Brussels, 30 May 2023
Ministers responsible for civil defence and civil protection in EU Member States and Participating States in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism will meet today in Brussels for an informal ministerial-level coordination meeting on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) preparedness. The meeting is co-hosted by Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, and the Swedish Minister for Civil Defence, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, on behalf of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
In February 2022, the Mechanism was activated to support Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion. Since then, the Mechanism has been used to channel unprecedented amounts of critical support provided by EU Member States, Participating States and, for the first time ever, private-sector actors. The total amount sent exceeds 90,000 tonnes with an overall financial value of over €650 million. In order to help the country prepare for CBRN incidents, this support included chemical detectors, potassium iodide tablets, therapeutics, dosimeters, radiometers, spectrometers, protection suits and different types of masks to Ukrainian authorities. In addition, over €53 million worth of CBRN countermeasures and response equipment from the rescEU reserves have been mobilised, including potassium iodide tablets, protection suits, antidotes, therapeutics, decontamination means and reagents, respirators, detection devices, and medical equipment.
The ministerial meeting today aims to facilitate a high-level, strategic discussion around how to further strengthen Union-level CBRN preparedness, in support of both Ukraine and other countries that could be affected.
Source – EU Commission