ERCC, for a walk through the centre. Visiting, amongst others, the operations and the crisis room, I learned operational details and how…
by Sabine Henzler, Director for Strategy and Impact, Directorate-General Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Brussels No one can predict when disaster will strike, but science can help us prepare for the worst and to recover quickly and better. With ever more wildfires, droughts and floods in the EU and around the world, the victims of…
Interview with Babatunde Anthony Ojei, Country Director for Nigeria, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Abuja The European: Mr Ojei, you have been the Country Director for Nigeria of the non-governmental organisation International Rescue Committee (IRC) since February 2021. Could you briefly explain the mission of the IRC? Babatunde Ojei: The IRC helps people affected by humanitarian…
Interview with Ambassador Dr John Paul Grech, Deputy Secretary General, Social & Civil Affairs, Union for the Mediterranean, Barcelona Hartmut Bühl: Ambassador Grech, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is an intergovernmental Euro-Mediterranean organisation aimed at contributing to regional stability, human development and integration: what is the added value of the UfM to security and…
by Charlotte Petri Gornitzka, Director General, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine, now in its second year, has had devastating effects on the Ukrainian people, with serious spillover effects both in Europe and globally. In laying bare some of Europe’s strategic vulnerabilities, the war reinforces our collective need to build up…
by Tristan Simonart, Team Leader, International Cooperation, DG ECHO, European Commission, Brussels Due to their immediate geographic proximity, the European Union (EU) and its eastern and southern neighbouring regions and countries face similar cross-border disaster risks. Some of them are further exacerbated by the severe and increasing impact of climate change, as already seen this…
Interview with Julia Stewart-David, Acting Director, Disaster Preparedness and Prevention/Civil Protection Horizontal Issues (ECHO B.1), and Hans Das, Director for Emergency Management and rescEU (ECHO A), DG ECHO, European Commission, Brussels The European: Ms Stewart-David, Mr Das, you both hold leading positions within the European Commission’s Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid…