With the signature of an administrative agreement between the European Commission and the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the two partners commit to fostering cooperation in disaster risk reduction, resilience and response to disasters.

Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, and W. Craig Fugate, Administrator of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security, met in Brussels to discuss the priorities for cooperation between the European Commission and FEMA in disaster management and emergency response. These priorities are based on the agreement and the regular dialogue between the European Commission and FEMA as part of the comprehensive approach of the EU to strategic partners such as the USA, Japan and Russia and neighbouring countries. For instance, the EU followed the situation in Japan after the earthquake and it deployed the civil protection mechanism.

The European Commission and FEMA are taking their cooperation to the next level, stepping up our joint efforts to prevent disasters, prepare for the unavoidable ones and respond in a way that is both efficient for their citizens and practical for their budgets. This was stated by Commissioner Georgieva after the meeting. With the cooperation and the agreement signed, the two partners commit to fostering cooperation in disaster risk reduction, resilience and response to disasters.

The EU has developed various legal and financial instruments to support and complement the national initiatives in disaster preparedness and response of the 27 EU Member States. These include training programmes and joint exercises for civil protection experts, cooperation projects and transport co-financing. Furthermore, the European Civil Protection Mechanism facilitates cooperation in disaster response among 31 European states (EU-27 plus Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). Through them, Europe aims to ensure effective response to disasters when they affect its own citizens, as well as effective assistance to other countries when they need disaster relief assistance.