On 9 March, the implementing Consortium of the EU-funded Programme for Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Floods in the Western Balkans and Turkey – IPA FLOODS is convening in Sarajevo the 2nd Steering Group Meeting with kind support by the Protection and Rescue Sector, Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Mr Samir Agić, Assistant Minister of Ministry of Security, will welcome participants in the meeting. Mr Alexander Kopke, Deputy Head of Civil Protection Policy Unit from DG ECHO and Mr Luigi D’Angelo, IPA FLOODS Programme Director will co-chair the meeting.
IPA FLOODS has been launched on January 2015 under the auspices of the European Commission Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (DG ECHO) and has reached mid-term implementation, therefore members of the Steering Group – Focal Points in the Beneficiaries, partners of the implementing Consortium, representatives from the DG ECHO and regional stakeholders – are called to monitor overall Programme progress and performance, endorse work-plans for the period to come and provide recommendations for corrective measures. Being its overall objective to develop capacity building related to flood prevention and response, IPA FLOODS Programme is composed of two separate Lots: Lot 1 aims establishment of multinational Civil Protection Modules for flood response – Flood Rescue using Boats (FRB) and the approximation to the EU Floods Directive in the Beneficiaries and Lot 2 – started on last July -aims the establishment of multinational Civil Protection Modules (CPMs) for flood response – High Capacity Pumping (HCP) and Flood Containment (FC).
Since its commencement, in the spirit of mutual cooperation and with a participatory approach with the Beneficiaries, the Programme implemented a number of work-packages aimed, among other aspects, to establish, equip, train and exercise, self-sufficient and interoperable multi-national CPMs, it developed Standard Operating Procedures and drafted Host Nation Support Protocols to be tested during regional field-exercises planned under both Lots. In parallel the Programme supported capacity building for approximation to the EU Floods Directive in the Beneficiaries.
The meeting will take advantage of the participation of representatives from the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina and others key stakeholders of the Region, namely representatives from Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Initiative for South-Eastern Europe (DPPI SEE) and International Sava River Basin Commission (ISRBC), both actives partners of IPA FLOODS Programme.
Steering Group side event: Regional Workshop with focus on the EUFD
On 8 March 2016, the day before the Steering Group Meeting, IPA FLOODS Consortium is organising in Sarajevo a Regional Workshop with focus on the EU Floods Directive. Representatives from CIMA Research Foundation and Italian Civil Protection Department, the partners in charge of implementing activities related to the capacity building and provision of support for the approximation to the EUFD, will update the representatives from agencies and institutions active in the area of water management and flood risk prevention in the Beneficiaries on the work done in the last months. IPA FLOODS team will introduce the draft “Guidelines and Good practices for implementing the EU Floods Directive” and the Flood Risk Information System will be launched as a regional platform for sharing flood and risk information among IPA FLOODS Beneficiaries. Workshop organisers will also give the floor to selected speakers from EU Member States, World Meteorological Organisation, International Sava River Basin Commission presenting initiatives and best practices in the field of Flood Risk Management.
IPA FLOODS implementation has been assigned to the Consortium established by the Italian Civil Protection Department (DPC), as leader, jointly with the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (URSZR), the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), the National Protection and Rescue Directorate of the Republic of Croatia (DUZS), the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agencies (MSB), CIMA Research Foundation (Italy) and Studiare Sviluppo (Italy).
The goal of IPA FLOODS is to increase flood risk management capacities at national, regional and EU levels in the Beneficiaries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo*, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. To this purpose, the Programme supports capacity building for flood preparedness and response and approximation to the EU Floods Directive in the Beneficiaries.
Web site: http://ipafloods.ipacivilprotection.eu
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/99 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence
