EEA EFTA States welcome UCPM+ proposal to strengthen Europe’s crisis preparedness

In a joint position paper (EEA EFTA Comment), Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway welcome the new UCPM+ programme proposal and its aim to enhance crisis management and preparedness in Europe. They emphasise that legal certainty regarding their participation is essential for ensuring effective and continued cooperation in crisis management across the European Economic Area.

The Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) is the EU framework for disaster management and emergency cooperation. It allows Member States to coordinate disaster prevention, preparedness and response to both natural and man-made crises globally. The UCPM+ proposal integrates the financing of health emergency preparedness and response, ensuring a more comprehensive and integrated response to crises. The proposal is currently under scrutiny in the European Parliament and Council, following its publication on 16 July 2025.

In their position paper, the EEA EFTA States support the proposal’s more comprehensive approach to civil protection and health emergency preparedness – including closer coordination between civilian and military efforts – and underline the importance of maintaining their full participation in the programme.

They note that they have participated in the UCPM on an equal footing with EU Member States since 2002, putting it at the core of their cooperation with the EU on public security, emergency preparedness and crisis management. They underline that past experience has demonstrated the concrete value of this cooperation.

Joint responses to crises, including medical evacuations from Ukraine, support to Iceland in mitigating volcanic risks through innovative lava cooling solutions, and coordinated action during the COVID-19 pandemic have shown how shared capacities and coordinated mechanisms can strengthen preparedness and response across borders.

These examples illustrate the practical benefits of full participation, and support the need to ensure a clear and stable framework for continued cooperation under the UCPM+. Referring to their horizontal comment on EU programmes, the EEA EFTA States highlight the importance of being clearly distinguished from third countries with other association arrangements with the EU. They call on the co-legislators to ensure that their full participation in the UCPM+ is reflected in the regulation in accordance with the EEA Agreement, and stress the importance of access to all relevant governing bodies where decisions on funding priorities are made throughout the entire programming period.

EEA EFTA Comment