This area is covered by Protocol 31 to the EEA Agreement and falls under Subcommittee IV.

The Working Group on Civil Protection is responsible for EEA EFTA participation in the Community Mechanism for Civil Protection and the Civil Protection Financial Instrument 2007-2013. Read more about EEA EFTA participation in EU programmes.

The Community Mechanism for Civil Protection involves the participation of the 27 EU Member States and three EEA EFTA States, which pool their civil protection resources available to disaster-stricken countries.

The new Civil Protection Financial Instrument was incorporated into the EEA Agreement in 2007. The Instrument supports major projects, workshops and training courses in the field of prevention, preparedness and response to natural disasters, both at land and at sea.

The Working Group is currently preparing the incorporation of the revised Community Mechanism for Civil Protection, and is following closely the development on the EU side with regard to the European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection and the Anti-Terrorism Package.

See also: European Civil Protection