Today, April 20, an Agreement on Ukraine’s accession to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism was signed in Kyiv. This is the world’s largest system for providing internationally coordinated operational assistance in emergencies.

The Agreement was signed on behalf of the EU by Janez Lenarčič, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, who is on a working visit to Ukraine, and on behalf of Ukraine by Ihor Klymenko, Minister of Internal Affairs.

“Ukraine’s full participation in the Civil Protection Mechanism will help strengthen our country’s capacity to prevent and respond to natural, technogenic and military-related disasters at the national and international levels with the involvement of national forces of EU member states,” commented Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine.

The Deputy Prime Minister also noted that Ukraine’s accession to the Mechanism in the midst of a full-scale war was another convincing evidence of the resilience and effectiveness of Ukrainian institutions and the strength of the Ukrainian state.

During a bilateral meeting with European Commissioner Janez Lenarčič, Olha Stefanishyna thanked for his personal contribution and for mobilising the necessary assistance to meet Ukraine’s priority needs. Thus, about 88,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid have been sent to Ukraine through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

“Since Ukraine activated the Mechanism in February 2022, the EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre has launched the largest and most complex humanitarian assistance operation in the EU’s history,” the Deputy Prime Minister added.

In turn, European Commissioner Janez Lenarčič noted that Ukraine’s accession to the Civil Protection Mechanism was a further step towards Ukraine’s European integration.

For reference

The European Commission established the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in October 2001. The Mechanism aims to strengthen cooperation between the EU and 8 participating states on civil protection issues in order to prevent and respond to disasters.