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dossier	COM(2025)548 - Union Civil Protection Mechanism and Union support for health emergency preparedness and response, and repealing Decision No ...
document	COM(2025)548
datum	16 juli 2025

(1) In view of the significant increase in the numbers and severity of natural and human-induced hazards in recent years, the strengthening of cooperation in the field of civil protection at Union level is necessary to create a resilient Union with the capabilities required to anticipate and manage those risks and threats, independently of their nature of origin, to ensure that the citizens of the Union enjoy adequate protection. The Union Civil Protection Mechanism (the ‘Union Mechanism’) should fulfil this role by strengthening cooperation and coordination among Member States to enhance the overall ability to prevent, prepare for, and respond to disasters and crises.

(2) This Regulation lays down an indicative financial envelope for the Union Mechanism and the financing of health emergency preparedness and response. For the purpose of this Regulation, current prices are calculated by applying a fixed 2% deflator. Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 of the European Parliament and of the Council ¹⁵ (the ‘Financial Regulation’) applies to this Regulation. It lays down the rules on the establishment and the implementation of the general budget of the Union, including the rules on grants, prizes, non-financial donations, procurement, indirect implementation, financial assistance, financial instruments and budgetary guarantees.

(3) While prevention and preparedness measures are essential to enhance the resilience of the Union in facing natural and human-induced disasters, the occurrence, timing and magnitude of disasters are by nature unpredictable. Financial resources required to ensure an adequate response can vary significantly from year to year and should be made available immediately. Reconciling the budgetary principle of predictability with the necessity to react rapidly to new needs therefore means having to adapt the financial implementation of the work programmes. Consequently, it is appropriate to authorise carry-over of unused appropriations, limited to the following year and solely devoted to response actions, in addition to the carry-over of appropriations authorised under Article 12(4) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509.

(4) In a rapidly changing economic, social and geopolitical environment, recent experience has shown the need for a more flexible multiannual financial framework and Union spending programmes. To that effect, the funding should duly consider the evolving policy needs and Union’s priorities as identified in relevant documents published by the Commission, in Council conclusions and European Parliament resolutions, while ensuring sufficient predictability for the budget implementation.

(5) In accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509, Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 ¹⁶ , Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 ¹⁷ and Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, the financial interests of the Union are to be protected through proportionate measures, including the prevention, detection, correction and investigation of irregularities and fraud, the recovery of funds lost, wrongly paid or incorrectly used and, where appropriate, the imposition of administrative sanctions. In particular, in accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 and Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) may carry out investigations, including on-the-spot checks and inspections, with a view to establishing whether there has been fraud, corruption or any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of the Union. In accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 ¹⁸ , the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) may investigate and prosecute fraud and other illegal activities affecting the financial interests of the Union as provided for in Directive (EU) 2017/1371 of the European Parliament and of the Council ¹⁹ . In accordance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509, any person or entity receiving Union funds is to fully cooperate in the protection of the Union’s financial interests, to grant the necessary rights and access to the Commission, OLAF, the EPPO and the Court of Auditors and to ensure that any third parties involved in the implementation of Union funds grant equivalent rights.

(6) The protection to be ensured under the Union Mechanism should cover people, the environment and property, including housing, critical infrastructure, such as energy and transport or space infrastructure, and cultural heritage, against all kinds of natural and human-induced disasters. Reference to natural and human-induced disasters should be understood as referring to the consequences of all natural and human-induced hazards. This should include acts of terrorism, technological, radiological or environmental disasters, climate change, marine and inland water pollution, water supply disruptions and water resilience, hydrogeological instability, health emergencies, and other undefined hybrid disasters or emergencies, occurring inside or outside the Union. Those disasters require cross-sectoral coordination in situations where other Union crisis management mechanisms are also applied.

(7) The Union Mechanism should promote solidarity between the Member States through practical cooperation and coordination, without prejudice to the Member States’ primary responsibility to protect people, the environment and property, including cultural heritage, on their territory against all disasters and to provide their disaster-management systems with sufficient capabilities to enable them to prevent, and cope adequately and in a consistent manner with, disasters of a nature and magnitude that can reasonably be expected and prepared for.

(8) To promote consistency in its international action in the field of civil protection, the Union should recognise the key role of intergovernmental organisations through strengthening policy dialogue, exchange of knowledge and best practices as disasters and crises are increasing in scale and scope globally and the risks and threats thereof are shared by the Union.

(9) In order to foster an integrated and comprehensive approach to disaster risk management, the Union action should cover all priorities for action under the Sendai framework. While structural resilience and preparedness measures are addressed horizontally and in relevant Union programmes, the Mechanism should address them in its different phases of the disaster management cycle, namely prevention, preparedness and response, through coordinated planning and action that anticipate and mitigate risks, enhance preparedness and enable effective response while recovery and reconstruction should remain addressed in other Union instruments. The Union should promote the importance of disaster prevention and the integration of preventive measures into governance and sectoral policies, with a view to reducing risks, strengthening the resilience of population, infrastructure and essential services and minimising the impact of disasters, as well as aim to further develop the Union disaster resilience goals established by Regulation (EU) 2021/836 of the European Parliament and of the Council ²⁰ . A stronger collective operational response at Union level, together with support for the individual capabilities of Member States through capacity-building measures, is essential to ensure the skills, resources and knowledge needed to manage risks, reduce vulnerabilities and enhance resilience to future risks and threats.

(10) To ensure a comprehensive and up-to-date overview and understanding of the risk landscape on the national and appropriate sub-national level, Member States should regularly conduct and publish assessments of risks, the information on which they should share with the Commission at least once every 5 years, or where a significant change in the risk landscape requires the updating of such assessments. Those risk assessments, or the summaries thereof, should be used by the Commission and to produce and develop Union level disaster scenarios, plans, risks and threats assessments and risks management measures reports as necessary for a comprehensive understanding of risks affecting the Union, and the capabilities to address them. Such assessments and plans should be consistent and coordinated with other relevant national and Union level processes.

(11) While Member States are responsible for their health policies, they should prepare for and protect against serious cross-border threats to health in a spirit of European solidarity, cooperation and coordination. With a view to strengthening the capability in the Union in this respect, this Regulation should provide support in particular actions under Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 November 2022 on serious cross-border threats to health as well as under Council Regulation (EU) 2022/2372 on a framework of measures for ensuring the supply of crisis-relevant medical countermeasures in the event of a public health emergency at Union level. This Regulation should also ensure synergies with the crisis related mandates of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Medicines Agency, as well as relevant national and international organisations.

(12) The Union medical countermeasures landscape still shows a dependence of the Union on third countries in ensuring the supply of raw materials, active pharmaceutical ingredients, medicinal products, medical devices and personal protective equipment needed in the Union during health crises, in particular pandemics. The Regulation should therefore provide support to actions that foster the procurement, management, stockpiling and deployment of crisis relevant products within the Union to strengthen the strategic autonomy of the Union and ensure better a security of supply of medical countermeasures.

(13) During a public health emergency at Union level, as referred to in Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2022/2371, the demand for crisis-relevant medical countermeasures could be greater than the supply. In such a situation, surge production and manufacturing of medical countermeasures are essential. Support should be provided to actions that reserve capacity of manufacturing for crisis-relevant medical countermeasures, including the needed raw materials and ancillary supplies and components.

(14) Unlike typical procurement activities, procurement activities related to preventing possible health crisis situations from escalating to actual crisis situations require a certain level of flexibility and reactivity. Hence, the Regulation should allow adding new contracting authorities without reaching the threshold required by Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 in order to avoid that a potential serious health crisis unfolds.

(15) Capacity building programmes as well as uptake and sharing of research and innovation are essential aspects of cooperation in the field of civil protection. To strengthen the collective capacity to prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters, to support knowledge sharing within the civil protection community and application of research in all phases of disaster risk management, and to enhance the collaboration and knowledge exchange between civil protection and disaster risk management actors, civil society organisations and research community, it is necessary to maintain and further reinforce the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network (the ‘Knowledge Network’) established by Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/1956 ²¹ . The Knowledge Network should build on the work of and collaborate with existing structures including civil protection practitioners, centres of excellence, universities, researchers and other experts, young professionals and experienced volunteers in emergency management as well as all actors intervening in disaster risk management. The Knowledge Network should also be strengthened in line with the Preparedness Union Strategy ²² by incorporating dedicated actions in the areas of population preparedness and public-private cooperation. The Network should be able to facilitate knowledge exchange and cooperation with international organisations and, in accordance with Member States’ institutional and legal framework, cooperation with regional and local authorities, ensuring that their role, needs and capabilities are duly considered.

(16) With a view to strengthening capabilities in the Union to prevent, prepare for, respond to and manage health crises, this Regulation should provide support to actions taken in the framework of complementary mechanisms and structures established under the relevant Union crisis management instruments, considering in particular European supply chain. That support should include capacity building in health crisis response, including contingency planning and preparedness, including to climate impacts on health, preventive measures such as those related to vaccination and immunisation, strengthened surveillance programmes and improved coordination and cooperation.

(17) Provisions should be put in place to ensure a framework for a continuous ongoing evolution of the Union’s Disaster Resilience Goals. Those goals shall be based on current and forward-looking scenarios, including the impacts of climate change on disaster risks, data on past events and cross-sectoral impact analysis, with particular attention given to vulnerable groups and communities living in coastal areas, islands or other regions particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change such as sea level rise and floods.

(18) In response to the increasing frequency and severity of natural and human-induced disasters, enhancing intergenerational societal resilience is essential and a collective responsibility. It requires harnessing the collective resources of youth and civil society organisations, media, education, training and cultural institutions, scientific institutions and academia, public authorities, social partners, the private sector, local networks and communities, and citizens in anticipating, preventing, managing, and recovering from disasters and crises. Effective population preparedness for all, including women and groups in vulnerable situations, children, older persons, refugees, people with a minority racial or ethnic background, such as Roma, and persons with disabilities as well as tourists and those who are temporarily present in the territory of a Member State and may be exposed to cross-border risks, strengthens societal resilience by ensuring that all people, irrespective of their ability, possess the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to protect themselves and support others against potential risks and threats.

(19) As outlined in the Preparedness Union Strategy, preparedness by design integrates preventive measures, risk assessment, adaptive planning, stakeholder engagement, as well as security considerations across Union legislation, policies and programmes, including in economic and social policies coordinated under the European Semester. This approach offers a proactive framework enabling all relevant stakeholders such as organisations, communities, and authorities to anticipate, prevent, manage, and recover from crises, regardless of their origin. By promoting collaboration between public and private sectors, and the scientific community, as well as by uptake of research and innovation results, preparedness by design strengthens the capacity to prevent and manage disruptions and ensures the protection of lives, assets, environment and the integrity of critical infrastructure.

(20) Disaster risk prevention and preparedness considerations should be systematically integrated into the relevant policies, programmes, and governance processes. The Union Mechanism should therefore advance the principle of preparedness by design, as set out in the Strategy, including by contributing to the development and dissemination of risk knowledge and operational experience to support risk-aware planning and decisions that enhance preparedness across sectors.

(21) The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the multi-sectorial nature of health crises, underscoring the importance of incorporating health considerations into a crisis management framework that includes this Regulation. Combining civil protection and health emergency preparedness and response measures within civil protection ensures a comprehensive, coordinated approach to managing disasters, ultimately enhancing resilience and safeguarding the population against a wide range of potential risks and threats. Health emergencies, such as pandemics, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear threats, resistance to antimicrobial or health impacts of climate-related events related to the increase in Europe of vector-borne diseases, can have far-reaching impacts beyond the health sector, affecting social stability, environmental balance or the provision of essential services relying on critical infrastructure. The envisaged cross-cutting approach can prevent or mitigate the impact of health-related emergencies before they escalate into crises. A particular attention needs to be paid to populations living in institutions, such as persons with disabilities or older persons in need of long-term care, who are particularly exposed and affected to health emergencies, as evidenced by the COVID-19 crisis.

(22) While Member States are responsible for their health policies, they should protect public health in a spirit of European solidarity, cooperation and coordination. That cooperation should improve preparedness for, and prevention and control of serious cross-border threats to health. Preparedness is the key to improving resilience to future threats. Experience gained from the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that there is a need for further action at Union level to support cooperation and coordination among the Member States. That cooperation should improve preparedness for, and the prevention and control of, the spread of severe human infections and diseases across borders in order to combat other serious cross-border threats to health and to safeguard and improve the health and well-being of all people in the Union.

(23) Amid rapidly increasing risks and uncertainty, the Union is dedicated to bolstering resilience across various areas to effectively anticipate, endure and recover from diverse challenges and crises. In that context, the political commitment to work towards the European Civil Defence Mechanism entails a firm political engagement to make available adequate and flexible arrangements to effectively and efficiently address cross-sectoral, complex and long-lasting crises. These specific arrangements should be applied to cross-sectoral crises and also but not exclusively to situations with regard to an integrated political crisis response or a Solidarity Clause activation has been made, or which the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a public health emergency of international concern, as well as to emergencies falling under the scope of other Union instruments that deal with sectoral emergencies, such as in internal market, consular, security, health and climate related emergencies, where the capabilities of the Union Mechanism can provide support in managing consequences of those crises.

(24) The Union should be prepared for large-scale, cross-sectoral incidents and crises, including the potential for armed aggression affecting one or more Member States. Typically, national civil authorities bear primary responsibility in most crisis situations. However, in an increasing number of cases, such as health emergencies, extreme weather events, and hybrid or cyber-attacks, civilian authorities require military support. In the event of armed aggression, military forces would need civilian assistance to ensure the continuous functioning of the state and society. Therefore, there is a need to improve interaction between civilian and military actors, without undermining their respective competences and in full cooperation with Member States. As follow-up to the Preparedness Union Strategy, the Commission and the High Representative should develop arrangements for civil-military preparedness. Those arrangements should clarify the roles, responsibilities, and priorities of Union institutions, bodies, agencies, and Member States in preparing for and responding to incidents and crises.

(25) The use of military means under civilian lead as a last resort may constitute an important contribution to disaster response. Where the use of military capacities in support of civil protection operations is considered to be appropriate, cooperation with the military should follow the modalities, procedures and criteria established by the Council or its competent bodies for making available to the Union Mechanism military capacities relevant to civil protection and should be in line with the relevant international guidelines.

(26) Crises often show cross-sectoral nature, impacting multiple sides of society and requiring a coordinated and integrated response from various sectors. Whether stemming from natural hazards, security or public health emergencies, these crises tend to transcend traditional boundaries and affect multiple sectors simultaneously. Rules should be established to enable the Union Mechanism to effectively support cross-sectoral crisis management in complementarity with measures and procedures existing under other Union instruments.

(27) The multifaceted nature of cross-sectoral crises demands a comprehensive and integrated approach to their management, necessitating close and efficient cooperation to effectively navigate the challenges they present. National civil protection authorities should remain the primary competent authorities supporting the Union Mechanism. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure coordination, monitoring and support of cross-sectoral operation at the Union level, in support of national efforts. For this reason, a Crisis Coordination Hub (the ‘Hub’) should be established. The Hub shall operate in synergy with the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) and complement its function, making use of the existing structures and expertise of the ERCC. The ERCC will continue its mandate supporting the Union Mechanism, and to provide a central point for operational coordination with Member States authorities, including entities authorised by the Member States, Union institutions and bodies, as well as Commission services. To maximise these efforts, rules should be put in place allowing the scaling up of Union support to Member State action, to accurately reflect the demands and the urgency of the needs. In order to link external action with internal crisis response more effectively and avoid duplication of efforts, the Hub should cooperate with the European External Action Service (EEAS), and in particular its Crisis Response Centre, in respect to the role and competences of the High Representative.

(28) In order to ensure coherence with relevant existing structures, the Crisis Coordination Hub will also coordinate closely with the Commission’s internal security architecture, including the future establishment of the Integrated Security Operations Centre (ISOC), as announced in the Commission Communication ProtectEU: a European Internal Security Strategy ²³ . The activities of the Hub will, where relevant, align with the Commission’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), communication tools, and security procedures, thereby ensuring maximum interoperability, facilitating the sharing of information, and supporting security aspects in the protection of Commission assets.

(29) Provisions of this Regulation which are addressed to Member States should be understood as being addressed also to associated countries. However, while this Regulation may complement the implementation of other Union risk management instruments in cases of cross-sectoral crises, countries associated to the Union Mechanism should not be involved unless they fall under the scope of the supported instrument.

(30) Rules should provide that requests for assistance under the Union Mechanism may be made by the affected country, whether it is a Member State or a third country, as well as by the United Nations and its agencies or an international organisation specifically identified for this purpose. Such requests for assistance should be allowed to identify the kind of civil protection or relief needed to address the emergency, including where the request is for dual-use assets.

(31) Member States, supported by the Commission, and as appropriate Union delegations in third countries, should ensure that all appropriate measures are taken for the timely transport of assistance they offer, including as regards the preparation of transport, availability and deployability of such assistance.

(32) Temporary allocation of any response capacities under the Union Mechanism should be possible for situations of increased risk of disasters in a Member State or third country. It should involve the temporary deployment of resources and response teams in anticipation of natural or human-induced hazards.

(33) In order to ensure operational readiness, in particular in wildfire risk areas during the summer season and other areas experiencing recurring seasonal risks, the Union Mechanism should enable the pre-positioning of response capacities in Member States to address those risks. This proactive measure should enhance the Union's readiness to combat recurring disasters, mitigating their devastating impact on lives, homes, and the environment. At the same time, this action should facilitate the sharing of technical and operational knowledge across various scenarios and fire contexts, reinforce interoperability, and improve the concept of host nation support for response capacities. Where those capacities and intervention teams would be required to respond to a disaster during their pre-positioning, rules on response should apply, particularly as regards the cost of their operation.

(34) With rising temperatures and prolonged periods of drought, the risk of wildfires in the Union is increasing and such fires are becoming more frequent and more intense; at the same time the limited availability of specialised response capacities, including amphibious aerial forest-fire-fighting means, remains a major concern and constitutes the Union’s principal operational challenge where multiple wildfires occur simultaneously. To ensure a smooth transition to the full implementation of rescEU, the Union-level reserve of capacities established by Decision (EU) 2019/420 of the European Parliament and of the Council ²⁴ , it is essential to prolong that transitional period as laid down in Decision (EU) 2023/2671 of the European Parliament and of the Council ²⁵ until 2034, so that the Union can continue financing national aerial fire-fighting means and make them available for response operations under the Union Mechanism while the permanent rescEU aerial forest-fire-fighting fleet is being progressively established; those new aerial-fire-fighting means, financed under rescEU, are currently under development and are expected to become progressively available starting in 2028.

(35) The Union Mechanism may be used to provide civil protection support for consular assistance to Union citizens affected by disasters in third countries, if requested by the Member States whose citizens are affected by the disaster. Where possible, the Member States concerned should endeavour to coordinate such requests among themselves and with any other relevant actors to ensure the optimal use of the Union Mechanism and to avoid practical difficulties on the ground. Civil protection support for consular assistance may encompass actions such as repatriations, assisted departures and evacuations, without prejudice to other possible actions. Such support may be requested where Member States are unable to ensure a swift and effective evacuation of Union citizens using commercial options, due to the sudden nature of the emergency or the political or security situation, which may render commercial flights insufficient, unreliable, or inaccessible. Furthermore, requests may be made in situations involving multiple Member States or large-scale repatriations, assisted departures, and evacuations where pooled means of transportation would provide a more efficient and cost-effective solution. The Member State of the affected citizens, or the Member State coordinating assistance for all Union citizens, may receive financial assistance under the Union Mechanism for civil protection support to consular assistance. To further promote the principle of European solidarity enshrined in this Regulation, financial assistance should be made progressive, subject to the multiple nationalities of Union citizens on board of the means of transport. Member State carrying out the consular assistance to unrepresented Union citizens in accordance with Council Directive (EU) 2015/637 ²⁶ may request that either passengers or Member States whose citizens are covered by this action, contribute to the costs related to the action at market rates. Where Member States providing such consular assistance benefit from financial assistance under the Union Mechanisms, reimbursements requested pursuant to that Directive should be taken into account in determining any contribution of the Union Mechanism. As an additional layer of civil protection assistance, rescEU capacities in the field of transport and logistics may also be used for civil protection support to consular assistance.

(36) To enhance readability, and therefore legal certainty, the financing of adaptation costs for response capacities committed to the European Civil Protection Pool (‘ECPP’) should be simplified. Additionally, higher financing should be ensured for operational costs incurred during deployments of ECPP capacities registered in accordance with Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/704 ²⁷ , in response operations under the Union Mechanism.

(37) rescEU has consistently proven its added value in Union coordinated response operations. To ensure coherence with the Strategy and subject to availability of financial resources, the Commission should further strengthen rescEU by financing the maintenance of existing capacities and, where appropriate, scaling them up and creating additional ones. Development of rescEU capacities should include all forms of acquisition such as procurement, contracting, renting or leasing, including for medical countermeasures. In this context, and in line with Union law and international commitments, the use of solutions developed or produced in the Union should be promoted in order to reinforce the Union’s strategic autonomy and the resilience of critical supply chains. Under exceptional circumstances, such as when the required medical countermeasures are not defined under rescEU, for example for active pharmaceutical ingredients or investigational products, stocks could be developed outside the Union Mechanism. Experience gained during deployments in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Union’s response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the recurrent wildfire seasons shows that the rules governing the management and rapid deployment of rescEU capacities need to be further streamlined to ensure rapid response.

(38) rescEU capacities may be deployed outside the Union in case a natural or human-induced hazard reaches a significant scale and is of international concern. Such deployment should be considered where the Union has an interest to respond to the emergency or where a crisis has the potential to impact the Union, including where the crisis threatens Union citizens, requires urgent intervention, and was notified under other Union instruments or international response mechanisms.

(39) Private sector cooperation should be further strengthened by channelling donations of disaster relief items to existing capacities under rescEU, hosted by Member States. Donations should be channelled through the Member States hosting rescEU capacities, subject to quality assurance before possible dispatching. Rules should be established enabling the setting up of logistical hubs for the purpose of pooling assistance or warehouses stockpiling rescEU capacities that may be received from the private sector.

(40) By facilitating the continued development and enhanced integration of cross-border detection, early warning, and alert systems of significance to the Union, the Union should assist Member States in reducing the lead time required to respond to disasters and in issuing timely alerts to Union citizens. Those systems should leverage both existing and emerging information sources and infrastructures, while actively promoting the adoption of innovative technologies. Recognising that Member States hold primary responsibility for alerting their populations to ensure the effective dissemination of warnings and preparedness in the event of disasters, it is essential to reinforce their capabilities.

(41) To enhance the preparedness for cross-sectoral, cross-border, and Union-wide disasters, the Union , through its Mechanism and existing Union tools, should provide support to Member States in developing and implementing public warning systems. The Union Mechanism should exploit, where necessary, services provided by the Union space systems, such as Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus and the Earth observation governmental service, IRIS2 and GOVSATCOM as well as space situational awareness services. The early warning component of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service consisting of the European Flood Awareness System, the European Forest Fire Information System and the European Drought Observatory should contribute to minimising the lead time to respond to disasters. These assets are significant Union-level tools to effectively prepare for and respond to disasters and crises both within and beyond the Union's borders.

(42) The Union Mechanism should consolidate and pool together the analytical and scientific capacities necessary for operational preparedness in Union-coordinated response under a scientific and technical advisory facility (STAF). This facility should act as a supporting pillar for the ERCC, the Hub and Member States. STAF should provide expert analysis as well as scientific and technical insights, contributing to enhanced operational preparedness, analysis and situational awareness. This initiative should adopt a service-oriented, all-hazards and cross-sectorial approach to anticipate, prepare for and address disasters and crises, complementing the research and development work of the Commission in-house science and knowledge service (Joint Research Centre).

(43) In recent years, the Union Mechanism has been activated repeatedly to conduct medical evacuations from disaster-affected third countries whose health-care systems were overwhelmed, notably in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and, following the nightclub fire in North Macedonia, ensuring the safe transfer and treatment of patients in Member States and other countries associated to the Union Mechanism that volunteered to provide such support. Therefore, in large-scale operations, the Union should support series of actions allowing to coordinate the transfer of patients from the requesting country to the treating Member State; Such actions can include deployment of an assessment team, and short term transit in a local medical facility or specifically established medical evacuation related hub; therefore, common rules should specify which activities are considered part of a medical evacuation operation and the conditions and procedures for setting up and operating hubs dedicated to facilitating medical evacuation.

(44) Recognising the importance of fostering international cooperation in the field of civil protection, and without prejudice to rules governing the association of third countries to the Union Mechanism, it is essential for the Commission to engage in coordinated efforts with third countries having similar objectives in disaster risk management and civil protection. That should allow the Commission to align policy priorities and coordinate operations with national authorities of third countries designated as strategic partner countries.

(45) In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Regulation through the relevant implementing acts, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council ²⁸ .

(46) The examination procedure should be used for the adoption of the relevant implementing acts given that those acts implement acts of general scope.

(47) Pursuant to Article 85(1) of Council Decision (EU) 2021/1764 ²⁹ , persons and entities established in overseas countries and territories are eligible for funding subject to the ruled objectives of the Programme and possible arrangements applicable to the Member State to which the relevant overseas country or territory is linked.

(48) The Union Mechanism is to be implemented in accordance with Regulation (EU) [XXX]* of the European Parliament and of the Council [performance regulation] which establishes the rules for the expenditure tracking and the performance framework for the budget, including rules for ensuring a uniform application of the principles of ‘do no significant harm’ and gender equality referred to in Article 33(2), points (d) and (f), of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 respectively, rules for monitoring and reporting on the performance of Union programmes and activities, rules for establishing a Union funding portal, rules for the evaluation of the programmes, as well as other horizontal provisions applicable to all Union programmes such as those on information, communication and visibility.

(49) Where assistance under the Union Mechanism contributes to a Union humanitarian response, particularly in complex emergencies, actions receiving financial assistance under this Regulation should adhere to the humanitarian principles and the principles on the use of civil protection and military resources set out in the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid. These actions should also take into consideration other humanitarian emergency response funded by the Union, ensuring alignment with established guidelines and objectives. The Union Mechanism should replace the Union Civil Protection Mechanism established by Decision No 1313/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council ³⁰ .

(50) Decision 1313/2013/EU should therefore be repealed.